Sports

Saturday, Nov. 07, 2009

Ole Miss rolls over Northern Arizona

OXFORD — Shay Hodge scored two touchdowns on a career-high 169 receiving yards and Ole Miss pulled away from Northern Arizona 38-14 Saturday night.

With the Rebels’ top offensive weapon Dexter McCluster getting much of the night off, Hodge scored twice, including a 65-yard strike from quarterback Jevan Snead.

The Lumberjacks (5-4) made the game interesting with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns, the second one tying the score at 14 with just under eight minutes left in the half. But the Rebels (6-3) responded with 24 unanswered points.

Snead threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more. He was 16-for-29 for 235 yards.

Northern Arizona quarterback Michael Herrick returned to the school that signed him out of high school. The junior who did not play in two seasons with the Rebels, threw for 233 yards on 20-for-31 passing.

Ole Miss also blocked two field goals. The Rebels (6-3, 2-2 in the Southeastern Conference) host Tennessee on Saturday in an 11 a.m. game televised on CBS.

Notes

Ole Miss improves to 46-11 versus non-conference opponents dating back to a 38-0 win over Tulane on Nov. 12, 1994.

The Rebels have won eight straight non-conference games in Oxford and are 35-6 in their last 41 contests.

Ole Miss is off to its best start since 2003, when the team opened at 7-2. The Rebels were 5-4 at this point a year ago.

Hodge notched his second straight 100-yard receiving game, tying his single-game career high. His two TD catches pull him within four of the Ole Miss all-time record held by Chris Collins (2000-03).

Snead has passed for multiple TD passes in 12 of the last 15 games and has topped 200 yards passing 12 times in his two seasons as a Rebel, including five games this year.

Brandon Bolden led the team in rushing with 85 yards on 10 carries.