Sports - Colleges - Ole Miss

Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009

Rebels reappear in national rankings

Ole Miss at No. 24 in AP poll, No. 22 in coaches poll

The Ole Miss Rebels may have hit their stride in time to make something of a promising season.

Ole Miss slammed Arkansas 30-17 on Saturday in Oxford, earning their fifth victory against two defeats, and returned to the Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday, checking in at No. 24.

The Rebels, who are 2-2 in SEC play, moved up three spots to No. 22 in the coaches’ poll.

Ole Miss is on the road to play Auburn on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium in an 11:20 a.m. kickoff. The fading Tigers lost to ninth-ranked LSU on Saturday night, falling 31-10.

“For us, it’s a matter of keeping the course and these last two weeks, you’ve seen the results,” Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt said.

The Rebels couldn’t get much going on offense in a 22-3 loss to Alabama on Oct. 10, but they’ve bounced back with victories over UAB and Arkansas.

Senior wideout/tailback Dexter McCluster had his most productive game of the season against the Razorbacks, while quarterback Jevan Snead passed for a career-high 332 yards.

“Dexter was the key,” Nutt said. “He’s a true weapon. He’s awesome. When a quarterback can turn and hand the ball to a guy that can hit the seams, it opens everything up.”

Ole Miss bolted to a 17-0 lead and pulled away from the Razorbacks after Arkansas trimmed the deficit to 24-17. McCluster finished the game with 123 yards rushing and 137 yards receiving.

“I knew the coaches hadn’t forgotten me,” McCluster said.

It was Nutt’s second victory over his former squad in as many tries and enhances the stakes for the Auburn game. Auburn is 5-3 overall and 2-3 in SEC play.