As the statistician for Ole Miss Football in 2012, I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this season.

Part of my job is to pore through the Ole Miss record books, SEC and NCAA stats and make a note of trends and categories in which the current Rebels rank highly. I then develop nuggets of information to disseminate to TV, print, radio and internet media outlets.

Let's just say Hugh Freeze and company kept me busy this year.

Starting with a creative playbook generated by the offensive minds of Freeze and his coaching staff, and put into action via the superb athletic abilities of Bo Wallace, Donte Moncrief and others, the 2012 Rebels made a significant dent in those record books.

Wallace, for example, finished fifth in the SEC in total offense (260.3 ypg) and fourth in points responsible for (14.31 ppg). His season totals landed him into rarified air among the all-time Ole Miss greats. He joined Eli Manning as the only Rebels to ever reach 3,000 total yards of offense (Wallace's total of 3,384 is second behind Manning's 2003 total of 3,572). He's behind only Eli in passing yards, attempts and completions in a season. And Wallace's eight rushing touchdowns? The most by a Rebel QB since another Manning, named Archie.

That's just scratching the surface of what this year's Rebels accomplished. For a team coming off two straight losing seasons and being led by a first-year head coach and first-year QB, the significance of the stats is even more impressive.

So for those of you that enjoy this sort of thing, here are some of Ole Miss' achievements this year, by the numbers.

Another game in the books, more great feedback and a few changes coming this week.  The stadium atmosphere has been electric the first two weeks and when 8:15pm Saturday arrives, The Vaught will be the loudest place on earth.

Band Amplification

We appreciate everyone's patience as we continue to take advantage of the SEC's new change in band amplification rules.  Overall, the customer reviews on band amplification were extremely positive, but we will be improving the experience for those customers in lower rows seated directly in front of the speaker stacks.  

Customer Service

Please continue to note the service of our Vaught-Hemingway Stadium staff.  Each staff member is wearing a badge that looks similar to this:

 

If you experience great service (or service that needs to be improved), please make a note of the letter and number combination. Then visit rebs.ms/VHSFeedback and tell us about it.

South End Zone Sound

Our customers in the south end zone continue to experience issues with sound clarity, especially from videos and the announcer.  We are bringing in one of the country's leading stadium audio experts to monitor the audio in the south end zone as well as other parts of the stadium.  He will be able to assess and make changes during sound check at noon as well as in game when the stadium is full.

Videos

Kickoff video - Thanks to our amazing creative and production teams for making the type of videos that get Vaught-Hemingway on its feet.  The fans have been asking for us to post some of the videos, so yesterday we posted the video played before kickoff.  Click the link to watch: http://rebs.ms/rebkickoff

Ole Miss script logo at midfield has received a fresh coat of red paint.

Row identifiers have been installed on all rows. 

Be Early. Be Loud. Wear Red.

One of the main reasons we continue to have the best gameday atmosphere in the country is our desire to constantly improve.  Fan feedback is essential to improving in the right areas and we thank all of our fans for their feedback - both positive and negative.  As we head into week 2 of the football season, here are some changes we've implemented based on fan feedback from week 1:

Former Rebel takes over as Meridian Police Chief

James Reed, one of the first two African-Americans to play football at Ole Miss, was named police chief of Meridian, Miss., earlier this month by Meridian Mayor Cheri Barry.

A native of Meridian, Reed has served in law enforcement for more than 35 years including stints as a probation and parole officer with the state of Mississippi and as a supervisory special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

He had been living with his family in Jacksonville, N.C., prior to his new appointment.

Ole Miss has been selected as one of the top 20 schools for "The South's Best Tailgate" by Southern Living magazine.

The Southern Living editors huddled together to post a roster of the top 20 Southern schools with the best tailgates, and of course The Grove was tabbed among them.

They're letting fans ultimately choose the winner. Rebel fans can vote daily for Ole Miss from August 15-October 1 at southernliving.com/tailgate or via smartphone by downloading the complimentary Digimarc Discover app.  Simply scan the corresponding text in the September issue. One vote per day is counted toward the final tally. Votes placed on Saturdays count twice toward the final tally.

The winner will be crowned "The South's Best Tailgate" at a home game by November 10. The September issue featuring the schools in the running for "The South's Best Tailgate" title hits newsstands August 24.

Southern Living chose the roster of universities vying to win "The South's Best Tailgate" based on the following criteria:

-      Most Spirited: Schools that turn "fan" into "fanatic."

-      Traditionalists: Schools renowned for game-day rituals.

-    Powerhouses: Southern schools with a history of winning on and off the field (chosen based on the most bowl victories).

-      Style Setters: From sundresses to cake stands, these schools showcase true splendor in the grass.

Here are the 20 schools that made the list:

Auburn University: Boasts an entire Wikipedia page devoted to pregame rituals.

Clemson University: Caps off pre-gaming with one of the best player entrances in college football.

Grambling State University: Turns its rival match up into a weeklong extravaganza.

Hampden-Sydney College: Inspired a Brooks Brothers ad with its well-dressed "Hillgaters."

Howard University: Sports the styles that have earned students mentions on best-dressed lists.

Louisiana State University: Enlists RVs and crawfish boils to cook up a massive tailgate.

McDaniel College: Houses the nation's only drive-in stadium.

Mississippi State University: Treats its friendly fan base to ice cream made on-campus.

Southern Methodist University: "Boulevards" instead of tailgates with stylish barbecues.

Texas A&M: Wakes the school up at midnight on game day with "The Midnight Yell."

University of Alabama: Packs tents 1,000-deep on the Quad each Saturday.

University of Arkansas: Claims two football stadiums in different cities.

University of Florida: Hosts annual tailgate-turned-block party occupying nine acres.

University of Georgia: Welcomes more than 100,000 tailgaters per game.

University of Mississippi: Is home to The Grove - chandeliers, candelabras, linen napkins and all.

University of Oklahoma: Starts with "The Land Run" to lay territory claim before each game.

University of South Carolina: Tailgates in Cockabooses, 22 train cabooses turned game day suites.

University of Tennessee: Unites 150 houseboats and yachts nearby for a massive "sailgate."

University of Texas: Co-hosts annual Red River Rivalry in Dallas at the local State Fair.

University of Virginia: Tailgates against the backdrop of Charlottesville's Monticello Mountain.