“UT Martin is going to win a lot of games,” Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy said. “They’ve got a good team. Their backcourt is as good, certainly, as we’ll face.”
In his first game as a Rebel, junior Deandre Burnett was the leading hand on offense for Ole Miss. After sitting out all of last year after transferring, he announced his presence by leading Ole Miss with 23 points. Burnett was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line, including two at the end of the game to pull the lead to three.
“Deandre is going to make (his free throws),” Kennedy said. “We need him to do more than just put the ball in the basket. Then again, this is his first game since March 2015.”
Sophomore Terence Davis provided a spark off the bench for Ole Miss with his athleticism, cutting through UT Martin’s defense for career-high 19 points with an efficient 9-for-13 shooting.
The Rebels were able to get the win despite the team’s leader Sebastian Saiz getting into early foul trouble and playing just 17 minutes. In the time he was on the floor, Saiz did show off his expanded range for this season by nailing a corner 3.
“Saiz, who needs to the anchor of this year’s team, was a complete no-show because of fouls,” Kennedy said. “That’s his fault and our fault, but he can’t be a no-show. We should feel fortunate that we were able to win the game.”
Evan Engram has been named a finalist for the 2016 Pop Warner College Football Award.
The award, established in 2010, recognizes a graduating senior who has made a difference on the field, in the classroom and in his community, which are attributes Pop Warner emphasizes with its young scholar-athletes.
On the field, Engram is the nation’s leader among tight ends with 5.9 catches per game and 86.1 receiving yards per game. He tops all Southeastern Conference players, regardless of position, in receiving yards. In SEC play, he ranks first with 90.8 yards per game and second with 6.8 catches per game, while scoring four touchdowns. He has found the end zone in seven of nine games overall.
Engram, a native of Powder Springs, Georgia, is an integrated marketing communications major with plans to go into broadcast journalism or marketing after his playing career. He is a standout in the Oxford community, showing a special heart for physically and mentally handicapped individuals as a supporter and volunteer with the Scott Center, Northeast Mississippi Regional Center and Special Olympics Mississippi. He was on the 2015 Southeastern Conference Community Service Team and is a two-time nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
The other 2016 finalists are Florida linebacker Jarrad Davis, Wake Forest safety Ryan Janvion, Penn State linebacker Brandon Smith and Duke defensive tackle AJ Wolf.
The Pop Warner College Football Award is presented in December at the annual Pop Warner Super Bowl at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. Last year’s winner was former Wake Forest University and current Detroit Lions linebacker Brandon Chubb.
“As the only national youth sports organization that requires its athletes to perform in the classroom, Pop Warner created its College Football Award to honor a student-athlete who has demonstrated that same commitment to academics at the college level while serving as a positive example for our young athletes on and off the field,” said Jon Butler, Executive Director of Pop Warner Little Scholars. “The award is open to thousands of exceptional college student-athletes from across the country, and this year we’re proud of an extraordinary group of finalists in Jarrad, Evan, Ryan, Brandon and AJ.”
About Pop Warner National College Football Award:
The Pop Warner National College Football Award recognizes a college graduating senior who has made a difference on the field, in the classroom and in his community, and serves as a role model to Pop Warner’s young student athletes. Pop Warner created the award in 2010 to honor a college player who has continued to demonstrate Pop Warner’s fundamental values of sportsmanship, academics and community service at the next level. Previous recipients have included Prince Amukamara (Nebraska), Chase Minnifield (Virginia), Sean Renfree (Duke), Gary Bush (Purdue), Jordan Richards (Stanford) and Brandon Chubb (Wake Forest). The award is presented during the annual Pop Warner Super Bowl at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando.
About Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc.
Founded in 1929 and headquartered in Langhorne, PA, Pop Warner Little Scholars is the nation’s oldest youth football, cheerleading and dance organization and the only youth sports organization that emphasizes academics as a prerequisite for participation. Pop Warner participants enjoy the opportunity to learn and compete in their sports in an atmosphere that emphasizes fun, safety, academics and character. For more information on Pop Warner and its programs visit www.popwarner.com or follow Pop Warner on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Pop_Warner.
Follow Ole Miss Football on Twitter (@OleMissFB), Facebook and Instagram. For more information, visit www.OleMissSports.com.
Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports
