Ole Miss guard Jared Duke sets ESPN straight

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

photo Ole Miss linemen Jared Duke

Ole Miss senior right guard Jared Duke was quick to point out that ESPN only told part of the story.

The 6-foot-7, 377-pound former Walker Valley High School lineman was caught on cameras holding a Gatorade bucket along with fellow 6-7 Rebels lineman Patrick Junen following Saturday night's 27-24 upset of visiting LSU. After Ole Miss won the game 27-24 on Andrew Ritter's 41-yard field goal, Duke and Junen tried to find Rebels coach Hugh Freeze for a victory dousing.

In a 17-second clip that made SportsCenter's "Not Top 10," Duke and Junen were seen running out on the field with the bucket and then staring at each other when Freeze couldn't be located. ESPN sent the video out on its Twitter feed, and Duke replied back on Twitter that they did find Freeze while he was giving an interview to the cable network.

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"I mentioned that I didn't want to get their cameras wet, so I waited for their interview," Duke said Monday in an interview with the Tupelo Daily Journal. "They tweeted back, 'Our cameramen thank you,' so it was pretty cool."

Duke has started the past six games for the Rebels, who are 4-3 with a favorable schedule down the stretch, but will his legacy in Oxford be the ESPN video?

"I just hope this doesn't find its way 30 years down the line when I'm at a job," Duke told the Daily Journal, "but it will probably happen and be funny then, too."

Duke is one of two former Chattanooga-area players starting for Freeze and Rebels offensive line coach Matt Luke. Senior center Evan Swindall, who played at LaFayette High, has started all seven games.

"This was my first time ever beating LSU, and it was incredible," Duke said. "Coach Luke came up to me after the game and said, 'You're a Rebel now. You've got to beat LSU to be a Rebel.'"

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.