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| | Monday, August 14 Rebels playing with a wild Deuce | |||||
| By Pat Forde Special to ESPN.com Mississippi Rebels 1999 record: 8-4 (4-2 SEC) Coach: David Cutcliffe Returning starters: 14 (7 offense, 7 defense) Outlook Not since freshman quarterback Eli Manning's daddy finished third in the 1970 Heisman Trophy voting have the Rebels had a serious candidate. That could change this season with tailback Deuce McAllister. Log onto TheDeuceIsLoose.com and you'll see that Ole Miss is avidly promoting its lavishly talented tailback. He wears his 220 pounds well and has speed to burn, making the Deuce Mel Kiper's early pick as the Uno in the 2001 NFL draft. But in what must be a first in Heisman history, McAllister isn't even the leading returning rusher on his team. That honor would go to scatback Joe Gunn, who ran for 951 yards in 11 games last year. McAllister ran for 809 in 10, missing two games due to injury. Complement the one-two running punch with senior quarterback Romaro Miller (4,299 career passing yards) and Ole Miss should score plenty. But a defense that coughed up fourth-quarter leads in losses to Vanderbilt, Georgia and Mississippi State last year must learn to shut the door. A fourth consecutive bowl bid seems like a solid bet, but the Rebels would probably like to upgrade after two straight appearances in the maligned Independence Bowl. (They can tell their grandkids about spending New Year's Eve 1999 in Shreveport, La.) Keep an eye on ... Young Manning, and the Rebels' response to his backup status. Sensitive to the fans' embrace of the Confederate flag, Cutcliffe is concerned that open lobbying for redshirt freshman Manning to replace senior Miller would only further damage Ole Miss' ability to recruit African-Americans. It's a good season if ... The Rebels go to a bowl not played in Shreveport, beat Mississippi State and McAllister goes to New York as a Heisman finalist. |
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