By: Jimmie McDowell
DALLAS---It was a pleasure to be back in Dallas for the last Cotton Bowl game to be played in the famed Cotton Bowl Stadium and watch Houston Nutt's Ole Miss Rebels come from behind and gun down the favored Texas Tech Red Raiders,47-34, in the highest scoring Cotton Bowl game ever.
I have seen OleMiss play now in their four Cotton Bowl games, dating back to Eagle Day,. the Mississippi Gambler, Paige Cothren, Buddy Alliston and Company shade favored TCU and All-American Jim Swink, 14-13, in 1956. I also saw The University of Texas hand Ole Miss its only Cotton Bowl defeat, 12-7 with the Red and Blue playing without All-America Fullback Billy Ray Adams, who had suffered a crippling accident on the way back to the Campus after being honored by the Jackson Touchdown Club.
Adams, a back with power and breakaway speed, went to sleep driving on the Natchez Trace and his car collided with a tree. Never again did an Ole Miss senior come to the Touchdown Club season ending meeting without an assistant coach. Adams' injury cost him a lucrative pro football career as well.
Eli Manning led Ole Miss to a Cotton Bowl victory as a senior. Cotton Bowl officials, remembering how many fans came to Dallas for that game, were elated that Ole Miss became bowl eligible again in 2008. Ole Miss fans, over 30,000, were on hand to watch Jevan Snead spark the Rebels to the sensational win over once-defeated Texas Tech,the only team to beat the University of Texas in regular season play.
Ole Miss lost a fourth opportunity to play in the Cotton Bowl after the 1948 season when there were not many Bowl games. The Rebels were 8-1, losing only to Tulane and the great Eddie Price. On that day a Tulane lineman broke All-American Barney Poole's jaw with a forearm and no penalty was called.
Spitting teeth and blood the Barnabus was on his back when his brother Buster, the assistant coach, came out on the field and asked " Barney, are you OK?" Barney spitting out more blood and a couple of teeth said he was all right. Buster said: Well, get up, it doesn't look good and Momma is in the stands." Barney got up and played the final games wearing a protective face guard.
Coach Johnny Vaught thought the Cotton Bowl would invite Ole Miss to play SMU, led by All-American Doak Walker and killer Kyle Rote. Out of the blue the Cotton Bowl invited the University of Oregon, sparked by the great Norm Van Brocklin, and Ole Miss stayed home.
Years later I learned that the Rose Bowl, fearing that the Ducks would not bring many people too Pasadena asked the Cotton Bowl to do them a favor and invite Oregon which they did.
Jevan Snead, the native Texan, rose to the occasion this time around, and led the Rebels to another great win, after the Florida conquest. Snead has now bested two of the four Heisman finalists,m Tim Tebow of Florida and Graham Harrell of Texas Tech. Snead,who has two years of eligibility remaining, now moves as a dark horse in next year's Heisman Trophy picture.
On the same play which got Ed Oregeron fired at Ole Miss, Texas Tech chose to run on fourth and four and All-America defender Peria Jerry stopped Harrell to give Ole Miss possession of the ball. Texas Tech Coach Mike Leach said miscommunication was the problem, and he hoped to draw Ole Miss off sides but that did not happen.
Ole Miss is in the Cotton Bowl history book now with the final victory at Cotton Bowl stadium. plus the biggest score ever in the 73 year history of the game. The Cotton Bowl moves to the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in 2010.
With Snead and Dexter McCluster, voted Offensive MVP, heading a fine group of returnees the Rebels will be in the SEC title pursuit this fall. The win has to help Ole Miss recruiting as well.
On another note, Ed Orgeron is joining the University of Tennessee staff as Assistant Head Coach rather than accept the invitation to take the same job at LSU, which would have made the battle for the new Magnolia Bowl Trophy even more meaningful.
2008 goes down in the Ole Miss grid records as one of the best ever. Hotty Totty, gosh a mighty.
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