Bill's Blog: Ole Miss Game Day

2:32 p.m. — Remember, kickoff for Homecoming with Eastern Michigan is 6 p.m., and the game is on ESPNU. It is also the We Bleed Razorback Red weekend for Halloween — the Razorbacks will wear all red and we want you to join in as well. Good afternoon from Oxford.

2:31 p.m. — Blue Gatorade bath for opposing head coach. Clock now winds down and that is the final. Ole Miss 30, Arkansas 17. We’ll be back with you in Fayetteville for Homecoming next weekend.

2:30 p.m. — Clock and Ole Miss continue to run. Now 60 seconds left.

2:29 p.m. — McCluster comes through with the first down, and the clock continues to run.

2:27 p.m. — Ole Miss getting no where on this possession, and Razorback time out on third down stops clock at 2:05. Rebels need this first down to ice the game.

2:25 p.m. — Starting at Ole Miss own 39, Rebels good with running out the clock. Razorback down on the play. Crowd begins to chant.

2:21 p.m. — Mallett finds Childs in the left flat, but he bobbles the catch trying to make the hook and pitch play. Mallett takes a powerful shot from Trahan on third down for a sack for loss. He’s a little slow getting up. Now 3:19 left in the game.

2:20 p.m. — Great run back by Johnson to the 27 yard line.

2:16 p.m. — Illegal formation on Ole Miss — too many in the backfield — and Rebels go for field goal. 19-yarder is good; UM 30, Arkansas 17.

2:15 p.m. — Razorbacks holding tough at the three — pressure throwaway on first down then a no gain rush sets up third down. Wild Rebel gets maybe a yard, but flag on the play.

2:13 p.m. — Snead finds Hodge at the Hogs’ 3 yard line, which takes Snead over 300 yards passing for the first time in his career; Rebels are over 500 yards in total offense.

2:12 p.m. — Snead completion puts UM inside the Arkansas 20 at the 16, 1st and 10 with now under 6:40 to play.

2:10 p.m. — Snead moving the Rebels upfield in another time consuming drive. Clock rolls under 8:00.

2:07 p.m. — McCluster takes the swing pass in the right flat and rushes up field for 18 yards to give the Rebels 1st and 10 at the Hogs 41.

2:02 p.m. — Mallett’s sack by Armor sets up a 52-yard field goal attempt by Tejada. Flags and confusion as the play continues but the officials now call delay of game. Tejada’s field goal hits the cross bar and bounces through, but now with the penalty Breeding will punt. Pooch kick to the 23 yard line.

2:01 p.m. — Play clock violation backs Arkansas up five yards, Mallett goes for the endzone incomplete. Toss into the right flat goes for a loss to Smith, sets up a third and 17.

1:59 p.m. — Not a lot for Michael Smith on first down. Mallett finds Wright to move the ball to third and one. Play action to a wide open Childs puts Arkasnas at the Ole Miss 19 yard line, 36 yard gain.

1:57 p.m. — Johnson plays the kickoff off his chest, picks it up and returns 33 yards out to the 36 yard line of the Razorbacks.

1:56 p.m. — Little trouble from 39 yards for Shene. 12 plays for 62 yards and 5:26 seconds on the drive.

1:55 p.m. — Shene goes for a 35 yard field goal attempt, flags on the play. False start on Ole Miss, back it up five and try again.

1:53 p.m. — McCluster has over 100 yards receiving and 100 yards rushing for Ole Miss.

1:51 p.m. — Freddie Burton stops McCluster just short of the first down at the Hogs 17 yard line. It will force a fourth down call as we go to the fourth quarter.

1:49 p.m. — Snead finds McCluster downfield and the Rebel back evades Razorbacks to put Ole Miss at the Arkansas 35. Ole Miss in the middle of its first sustained drive since the opening quarter.

1:46 p.m. — Rebels grind out a first down, but not much gain on first down. Ball at the 27 and Snead finds Hodge for another first down.

