The Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. - Moments before one of Mississippi's biggest games of the season, Eli Manning gathered his teammates on the sideline for a fiery pep talk.

Television cameras caught the Ole Miss quarterback screaming over the din of a huge crowd at Auburn, surrounded by antsy Rebels.

Manning's rare display of emotion surprised many Ole Miss followers, who had never seen the subdued star so juiced up.

"That's something I did before every game this year," said Manning, downplaying its significance. "Just talking to try to get them ready and tell them what we have to do to win the game."

By returning for his senior season, Manning became a better player, more accurate with his passes and smarter in his decision making. Maybe just as important for the resurgent Rebels, he became a more forceful leader.

"I don't think there is any question he was more vocal," Ole Miss coach David Cutcliffe "Not that he became a rah-rah guy. I think his intensity showed through some more."

For carrying No. 16 Ole Miss to its best season in more than a decade, Manning is a Heisman Trophy finalist.

"That's what my goal was coming into this season," he said. "For Ole Miss to win a bunch of games, for me to play smart football and try to put us in a situation to win those games."

Manning is the third member of his family to be in the running of the Heisman.

When dad, Archie, was the star quarterback for Ole Miss, he finished fourth in the Heisman voting as a junior in 1969 and third as a senior.

Big brother Peyton lost one of the closest Heisman races ever to Michigan's Charles Woodson in 1997.

Manning started the season as a second-tier Heisman candidate. He had the skills and the name recognition, but Manning seemed destined to be a very good player on an ordinary team. Ole Miss went 7-6 in 2002 and wasn't expected to be much better in 2003.

At his own request, Ole Miss did little to promote him.

When the Rebels got off to a 2-2 start, Manning's name all but disappeared from Heisman lists.

Then Ole Miss rallied to win at Florida with Manning leading a game-winning fourth-quarter TD drive. The Rebels won their next four and the Manning buzz started to build.

He led another fourth-quarter comeback at Auburn on Nov. 8 to give Ole Miss its sixth straight win and sole possession of first-place in SEC West. At that point, there was no denying his value to the surprising Rebels.

Manning passed for 3,341 yards with 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

If the Heisman Trophy was given to the most valuable instead of most outstanding player, Manning might be the favorite.

The Rebels (9-3) won nine regular-season game for the first time in 13 years with only a three-point loss to No. 2 LSU keeping them from their first appearance in the SEC title game.

Cutcliffe, who was Peyton's quarterback coach at Tennessee, believes Eli's excellence has rubbed off on the rest of the Rebels this season.

"I think it actually has an effect not only on the offense, but on the defense as well," Cutcliffe said. "He's a great player, who is a team player, so they do rally around him.

"They think, 'If we play well and get ourselves in position to win games, Eli's the type of player who will make plays to win the games.' "