Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 47

Lincoln Journal Star 11T7 Saturday, December 28, 2002 1 I HUSKER EXTRA t1 Rebels malce the most of their many opportunties card BY JIM MASHEK tit) yv i Vi we have speed, too, and speed helps you against the option. "We let our guys play, and boy, did they ever." Ole Miss went in front for the first time after a fake punt backfired for the Cornhuskers. Backup safety Tavarus Home broke up a pass by the short man in punt formation, Nebraska's Judd Davies, which gave the Rebels the ball at the Nebraska 35-yard line. Manning needed just four plays to get Ole Miss into the end zone for its only second-half touchdown, a 1-yard run by fullback Toward Sanford. The Rebels' Jonathan Nichols added a 43-yard field goal with 4:38 left in the game, and the ground-oriented Cornhuskers were through.

"Nobody gave us a chance, but we believed in ourselves," Ole Miss defensive tackle Jesse Mitchell said. Manning completed 25 of 44 passes for 313 yards and a second-quarter touchdown, while Dahharn Diedrick paced the Cornhuskers with 92 yards rushing. Lord added 47 yards on the ground while passing for just 93 with two interceptions. "Our team never lost sight of competing," Cutcliffe said. "We got better as we practiced for this bowl game.

Seniors can go both ways in getting ready for a bowl game. They can be distracted, but our seniors stayed focused. They did a great job." The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.) SHREVEPORT, La. The Ole Miss defense needed time to adjust. Time to get a read on Nebraska quarterback Jammal Lord.

Time to put the Cornhuskers on the run. Sideline to sideline, that is. Ole Miss limited Nebraska to 59 yards rushing in the second half of the 27th Independence Bowl, and the Rebels capitalized on their opportunities to upset the Cornhuskers 27-23 Friday night at Independence Stadium. Ole Miss Coach David Cutcliffe became the first coach to win three Independence Bowls, and when this one was over, he again refuted reports that he is interested in the Kentucky job. Cutcliffe met with Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart on Dec.

19 in Memphis, but he insisted he plans to be at Ole Miss for the long haul. "I'm right where I need to be," Cutcliffe said. The Cornhuskers (7-7) seemed right at home in the game's early going, bolting to a 10-0 lead, but the Rebels (7-6) came back with an opportunistic defense and the right arm of junior quarterback Eli Manning. "We played base defense," Ole Miss defensive coordinator Chuck Driesbach said. "They went to the.

no-huddle (offense-) pretty quickly, and we had to adjust to that You cant simulate their speed with your scout team. But By John Mabry and Curl McKeever RUNNING GAME With 207 yards at halftime, the Huskers appeared headed for a 400-yard performance, but in the final 30 minutes they netted just 59 yards on 21 attempts. That's against a defense that ranked 53rd nationally against the run, too. l-back David Home offers hope, but significant off-season improvement by the O-line is a must PASSING GAME The TD pass to Matt Herian keeps this from being a complete disaster in a department where NU has barely been getting by all season. If Jammal Lord doesnt get better with his touch, the Huskers' offense will be seriously challenged to sustain long drives again next year.

Kudos to Wilson Thomas for a couple of high-flying grabs. AGAINST THE RUN Mississippi hasn't been able to run the ball all year, so it's not too surpnsing that the Rebels got held to 52 yards on 32 tries. Nebraska's play up front, though, looked like efforts from some dominant units of the past. That has to be an encouraging sign for incoming defensive coordinator Bo Pelini. I AGAINST THE PASS You knew there'd be a lot of give and take here.

Eli Manning threw for 313 yards, but on 44 attempts. The Huskers also sacked him four times, nearly one-third of his season total. The most glaring stat here is Nebraska's lack to come up with an interception against a player who'd thrown 15. SPECIAL TEAMS DeJuan Grace's punt return for a TD brings this grade up, but it looked like Jeff Jamrog, forced to focus on the defensive plan, could have used more time to prepare on this part of the game. NU was called for two illegal blocks and a hold on punt returns.

Josh Davis again provided a lift with a 4Syard kickoff return to help set up a field goal. A f. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning looks for an open receiver in the first half. Manning threw for 313 yards and became the Rebels' career total offense leader. GROCE'S RUN TO GLORY vy Ml 11' GAME MANAGEMENTPENALTIES We've already covered a lot that could be included here.

Seventy yards of penalties let's move on. PLAY CALLING So you wanted the fullback to be a bigger part of the action, huh? Bet you didn't believe it'd come on a fake punt. That decision when you're leading and at your own 35-yard line, is a major nono. Mississippi responded with a quick TD that changed the game. At the start, the Huskers opted not to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the Rebels' 41, and Kyle Larson backed them up to their 1.

After establishing that it could'run, NU threw incomplete on first-and-10 from the Mississippi 12 and ended up having to kick a field goaL Bring on the new offensive coordinator(s). OVERALL Yep, this was another average performance for the Huskers. Pretty fitting for the capper to a .500 season. In a town known for its casinos, you know the Huskers didn't want to roll a pair of 7s to finish the year. The only bright spot is that it's over.

