Gray day clears up for Rebels

RICKY HARVEY
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

FAYETTEVILLE -- Romaro Miller admits the scene started off all too familiar Saturday.
And it wasn't good.
When Fred Talley scored on a 30-yard run with 7:37 left in the first quarter to give Arkansas a 7-0 lead, thoughts of two years ago passed through the Ole Miss quarterback's mind.
It was in 1998 and at a cold and wet Razorback Stadium where Miller and the Rebels were the victim of Arkansas' eighth consecutive victory, 34-0 in front of a raucous sold-out crowd.
"After Arkansas scored, I remembered hearing on the sideline, 'Not this stuff again,' " Miller said. "When it was 7-0, you start to think about what happened last time we were here because, like today, it was so cold and wet and the crowd was really into the game.
"People talk about football weather, but two years ago it wasn't football weather. That day started with the weather and just trickled down all the way to our performance. It was horrible."
It took only one play Saturday for Miller's attention to change from the past to the present.
"After Robert [Williams] ran the kickoff back, that sort of changed the mind-set," Miller said. "It was 0-0 again."
Williams' 97-yard kickoff return tied the game and ignited a Rebels team still in the hunt for the SEC Western Division title. With members of the Alabama Bowl and Independence Bowl present, a 38-24 victory over Arkansas made Ole Miss bowl eligible.
"I think all of us know in the SEC you try to get six wins as fast as you can, because it's tough," Ole Miss Coach David Cutcliffe said. "We know we've got a tough challenge ahead of us because, counting this one, we've got four games in 19 days, all conference games."
On Saturday, Ole Miss focused on striking Arkansas' defense with a revitalized Deuce McAllister.
McAllister, who was nursing a high left-ankle sprain, carried only four times in overtime in last week's 43-40 victory over UNLV. But he made his return known against Arkansas, rushing for 131 yards on 20 carries and 2 touchdowns, including a 57-yard scoring run midway through the fourth quarter that gave the Rebels a 38-10 lead.
The touchdown, his 14th of the season, tied him for the Ole Miss single-season record and helped him become the first player in school history to record three consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 all-purpose yards.
"I just wanted to go out there and play," McAllister said. "I knew I had to put the injuries aside, especially since I've only got three games left. The ankle was a little tender, and at times it got really sore, but it's fine."
So was a left hamstring, which McAllister pulled on the 57-yard score.
"It's been a while since I played four quarters of football," McAllister said. "I had gone 15-20 yards when I started cramping up, but it's OK. I just feel fortunate to have been able to play as much as I did."
So are the Rebels, who control their destiny with games against LSU, Georgia and Mississippi State remaining.
"Right now, we've gotten better," Cutcliffe said. "The teams that win down the stretch are the teams that continue to improve. You need some help and keep players healthy, but you've got to improve or you're going to get beat.
"Today, I think our players had a lot of fun. This is definitely something to build on."

This article was published on Sunday, November 5, 2000

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