1:43 p.m. — Personal foul on Ole Miss will put it on the 16.

1:43 p.m. — Grandy has a dramatic return for Ole Miss out to the 32 yard line, but flag on the play. Hogs indicate its on Ole Miss.

1:40 p.m. — Mallett buys time and pays for it with a huge hit, but his 56 yard pass bounces up in the air off the hands of Greg Childs. Carlton Saulters picks it out of the air and walks into the end zone for the TD. The PAT is good and its UM 24, UA 17.

1:39 p.m. — Substitution penalty on Arkansas backs it up to 3rd and 15

1:38 p.m. — Deep drop by Mallett, rolls right to avoid pressure, gets outside the tackle box and lofts it way; takes a big hit after he releases. Incomplete on second down.

1:37 p.m. — Mallett opens in the gun, gets Wright for 23 yards out to the Arkansas 47 yard line.

1:35 p.m. — Today’s attendance is 60,622

1:35 p.m. — McCluster’s score breaks 10 unanswered points from Arkansas.

1:34 p.m. — Middle screen to McCluster, he breaks a pair of tackles and is off to the races. 62 yards later touchdown for the Rebels. The PAT is good and it’s UM 24, UA 10.

1:32 p.m. — I think the Ole Miss left tackle is off sides. You know, if you’re gonna have motion, you might as well cross the line and start your block. 2nd and long for UM.

1:30 p.m. — Ole Miss crowd comes to life, Mallett flushed from pocket, pass is incomplete and Razorbacks are three and out. No return for UM on the punt. They’ll start on own 38.

1:29 p.m. — Mallett goes long down the sideline for Childs, makes the impossible drop over the shoulder but Childs can’t hold — no fault here as it would have required a circus catch to haul in. Motion on the Razorbacks on next snap.

1:28 p.m. — Fumbled snap on first down covered by Mallett. Media reporting Ramon Broadway in shorts on sideline.

1:27 p.m. — TV time out. Quinn Grovey’s sideline report on the Razorback Sports Network says that Rudell Crim has a hip injury and questionable for this game.

1:25 p.m. — Snead settles into the pocket, feels the pressure and fires one into the left flat where one Rebel and four Razorbacks await. The incomplete sets up a punt, nearly blocked by Arkansas. Fair catch at the Razorback 32 yard line.

1:21 p.m. — Rebels take the kickoff to the 35 yard line, but after a TFL and a wild high pass from Snead now face 3rd and 11.

1:18 p.m. — Mallett high and off the outstretched hands of Childs, now third down. Mallett makes a change, full blitz from Ole Miss and he’s sacked for a loss. Mallett does break toward the middle of the field, which leaves it perfect for a field goal attempt. Tejada hits his season-long 44 yarder. Now UM 17, UA 10, with 9:40.

1:17 p.m. — Mallett settles into the pocket, it collapses behind him and he breaks away for a two-yard gain. Razorbacks at the Ole Miss 28 yard line.

1:16 p.m. — Flags everywhere and Mallett points at the Ole Miss nose guard. He’s drawn them off for the five yard penalty and first down.

1:16 p.m. — Green up the middle, no gain; third and one and the Ole Miss crowd tries to make noise.

1:15 p.m. — Mallett rolls away from the Ole Miss pressure, tosses to Smith in the flat for a nine yard catch and run.

1:14 p.m. — Snead intercepted on third and long, and Andru Stewart returns it like it was a punt to the Ole Miss 39 yard line.

1:11 p.m. — Johnson stopped for a loss by a pair of Rebels; Hogs now face third and a long 12. Mallett almost intercepted, heat of the pass prevents the catch and Breeding on to punt. Ole Miss goes for the block, gets close, but exposes their receiver. Very little return puts Ole Miss at own 38.

1:10 p.m. — Mallett to Childs on the crossing pattern, off the hands incomplete on first down.

1:09 p.m. — Johnson takes the opening kickoff of the second half 25 yards out to the 30.

