Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

Statistics:
2009 - 14 attempts, 97 yards, 1 TD; 6 receptions, 83 yards    
2010 - 34 attempts, 184 yards, 2 TDs; 5 receptions, 45 yards

Dexter McCluster, an all-around all-star for Ole Miss, was a defender’s nightmare. He was small in stature, yet big in heart and simply too quick and fast for any mere mortal to bring down in the open field. The slippery running back/wide receiver became only the second player to earn back-to-back J. Curtis Sanford Outstanding Offensive Player honors in the Classic, sharing the feat with the legendary Doak Walker in 1948-49. In 2009, the last Classic played in Cotton Bowl Stadium, McCluster fueled a 47-34 victory over Texas Tech with 180 all-purpose yards. He proved to be even more elusive a year later as the Rebels christened AT&T Stadium with a 21-7 defeat of Oklahoma State. His 86-yard dash for Ole Miss’ first score was the key play of the game and he finished with 229 all-purpose yards. Opponents learned quickly that keeping up with Dexter McCluster was an impossible task.