Tulane University
Ole Miss
Football Drops Opener To No. 18 Ole Miss, 49-20
Sep 2, 2000 | Football
Sept. 2, 2000
By RALPH D. RUSSO
Associated Press Writer
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - It looked like a perfectly thrown touchdown pass from Romaro Miller to Deuce McAllister.
Except that the pass wasn't even intended for McAllister.
Regardless, the 47-yard touchdown was the first of three No. 18 Mississippi would score in less than five minutes during the third quarter on its way to a 49-20 victory over Tulane on Saturday.
Miller threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns, and McAllister scored three touchdowns in the season opener.
Tulane led 17-14 and Ole Miss was playing sluggish in the 100- degree heat before McAllister made an over-the-shoulder catch of a deep pass that Miller was throwing to Grant Heard.
"I told him (McAllister) he was being greedy," Miller said.
McAllister split out wide on the play and raced by Tulane's Tim Carter. But McAllister cut inside instead of out and into Heard's route.
"So, I'm throwing to Grant and I look up and see Deuce coming in the picture kind of late. I'm glad one of those guys got it," Miller said.
McAllister said he was just doing what comes natural.
"I told Grant anytime the ball's in the air and I'm around I'm going to go get it," McAllister said.
The play gave the Rebels a 21-17 lead and a spark with 7:03 left in the third quarter.
Less than a minute later, a bounce helped give the Rebels a 28-17 lead. Kenny Woods intercepted a pass that bounced off a teammate then was kicked into the air by Tulane receiver Kerwin Cook as he was falling to the ground. Woods grabbed the ball and went 33 yards for a touchdown.
Toward Sanford took a screen pass from Miller 67 yards on the Rebels' next possession to make it 35-17 at 2:41 of the third.
Ole Miss was the second-best running team in the SEC last season behind the tailback combination of McAllister and Joe Gunn.
But with Tulane playing eight and nine players close to the line of scrimmage, the Rebels turned to their senior quarterback to be the focal point of the offense.
Miller was 18-for-26 passing in his 24th career start. It was his third career 300-yard game, tying Archie Manning's school record.
"I think he (Romaro) is the most improved player in the conference," Ole Miss coach David Cutcliffe said. "He was confident and well prepared."
Neither McAllister or Gunn found much running room against a surprisingly stout Tulane defensive front. Ole Miss had just 118 yards rushing on 35 carries.
"They were determined not to let us run the ball," McAllister said. "If that's the way they want to do it, then we have enough weapons where we can put the ball in the air and score as well."
McAllister, touted as a Heisman Trophy candidate by Ole Miss, had a light work day running the ball.
He ran only nine times for 29 yards, though his three touchdowns moved him past Manning to become the Ole Miss career leader with 27.
The news wasn't all bad for the Manning family.
Eli Manning, Archie's son, played his first college game. The redshirt freshman quarterback completed 1-of-5 passes for 5 yards.
McAllister scored the game's first touchdown with a head first leap over the line from one yard out. That gave Ole Miss a 7-3 lead with 43 seconds left in the first quarter.
A similar 1-yard vault made in the fourth quarter made the score 42-17.
Tulane had taken a 17-14 at 8:59 of the third quarter when Patrick Ramsey found Adrian Burnette between two defenders for a 16-yard touchdown.
Ramsey was 12-for-28 passing for 169 yards and took a pounding from a heavy Rebels rush. He left the game in the third quarter with a sprained right shoulder.
"Their defense is better than most people give them credit for," Tulane coach Chris Scelfo said.
