In his first year as the new coach of Ole Miss, Houston Nutt promised his bowl-starved seniors they were good enough to go bowling this year. Nutt was right, the Rebels (8-4) played superb down the stretch, winning five straight to get to eight wins and land a spot in the 77th annual AT&T Cotton Bowl.

What the Rebels earned was a date with the best team not in a Bowl Championship Series game in Texas Tech (11-1). Until they ran into Oklahoma in Norman in mid- November, the Red Raiders had a direct line to the BCS Championship game. Those dreams were derailed in Tech’s 65-21 loss to the Sooners. And even though they had the season’s most thrilling victory, a 39-33 win over then-No. 1 Texas, Tech was left on the outside of the BCS as the Longhorns were picked for the Fiesta Bowl and a matchup with Ohio State.

While Ole Miss and the Cotton Bowl may not have been Tech’s preferred destination, Red Raiders coach Mike Leach was glad his team is playing in a major bowl game which kicks off for the final time at Cotton Bowl Stadium on Friday at 1:15 p.m. The game will be televised nationally by Fox.

“We are thrilled to death to be here at the Cotton Bowl,” Leach said in a school release. “Anybody that has ever watched a bowl game, I think the Cotton Bowl is one of the more memorable ones in the history of America. We are having a great time. We are looking forward to playing Mississippi. Likewise, I have always admired Coach (Houston) Nutt and what he has done. I actually started following him back at Murray State and the rest where he really did some impressive stuff.”

Nutt and his Ole Miss players, for the moment, are ecstatic about being in the Cotton Bowl and playing No. 8 Texas Tech. This is Ole Miss’ fourth trip to the Cotton Bowl and the first bowl trip of any kind since 2004 when they beat Oklahoma State, 31-28, at the Cotton Bowl.

“For our players and their first bowl experience, it has been an outstanding week. They’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I really appreciate the AT&T Cotton Bowl for letting us be here,” Nutt said in a school release. “From the food to the functions, it has been awesome. It’s also a privilege to play against a great football team. I’ve always admired the things Mike Leach has done. From the quarterbacks to the receivers to their defense, they have an excellent football team. It’s easy to see why they’re ranked. We have a tremendous challenge, but we’re looking forward to it. It’s going to be a tremendous atmosphere.”

Ole Miss does have two huge quality road wins to its credit. They are the only team to have beaten current No. 1 Florida (31-30) and they crushed last year’s BCS national champion LSU, 31-13, in Baton Rouge. The key down the stretch was the play of the Rebels’ defensive line led by first team All-America tackle Peria Jerry and defensive end Greg Hardy.

Against Mississippi State, the pair led a pass rush that sacked three Bulldog quarterbacks 11 times. Hardy has 8.5 sacks in just eight games while Jerry has 17 tackles for a loss this season.

Nutt said while Texas Tech has one of the nation’s most feared passing games led by senior Graham Harrell (406-of-568, 4,747 yards, 41 TDs), the Rebels can’t forget about the run.

“Two things are underrated. One is their running game. Don’t think for a minute that they can’t run the football. Those backs run hard. The other is their defense. Their defense is underrated. With their splits (on the offensive line), things are so different. This is a different, different deal. I really believe that one of the reasons that Coach Leach is so successful is that it’s different. It’s hard to prepare for because not everybody runs this. The way they mix it up – the screens, the tunnel screens and you can’t forget about the run,” Nutt said.

When the run is not there, Harrell can go to the pass and most often than not, the ball is going to All-America receiver in Michael Crabtree.

“When you’re going against a high-powered offense, there is a respect there. The only thing we know how to do is to go to work. You go practice and do the best that you can,” Nutt said. “Our scout team has done a good job. Now, we don’t have a Michael Crabtree running routes every day. Not too many people do. That’s the difference. When Jan. 2 gets here, all of a sudden the big receivers are live and in color. It’s a different speed. That’s what’s tough.  But it’s about preparation. You do the best you can and challenge your guys that this is the biggest challenge of their life.”

Crabtree led the Big 12 in receiving with 93 catches for 1,135 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Ole Miss is not bad on offense. Quarterback Jevan Snead has completed 166 of 298 passes for 2,470 yards and 23 touchdowns. Snead is protected by a All-America left tackle in Michael Oher, a consensus first round draft pick in the 2009 NFL draft.

Tech has also not seen a versatile player like Dexter McCluster, who runs the “Wild Rebel” formation. McCluster has 568 yards rushing and 542 receiving to help out top targets Shay Wallace (42 receptions, 768 yards) and Michael Wallace (35-704, 6 TDs).

“The thing that jumps out is that you see a lot of different numbers when you watch,” Tech defensive coordinator Rufus McNeil said in a release. “Before I learn names, I look at numbers. When I first started watching I saw a lot of different numbers at running back.”

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Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com