1:05 p.m. — Correction in the press box as McCluster had only 108 yards — must have been a mis-assigned carry.

1:05 p.m. — Razorbacks return to the field. New flag for the 100 Years of the Razorback leads the team onto the turf.

12:59 p.m. — For the first half, Arkansas had only 186 yards on 32 plays while the Rebels went for 298 yards on 42 plays. McCluster ran 136 yards by half on 13 carries to insure his first career 100-yard game.

12:54 p.m. — Rudell Crim is driven off the field to the locker room for halftime.

12:51 p.m. — Good news, bad news. Arkansas got run for 17 straight points. The good news, however, is Arkansas came alive offensively to close the half, had the interception that almost broke open for a TD return AND the Hogs open the second half with the ball.

12:48 p.m. — Coming out of the time out, Snead goes deep for the end zone. He’s picked on a pass that wobbles by Jerico Nelson. Nelson finds space and cuts back across the field. The clock runs out and he’s still going. Almost gets the Cal-like pitch off but is tackled at the 40 to end the half.

12:46 p.m. — McCluster has the first 100-yard game of his career with 134 yards on 13 carries.

12:45 p.m. — Ole Miss has third down, lets 20 seconds roll off the clock before the pass play. Lose another three or four seconds before calling Rebels’ final time out of the half. Nine seconds left in the half.

12:44 p.m. — Snead "sacked" on first down as he battles out of the pocket for one yard.

12:43 p.m. — McCluster breaks away for a big gain of 16, moving the ball out to the 39. McCluster gain to the midfield stripe plus some. 1st and 10 in Razorback territory at 49.

12:41 p.m. — Ole Miss takes the kickoff out to the 24 yard line. Arkansas has a man down on the play, Rudell Crim. He’s slow to get up and assisted off by the trainers.

12:39 p.m. — Knile Davis takes it the last three yards for his first touchdown. PAT is good and the Hogs are on the board. The drive was seven plays, 80-yards in just 1:57.

12:38 p.m. — Greg Childs catches the flag pattern in stride and he races to the Ole Miss 3 yard line. Razorbacks in Red Zone for 1st time.

12:37 p.m. — Mallett makes the deep connection for the first time, hitting Reggie Fish for a 30 yard gain to the Ole Miss 35.

12:35 p.m. — Kickoff goes out of the end zone, and Hogs start at own 20. Mallett goes deep on first down incomplete, swings the pass into the right flat for Smith on second and he rambles for 12 yards and the first down.

12:30 p.m. — Rebels get two on the ground on first down, then out of the Wild Rebel, McCluster gets nothing, in fact loses two. No motion to protect McCluster on the naked sweep. Snead looks for end zone, well overthrown. Rebels have to settle for field goal attempt of 22 yards, Shene is good, UM 17, Arkansas 0.

12:27 p.m. — Backs it up with a deep shot to Marquis Summers, Broadway saves the TD at the Arkansas five yard line. Time out called by Ole Miss.

12:25 p.m. — Six yard run by McCluster and an incomplete put Ole Miss at third down again. This time at the 44. McCluster to the rescue again, this time a belly screen to the Arkansas 43.

12:23 p.m. — Rebels pick up five on first down pass, but stall with pair of runs to third and five at own 20, Snead scrambles and finds McCluster up field with a drive saving pass to the 37.

12:20 p.m. — Fair catch on the Ole Miss 15 and we go to a TV time out. Razorbacks in the first quarter manage only two first downs to 10 for Ole Miss. Rebels have 21 plays for 134 yards while Arkansas had only 11 plays and 51 yards.

12:18 p.m. — Razorbacks into Ole Miss territory on Green’s five yard run, incomplete sets up another big third down. Rebels bring max blitz and Mallet can’t quite escape in time. Ball is short of D.J. and Breeding in to punt.

12:15 p.m. — Back to back carries give Arkansas first and 10 at their own 49 before the whistles blow — time out Ole Miss. 9:14 left in the first half.

