By By Will Bardwell / staff writer
Oct. 27, 2003
A national ranking may not mean Ole Miss has arrived, but only because David Cutcliffe says so.
And the Rebels have been very successful. After a 2-2 start that included embarrassing losses to Memphis and Texas Tech, Ole Miss went 4-0 in October.
During that span, the Rebels knocked off two nationally ranked teams a 20-17 win over then-No. 24 Florida on Oct. 4, and most recently, a 19-7 victory against then-No. 20 Arkansas on Saturday.
Now 6-2 overall and 4-0 in conference play, Ole Miss controls its own destiny in the SEC West division.
Ole Miss is perfect in league play for the first time since Archie Manning's senior season in 1970. While the Rebels are happy to still be perfect, quarterback Eli Manning said the next goal is to do something that not even his legendary father did improve to 5-0.
What the Rebels have been doing is looking like a different team than the one that struggled through the season's first month. A defense that gave up over 700 yards against Texas Tech on Sept. 27 is now one of the SEC's toughest, and has held three straight opponents under 100 rushing yards.
A win over South Carolina would bring Ole Miss to 5-0 in league play something that the Rebels have not done since 1963, when they won their last SEC title.
And though the Rebels have proven that they have bounced back from their slow start, one thing remains to be seen whether or not the only SEC West team to never play in the conference championship game can shed that distinction.
Said Cutcliffe, "We'll have to wait and see, won't we?"