9 IVIabiy Continued from Page IF if Jammal Lord is the quarterback who can right the ship. Friday's performance wasn't the best sales job. Lord is just one of many question marks as we enter the most intriguing off-season in recent memory. I hit Solich with a few queries after Friday's loss, and here's what he had to say. After watching him for a whole season, what are Lord's strengths and weaknesses? "He's got excellent running ability.

That has shown in most games. He has potential to be a passer, a good passer. But he struggled at times throughout the course of the year in the throwing game, but I think that comes back to a lot of things. think that comes back to protection a little bit He can throw very well off of play-action." Translation: He needs to be a better thrower, and the offensive line needs to start pulling its weight. How was the play-calling set up in this game? "It ended up being the same as what it's been all year, where I called plays, and the guys suggested plays.

Some of the suggestions I took, some of them I didn't There was no way to switch that role right at the very end for a number of reasons, and one of the main reasons was having everyone on the road, you just didn't have the opportunity for a coordinator to zero in on the film the way you would like to zero in on it Translation: Turner Gill was on the road a lot and was unable to play a major role in the play-calling yet. Did you find yourself getting a little more involved in the defensive side of things today? "Not really. I thought maybe they would need some help just being outnumbered, but it didn't end up being that way. I thought Jeff (Jamrog) put in an unbelievable number of hours to get this team prepared, and he was enthusiastic. I think the players really enjoyed what he's been all about" Translation: Jeff Jamrog is a great guy to have around, but Bo Pelini can't start soon enough.

Are you relieved this season is over? "The season's been hard on everybody. Now that this thing is completed, we will move forward and get focused on what's ahead But in no way did anybody, especially the players, just try to get by or get this thing over with They were intent on playing excellent football and they worked hard to do that. "I think we're all ready to move forward." Unfortunately, in my haste, I forgot the most important question of all. How about a Life-Saver, Coach? Reach John Mabry at 473-7320 or jmabryjoumalstar.com. TED KIRKLincoln Journal Star Getting blocks from teammates Pat Ricketts (28) and Jerrell Pippens (31 Husker DeJuan Groce (5) breaks to his left to begin a second-quarter punt return.

noise 3 Here's what Husker fans had to say after NU's 27-23 loss to Mississippi on Friday: DOUG HAESEMEYER, Kansas Crty. "The defense is all young. They're losing Groce. They need a fab-five recruiting class. They need some blue chips." JUSTIN HAESEMEYER, Kansas City: "The players can't be that bad.

It's got to be the (coaching) staff. They've got to do something to get through to the players. It's frustrating." RYAN KANDER, Norfolk: "I just really hope they can get the coaching situation settled down and get some consistency. I really hope the coaches they bring in can show some of the players some true spint about winning, some respect. I really hope they put the best man out on the field, not nec-essanly the man that's been there the longest" SUZANNE SANDERS, Shreveport, "We were not Nebraska this year.

I watched the first game and said, 'Look, we dont have a I was a student at Nebraska for the first two national championships. When I left the last game I watched in the stadium 30 years ago, they didn't need me. I could watch them on TV and enjoy it. They had to come to me (in Shreveport) to be blessed. I guess my blessing didn't work." John Mabry 4 LI Game TED KIRKLincoln Journal Star With the help of Ira Cooper (1 1) and Aaron Terpening (2), Groce breaks away from Mississippi's Rickie Nelson (85) and gets into the clear.

1 I It Didn't Work. That would be a fitting title for Nebraska's 2002 season. "There's a lot of things that went awry this year," Solich said of a 7-7 campaign. "We are where we're at." Many words would describe where that leaves the Huskers. They're definitely humbled, probably could use a pat on the back, and perhaps a kick in the butt.

But like Davies, I'm guessing they'll bounce back soon and be ready to duke it out come next season. If you're a Husker fan, you just hope they bring their heads with them, too. "I never saw us really get down," said Jimmy Burrow, who along with Jeff Jamrog coordinated Nebraska's defensive game plan for Friday's game. "I was proud since the time Jeff and I were running the defense how they responded in effort. I'm just disappointed it wasn't enough to get a win." Reach Curt McKeever at 473-7441 or cmckeeverjournalstar.com.

McKeever Continued from Page IF point average in communication studies, wasn't exactly in a mood to chat afterwards. His description for the mood on the Nebraska sideline immediately following the botched play was a simple one." "Disappointment." That was more than he offered when asked to describe what he saw that made him call for the balL "I don't want to answer that," Davies said. Fair enough. No need to badger a guy who already had rhud in his eye. And Frank Solich wasn't about to rub his face with more of it, either.

"That was putting (the defense) in a tough position. We gave them the short field," the Huskers' head coach said. But "all these decisions come back to me. There's no good answer for (why the play didn't work), other than it did not work." ijpTTfrf iiiii mmmmmmmmmmmmm i 1,1 a "TX XT 7C jr-r-W-- i' braska a 17-7 lead with his 60-yard punt return for a touchdown with 2:43 remaining before halftime. Groce, a senior from suburban Cleveland, started to his right, cut up field to daylight, broke a tackle and sprinted to the end zone.