12:13 p.m. — Jarius Wright was five full yards wide open, but the pass skids through his arms to bring up second and 10.

12:12 p.m. — 1st and 10 from the 25. Mallett rolls out to Curtis for 10 yards and a first down.

12:10 p.m. — Snead goes for the ole screen and gets some space before FUUUUUMBLE and its’ covered by Hogs’ Ramon Broadway.

12:09 p.m. — Rebels take over on downs and return to a more balanced attack. Snead complete for 14 into Arkansas territory.

12:07 p.m. — Hogs still going for it after the time out. Different formation, delayed pressure, Mallett flushed out, flings it across his body looking for Williams. Results in a jump ball on the Ole Miss sideline. Williams can’t pull it down and the home bench goes wild.

12:03 p.m. — 18 yards for Smith with move Arkansas to the 38. Green pushes the marker up to the 35. Mallett rifles one deep on third. Hogs will go for it on 4th. Petrino calls a time out from the sideline just as the snap is made. Ole Miss was bringing The Grove at the snap.

12:01 p.m. — Three man rush plus a left side blitz leaves a huge gap on the left side. Mallett takes advantage and rushes for the first down with a sliding seven yards. He goes up top and deep on first down to stretch the Ole Miss defense.

11:59 a.m. — That’s the end of the first quarter, Ole Miss up 14-0. The stands are now filled out, but a few rows still open in the Rebel student section.

11:56 a.m. — Johnson fields this kickoff and returns it to the Razorback 32. Green off left guard for five yards, Smith caught for no gain on third down.

11:55 a.m. — Snead to Shay Hodge for the 26-yard touchdown pass, first pass of the drive, Ole Miss 14. Arkansas 0. An eight-play, 80-yard drive with seven of the eight plays on the ground.

11:52 a.m. — McCluster converts another first down for Ole Miss on the ground. Eight down to the Arkansas 26.

11:50 a.m. — Rebels keeping the ball on the ground thus far in the drive, and are out to the Hogs 45 — McCluster with four of the five carries so far.

11:49 a.m. — Touchdown saving tackle by Matt Harris on McCluster as the Ole Miss tailback uses the draw play for a 19 yard gain.

11:44 a.m. — Smith takes the second down pitch sweep to the right wide, almost breaks through the hole but stopped for two yards. Mallett checks off on third, find Cobi Hamilton wide open for the first down but it’s dropped. Breeding’s punt lands right on the goal line for the touchback.

11:43 a.m. — Smith battles, but dropped for a loss. Mallett rifles second down through traffic to Jarius Wright and the Hogs are in Ole Miss territory on the 18 yard gain at the 46.

11:41 a.m. — Mallett on first down, plenty of time; settles into pocket and finds Childs for a first down. Move the sticks to the 38.

11:38 a.m. — Jevan fought the battle of Jerico Nelson, and his wall came tumbling down HARD, very hard as Snead tried to escape the three man rush of the Hogs. Three and out for the Rebels and the Hogs take over on the fair catch at their own 22.

11:37 a.m. — Snead feels the pressure, manages to get outside the tackle box and then throws to no one. Out of the gun on second down, big pressure. Complete to McCluster but Rebels run into the defense we saw at Gainesville. Tackle for three yard loss.

11:36 a.m. — Incomplete on third down, Breeding’s punt is fair caught at the Ole Miss 46. Rebels get field position.

11:35 a.m. — Mallett overthrows Greg Childs and it will be three and out for the Razorbacks’ first possession.

11:34 a.m. — Michael Smith makes his return to the field, and gets back the lost yardage plus six more. 3rd and 4 for Hogs at own 22.

11:34 a.m. — Mallett from the gun with no backs. Flushed quickly by Rebels and sacked for a six yard loss.

11:33 a.m. — Ruling on the field is confirmed. 1st and 10 for Razorbacks at own 15.

11:31 a.m. — Rebels kick away from Dennis Johnson with the short pooch, mishandled by Barnett at the 15. He scrambles to pick it up, has a knee down and stumbles. He’s whistled down but the ball is loose and picked up by Rebels. Play is under review.

