Another Manning is charting his own path at Ole Miss

Tom Dienhart, The Sporting News
03/20/01 11:57 PM Central

The Sporting News (AP) -- Eli Manning can't ignore the voice in the room. Watch your feet. Keep your head up. Remain poised in the pocket. Big brother Peyton is talking, and Eli is soaking it up. What young quarterback wouldn't?

Peyton, quarterback for the Colts, spent some time last week with Eli, the new starting quarterback for Mississippi. Peyton watched film of Eli and offered tips after checking out spring practices in Oxford, Miss. It was the type of brotherly advice any quarterback would kill for at a school that has been dying for this day.

At last, Ole Miss has a Manning again -- and he might end up one of the more surprising players in the nation this season.

If you remember, Peyton turned down Ole Miss out of high school. His father, Archie, who starred at the school more than 30 years ago, is Rebels royalty. That was one of the reasons Peyton picked Tennessee, which he made his school. Eli likely won't ascend past Archie in Ole Miss lore, but he has a good chance to be famous for more than his last name.

"We talk about (the Manning legacy)," says Ole Miss coach David Cutcliffe, who worked with Peyton as Tennessee's offensive coordinator before taking the Rebels post. "That's part of the expectations and part of trying to be as good a player as you can be. You can't run from those things.

"(Eli) stays focused. ... He does know his name is Manning and that he's at Ole Miss, but I don't think that will hinder him."

That will be especially true if he listens to his brother, who, among other things, emphasized focusing on fundamentals -- things like footwork, not striding too long, getting set up in the pocket. Eli is a fluid athlete with good feet. He gets himself aligned well and is consistent throwing the ball. Then there's that arm: It's all Manning, able to make all the throws.

Eli Manning (6-4, 205) played sparingly as a redshirt freshman last season behind experienced senior Romaro Miller, who led Ole Miss to a 7-5 record. But Manning, who hit 16 of 33 passes for 170 yards with no touchdowns and an interception in the regular season, saved his best for last. In a 49-38 loss to West Virginia in the Music City Bowl, Manning nearly rallied the Rebels to victory. He helped produce 22 unanswered fourth-quarter points, going 12-of-20 for 167 yards with three touchdowns.

"That (performance) helped me a lot," Manning says. "It showed me that I can move this team and I can be a college quarterback. It also showed that to the other players. They have more respect and confidence in me."

Those numbers will grow this season, as third-year coach Cutcliffe continues to adapt his offense to the personnel. With Manning and a talented group of receivers, look for the Rebels to spread the field more. Trey Fryfogle and Bill Flowers, redshirt freshmen in 2000, along with junior-to-be Chris Collins, are exciting receiving prospects. Tight end Doug Zeigler might emerge, and running back Joe Gunn returns.

Of course, we don't know how Manning will react when they turn on the lights on Saturday nights this fall. It might be more important to determine how the first-time starter will handle adversity. The ability to focus on the next play often is the difference between good and bad quarterbacks.

"He's had a good start," Cutcliffe says. "The most important thing he has done in the year and a half he has been here is he hasn't wasted his time as a practice player. When you're the backup quarterback, that's what you have to do. I think that's paying dividends, so I don't feel like we have a rookie quarterback out there. He's a lot stronger and quicker than when he got here. He has a good mind for the game."

Just like his brother. In the end, that might matter more than any brotherly advice.

Staff writer Tom Dienhart covers college football for The Sporting News. E-mail him at tsntsd@aol.com.