He tied an NCAA record with his fourth punt-return TD of the'sea-son. "We had a lot of momentum at that point in time," Groce said. Mississippi, though, responded with a nine-play, 88-yard scoring drive capped by Sanford's 1-yard plunge, pulling the Rebels to 17-14. Manning's 41-yard pass to wideout Mike Espy set up the touchdown. Nebraska went up 10-0 on Lord's 41-yard touchdown 'strike to freshman tight end Matt Herian with 13:38 left in the second quarter.

It was Herian's fourth TD reception of the season and capped a six-play, 80-yard drive. By this point, the Huskers had 146 yards rushing in their first four possessions alone. Brown gave Nebraska a 3-0 lead with a 29-yard field goal eight minutes into the game. Lord set up the score with a 47-yard run on an option left, rambling to the Ole Miss 16. The Huskers reached the Rebels' 12-yard line before settling for the field goal.

Linebacker Eddie Strong batted down Lord's pass on third-and-10. The Rebels never crossed mid-field during the first quarter. Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipplejoumalstar.com. Continued from Page IF the right guys.

But it was a little bit of everything. And you have to give credit to Mississippi." Mississippi entered the game ranked 53rd nationally against the run, allowing 151.2 yards per game. The Rebels' offense, as usual, leaned on Manning, and he came through mightily. The 6-foot-5 junior completed 25 of 44 passes for 313 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions. Nebraska sacked Manning three times in the first half and once after the break.

Kelsay said Ole Miss made good adjustments to the defensive wrinkles Nebraska had in- stalled for facing Manning. Ole Miss had allowed only 13 sacks all season entering the night "You put a guy in his face, and he'll still completes the pass," said Kelsay, who made two of the sacks. "He's very composed." Nebraska quarterback Jammal Lord, meanwhile, completed 6 of 1 7 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown. Lord threw two interceptions, one of which led to an Ole Miss touchdowa The teams opened the second half by trading field goals. Nebraska went up 20-17 on Brown's 23-yard kick after Nichols had already hit from 37 yards.

Nichols' kick capped a 13-play, 57-yard drive to begin the second half. DeJuan Groce had given Ne TED KIRKLincoln Journal Star With no one else around, not even an official, Groce strides into the end zone to complete a 60-yard touchdown return. That score gave Groce his fourth punt return TD of the season, breaking the school record of three set by Johnny Rodgers in 1971 and tying the NCAA record. 4- i-s Broadcast reports out of Memphis, as well as Sporting News Radio, had Cutcliffe resigning after Friday night's game. You half-expected the Wildcats' Lear Jet to be parked at the State Fair Grounds, with Tommy Tuberville manning the cqekpit.

Let's face it, nobody likes to be used, and you can say Tuberville used Ole Miss to get the Auburn job. Tub also did a good job of attracting top-flight talent to Ole Miss, which is what Cutcliffe says is his top priority today. Recruiting. For Ole Miss. Not Kentucky.

I think we ought to take the man at his Friday's victory over Nebraska was a pretty impressive building block. Sure, this is a Cornhuskers team with some hdles, but early in the game, Nebraska was blowing open huge holes against the undersized Ole Miss defense. The Rebels fell behind 10-0, and they were on their heels, too. "Don't play us in Shreveport, huh? We found a way to win," Cutcliffe said. For that, give the man some credit BY JIM MASHEK The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.) SHREVEPORT, La.

David Cutcliffe became the king of the Independence Bowl on Friday night. The Ole Miss football coach has struck for three upsets in this third-tier bowl game, winning in just about every way imaginable. So if you want to throw a backhanded compliment his way, well "I'll take it," Cutcliffe said after the Rebels slipped past a bigger, stronger Nebraska team 27-23 at Independence Stadium. "All three of them are precious." Cutcliffe was named the Rebels' coach on Dec. 2, 1998, and 29 days later, after a hospital stay for pancreatitis, he guided Ole Miss to an inspired 35-18 victory over Texas Tech.

The next year, Ole Miss played traditional national power Oklahoma, and Les Binkley drilled a 39-yard field goal as time expired to knock off the Sooners 27-25. On Friday, the Rebels salvaged their season with another unlikely victory, a game that seemed to get lost in the swirl about reports linking Cutcliffe to the job opening atKentucky. Forty years of winning end Nebraska's football records over the last 4l years: 1 H.I 2002 7-7 1991 9-2-1 1981 9-3 1971 130 2001 11-2 1990 9-3 1980 10-2 1970 11-0-1 2000 10-2 1989 10-2 1979 10-2 1969 9-2 1999 12-1 1988 11-2 1978 9-3 1968 64 1998 94 1987 10-2 1977 9-3 1967 64 1997 130 1986 10-2 1976 9-3-1 1966 9-2 1996 11-2 1985 9-3 1975 10-2 1965 10-1 1995 120 1984 10-2 1974 9-3 1964 9-2 1994 130 1983 12-1 1973 9-3-1 1963 10-1 1993 11-1 1982 12-1 1972 9-2-1 1962 9-2 1992 9-3 WILLIAM LAUERLincoln Journal Star Running backs coach Dave Gillespie (left) celebrates the record-setting punt return with Groce and the rest of the Husker sidelines..