11:29 a.m. — With 10:41 on the game clock, we now await the SEC’s number one passer, Ryan Mallett. Credit the Rebels at the goal line, twice as anticipated right at the heart of the Razorbacks for nothing, 21 of 22 players commit to the dive and Snead by himself into the endzone.

11:28 a.m. — 3rd and goal, Ole Miss fakes up the middle, Snead gets the one-yard naked bootleg touchdown. 10 plays, 73 yards for the opening scoring drive. PAT is good and 7-0 UM.

11:28 a.m. — 2nd and goal at the one. Ole miss up the middle, stood up, no gain.

11:27 a.m. — 1st and goal at one. Ole Miss up the middle, no gain.

11:26 a.m. — Snead looks like he’s in a coverage sack, then weaves away from the pressure. Runs to the Razorback 1 yard line.

11:24 a.m. — Another big hole for McCluster, Ford with the tackle. Rebels at 17. Razorbacks hold Ole Miss on second down to first no-gain play; Snead throws into double coverage to bring up third down.

11:23 a.m. — McCluster busts up the middle on the Razorbacks and Ole Miss into Arkansas territory. Snead complete to Bolden in the flat and Rebels now at the 31.

11:21 a.m. — Crim and Moss crush Grandy at the Ole Miss 27 yard line. Snead works under center with a single back. Play fake to McCluster in the flat, Crim on the tackle but flags fly on the Razorback sideline. Personal foul on Hogs.

11:21 a.m. — We are ready for the kickoff. Cameron Bryan to kick with Grandy and Eason back for the Rebels.

11:20 a.m. — What is this Hoddy Toddy thingy wingy?

11:19 a.m. — Ole Miss wins the toss and will receive; defend the goal to our right

11:17 a.m. — They are Calling the Hogs in Oxford. Razorback captains are out Mallet, A. Davis, Smith, W. Davis. Lewis, Green, McCluster and Jerry are the captains for Ole Miss

11:12 a.m. — C-5A flyover with 8 minutes to kickoff, it’s big, but not quite as impressive as when, for example, the 188th thunder across Razorback Stadium with their A-10 Warthog ground support fighter jets.

11:09 a.m. — Ole Miss choral performing National Anthem.

11:08 a.m. — We are 12 minutes to kickoff, the east stands are filling fast with Razorback fans; what I would think is the Ole Miss student section looks only about a third full.

11:06 a.m. — Ole Miss band taking the field, both teams now off. Insider’s tip — going down the elevator is easy, coming up — not so much.

10:49 a.m. — Quick pic below from The Grove earlier today. Lots and lots of Razorbacks roaming the space.

10:43 a.m. — Full Rebel squad is out there stretching, waiting for the Razorbacks — here they come, big roar and the East stads starting to fill with the right color of red.

10:36 a.m. — Razorbacks have now taken the field for warmups; hard to judge the reaction through the glass of the media area.

10:29 a.m. — Considerable spontaenous Hog Calling going on in the parking lots outside the stadium, particularly on the east concourse.

10:27 a.m. — QBs, punters, and kickers out for Arkansas — Razorbacks sporting the all-white uniform today, large red single side stripe on the pants. Ole miss in their home dark blue and Rebel grey pants.

10:27 a.m. — The good news for Razorback fans, plenty of tickets to be had outside the stadium if you made the drive. Bad news, the traffic is very, very bad.

10:25 a.m. — Ole Miss kickers and punters on the field to my left, Razorback managers and support crew ready for Arkansas when they emerge to the right.

10:20 a.m. — Back from The Grove, it is as advertised. Photos to come.

9:40 a.m. — Good morning and welcome to Oxford, Miss. Regular posts will begin at 10:21 as we hit the 60 minute mark prior to kickoff. Weather in Oxford is fall football perfect — a scattering of fluffy cumulus and a bright sunny morning. Little chilly if you are in the shade near The Grove.