Ole Miss coach David Cutcliffe hoists the Cotton Bowl trophy after the Rebels defeated Oklahoma State, 31-28, on Friday. (Melanie Duncan ThortisThe Vicksburg Post)

[1/6/04]DALLAS Ole Miss coach David Cutcliffe calmly sat down by his microphone following Friday’s 31-28 Cotton Bowl win over Oklahoma State. Under a tent set up for post-game press conferences outside the stadium, Cutcliffe reflected on the year and his time in Oxford.

Racing through his mind were memories of the first class of players he recruited as a head coach in 1999 a group that had just played its last game for Ole Miss. It came as no surprise that his first words were for them.

“Before I get started, I want to talk about our seniors, which are the best group of young men in the country,” he said. “They have done phenomenal things, not only all season but their entire career.”

Those seniors stayed true to the form that got them to Dallas playing together as a team and held off a late comeback attempt by Oklahoma State.

Fifth-year senior running back Tremaine Turner saved his best game for last. He picked up a career-high 133 rushing yards with two touchdowns.

“It made me feel good,” Turner said. “I feel like there’s a light now for the younger guys to realize the job can be done once you put your heart in it, work and stay focused.”

In all, what the group accomplished was the Rebels’ first 10-win season since 1971.

“It was one of our goals we set for ourselves to get that 10th win,” said defensive end Josh Cooper, a fifth-year senior who was named Defensive Player of the Game. “That’s a thing a lot of people don’t get to do. It was very important to the team. Everybody winded up playing hard and putting it on the line.”

Cutcliffe will part ways with 12 players that remained from his first class, eight of whom were starters this season. Also leaving are nine other seniors, including receiver Chris Collins, linebacker L.P. Spence and defensive end Charlie Anderson.

Fifth-year senior quarterback Eli Manning completed his illustrious collegiate career by winning Offensive Player of the Game honors. Manning, who finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting and led Ole Miss to its second January bowl game in the last 30 years, was all smiles after his final game.

“To come to the Cotton Bowl and have your last game with all of those guys and get out with a win that’s the most important thing with going to a bowl game is to win it is something I will always remember,” said Manning, who finished with 259 passing yards and three total touchdowns in the game. “It’s been a great run.”

The year began as a bumpy road for Ole Miss.

After escaping with a 24-21 win in the season-opener against Vanderbilt, the Rebels found themselves at 2-2 with losses to Memphis and Texas Tech. The pass defense was ranked last in the nation as players struggled to grasp defensive coordinator Chuck Driesbach’s 4-2-5 scheme.

But a 20-17 win at Florida turned the season around. Ole Miss ripped off a six-game winning streak and sat atop the Southeastern Conference Western Division standings heading into a crucial home game against LSU.

The Rebels lost 17-14 but still won a share of the SEC West title for the first time since the league was split in 1992.

The strong season earned Ole Miss a berth in the prestigious Cotton Bowl.

“Everything about this year has been great,” Manning said. “The way it’s been, the way the seniors stepped up and really played well together. It’s been a team that’s been supportive of each other in every game.”

Cutcliffe eventually will have to look past this group and into next season, in which the Rebels return a strong core of players.

Sophomore Michael Spurlock will take the reins of the offense from Manning, behind an offensive line that loses only one starter. He will have a bevy of talented receivers as well as a good group of running backs to complement the passing game. The defense, however, will lose seven of its starters, and several young players will need to step up.

With the momentum the departing seniors gave the program, Cutcliffe expects bigger things in 2004.

“This raises the bar for us,” he said. “When you win 10 games, go 7-1 in the conference, what’s next has to be championships. Our team has to be hungry to do that, and I expect us to keep moving in a forward direction.”