Ole Miss counting on Manning at QB

Lindy's Football Annuals

Birmingham, AL (AP) -- When Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning plants to throw the slant route or goes deep with a feathery touch, visions of Peyton Manning or Archie Manning will dance in the heads of football fans everywhere.

Will Eli wow the public like dear old dad or dear old brother? Welcome to the quarterback episode of All in the Family.

Some would say there's pressure on young Eli Manning to live up to Archie and Peyton as a football player. Eli shrugs, smiles and says he'll just be Eli.

"Any quarterback in the Southeastern Conference is going to have a lot of pressure," Eli Manning said. "I don't feel any added pressure ... I'm a laidback guy. I'm just going to keep doing my own thing."

Eli's thing looks like a really good thing so far. After throwing three touchdown passes in a mop-up role against West Virginia in the Music City Bowl, Manning is ready to step in as Ole Miss' starting quarterback.

"I am excited about what Eli can become," Ole Miss coach David Cutcliffe said. "He has the tools to be a great quarterback."

Although he doesn't have many SEC repetitions, Manning has been groomed to be a three-year starter, replacing Romaro Miller. The 6-4 Manning redshirted in 1999 and backed up Miller last season. During that time, he has progressed as a passer, matured physically and developed a unique understanding of Cutcliffe's system.

Because of his frequent visits to Knoxville when brother Peyton played for Cutcliffe at Tennessee, Eli has actually been around the system longer than two years. All that physical and mental preparation will be needed.

Manning, who went 25-for-38 and threw four touchdown passes in the spring game, is ready to get on to bigger things.

"One thing I worked on over the spring was getting my feet set and getting aligned to the target every time," Manning said. "Having the same finish on every throw is very important. Now, I've got to take that on with me."

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