Deuce on the loose

BOB HOLT
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- At first thought, the idea sounds crazy. Promote a player who started one game the previous season for the Heisman Trophy?
But it's not a crazy idea when the player is Ole Miss senior tailback Deuce McAllister.
"Deuce is a truly legitimate, deserving candidate for the Heisman," Rebels Coach David Cutcliffe said. "He's a model candidate for the honor."
Cutcliffe isn't likely to get any argument from the Arkansas Razorbacks, considering McAllister had a school-record 317 all-purpose yards in the Rebels' 38-16 victory over Arkansas last season. He returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, rushed 21 times for 125 yards and 2 TDs and caught 2 passes for 34 yards.
"I show up in a lot of places," McAllister said. "My goal is to give defensive coordinators the biggest headaches they've ever had."
McAllister finished the 1999 season with 1,692 all-purpose yards to lead the SEC and set an Ole Miss record despite missing the opener because of a shoulder injury.
Junior Joe Gunn was the Rebels' starting tailback throughout the regular season, though McAllister played plenty after coming back from his injury and started against Oklahoma in the Independence Bowl.
McAllister won the starting job in spring practice, but he will continue to share the tailback duties with Gunn, who rushed for 951 yards last season.
"The biggest thing about us is we both want to win," McAllister said. "If Joe's on the field, I'll be on the sidelines cheering for him. And I know he'll do the same for me."
Cutcliffe, who was Tennessee's offensive coordinator before coming to Ole Miss last season, said he won't give McAllister extra carries or call a play based on how it might affect his Heisman Trophy chances.
"We won't change our offense to help Deuce in the Heisman race," Cutcliffe said. "He'll split time with Joe because they both deserve to play and we want both of them fresh for the fourth quarter."
Cutcliffe said McAllister will get "plenty of touches" as a returner and receiver in addition to an expected 15 to 20 carries a game.
"I'll be surprised if that's not enough times for him to gain enough yardage to impress the Heisman voters," Cutcliffe said.
At Tennessee, Cutcliffe worked with seven running backs who since 1990 have been selected in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft -- including Reggie Cobb, Chuck Webb, Charlie Garner, James Stewart and Jamal Lewis. But Cutcliffe said McAllister is "by far the most complete back" he's ever coached because of his combination of size (6-1, 220 pounds) and speed (4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash) along with his versatility as a runner, receiver and kick returner.
"Deuce is a special talent because he's dangerous in so many ways," Cutcliffe said. "I haven't been around many 4.3 guys, and certainly not one as big as Deuce."
McAllister, whose full name is Dulymus Jenod McAllister, got his nickname in high school when he started wearing No. 2. Now he wears No. 22 and is the Rebels' first legitimate Heisman Trophy contender since quarterback Archie Manning, who was second in the balloting in 1969 and third in 1970.
Ole Miss touts McAllister on its press guide cover as a Heisman candidate, and inside the book there are seven pages devoted to McAllister and his accomplishments.
Rebels senior quarterback Romaro Miller said the other players aren't jealous of the attention being showered on McAllister.
"I think the team loves it, because Deuce is going to help bring exposure to everybody," Miller said. "We've known since he got here what kind of physical tools he has, and now we want everybody else to know, too."
Cutcliffe said it's similar to the Heisman Trophy campaign Tennessee ran for quarterback Peyton Manning.
"I've been around this before, and if you've got a guy that the squad knows is a great player and a great person, they respond positively to a media campaign around one of their own," Cutcliffe said. "If the player isn't deserving, it can be a detriment to the team, but that's not the case with Deuce."
Cutcliffe said he considers the Heisman a team award, and if the Rebels do well enough, McAllister will receive media support.
"If we don't, it will fall by the wayside," Cutcliffe said.
The Rebels are expected to do well this season, returning 12 starters from an 8-4 team.
McAllister, of Morton, Miss., said the chance to help Ole Miss win an SEC championship was a major factor in returning for his senior season, as well as enjoying the college experience and completing his criminal justice degree.
"The NFL is going to be there," he said. "You're only in college once."
McAllister said he knows he's not the kind of player who is going to rush for 2,000 yards this season, that his chances of winning college football's top award are tied to how well the Rebels play.
"I'm just a versatile running back that Ole Miss thinks is worthy of Heisman Trophy consideration," McAllister said. "Maybe it will work out. Maybe it won't."

This article was published on Monday, July 31, 2000

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