HOOVER, Ala. (AP) -- It's tough enough being a Manning who plays quarterback in the Southeastern Conference. Mississippi's Eli Manning is happy no formal Heisman Trophy campaign will add to his stress level this season.

He and his father, Ole Miss legend Archie Manning, nixed that idea.

"We kind of both agreed there was just no point in putting up a campaign right now for the Heisman," Eli Manning said. "It's something you get awarded for your play on the field, not how many posters you're on or how many books you're on as a Heisman candidate."

Another factor is he saw the Heismania that surrounded brother Peyton throughout his senior season at Tennessee, along with the constant pressure and the disappointment when he didn't win.

"It's not about the awards you get, it's about winning games," Manning said. "We're trying to win games and do good things for our school. That's what it's all about."

Mississippi coach David Cutcliffe, who was offensive coordinator at Tennessee during Peyton's tenure, said he doesn't think the younger Manning will get swept up in Heisman hype.

"The great thing about Eli is that Eli is going to be Eli. He's his own person," Cutcliffe said. "He plays the game because he loves the game. He loves his teammates. He's a great Esprit de Corps guy. What it comes down to is Eli's personality allows him to handle this."

Manning isn't the only thing Ole Miss has to be excited about. The university is completing a $25 million expansion of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, and Cutcliffe said fans have snapped up a school-record 42,000 season tickets.

"I think we've got the fever in Oxford," Cutcliffe said. "There's a lot of anticipation surrounding this season and that's a good, positive thing for us."

Heisman Not High on Grossman's List
Rex Grossman says he won't be distracted by Heisman Trophy hoopla despite last year's runner-up finish.

"I'm not really worried about the Heisman. It will take care of itself," the Florida quarterback said. "It would be fun to win the Heisman, but it's not up there at the top of my goal list. My number one goal is to win the SEC and to win whatever bowl we go to. Those things are more important to me than the Heisman."

Grossman was the AP National Player of the Year and SEC Player of the Year as a sophomore, losing to Nebraska's Eric Crouch in the Heisman balloting.

Despite all that, Grossman lost his starting job in the Orange Bowl after missing curfew. That benching bothered him more than any of coach Steve Spurrier's in-your-face sideline tirades.

"I always tell people, it looks worse than it really is," Grossman said. "It wasn't that bad. I loved the time that I got to play for him. He was a great coach and I have nothing but positive things to say about him.

"It was demoralizing to be taken out of the game. That was not fun. The yelling, that was just part of football. That's what coaches do in football."

New coach Ron Zook said his quarterback is trying hard to avoid any dropoff from last year's 3,896 yards and 34 touchdowns.

"Rex wants to improve. He wants get better," Zook said. "He wants to become more consistent. He wants to have the same kind of year he had last year and just keep on going."

Thomas Develops Into a Steal for Auburn
Dontarrious Thomas was a skinny 183-pounder that most Division I-A football programs ignored coming out of high school.

He planned to walk on at I-AA Georgia Southern before Auburn offered an 11th-hour scholarship.

"He was a good athlete, he just wasn't very big," Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said. "He was tall and skinny."

Thomas now weighs 235 pounds and is one of the SEC's top linebackers, racking up 122 tackles last season. He also sports a 3.43 grade point average in Management Information Systems.

"Dontarrious is a unique individual. Very intelligent," Tuberville said. "He does great in the classroom. He's made himself into a much, much better football player each year that he's played, and I don't think he's come anything close to his potential."

Thomas might have been further along but he chose to spend the summer at engineering camps instead of football camps in high school.

"It was really exciting. I really enjoyed that time," he said.

There was also a practical reason. "Football camps are so much more expensive. I really didn't have the money to go to a football camp," he said. "That had a lot to do with it, too."

Situation Is Academic for New Vanderbilt Coach
Coming from one of Division I-AA's toughest conferences and a university with tough academic standards, Bobby Johnson should feel right at home as Vanderbilt's new coach.

"I thought it was a very similar situation," said Johnson, who led Furman to the national finals last season. "I've always had a curiosity about, can our formula work at a Division I-A situation, and I think it can.

Johnson said the second-most asked question he's faced since arriving in Nashville is why things would be different under him at a school with 19 straight losing seasons.

"The most asked question is, 'Do you know you look like Steve Martin?'" he said.

The silver-haired Johnson said a Japanese tour bus even stopped him in San Francisco.

"They all jumped out and they wanted me to sign. They all said, 'Hollywood, Hollywood.' I got my picture taken with them and signed a few Steve Martin autographs."

The question he'll face early in preseason practices is who will replace quarterback Greg Zolman.

Junior Benji Walker and redshirt freshman Jay Cutler, both 6-foot-4, are vying for the job. Johnson said he hopes to choose a starter for the opener at Georgia Tech after the first scrimmage Aug. 17.

"They both can do the things we like to do," Johnson said. "It's a win-win thing."

Quoteable
"No." -- Mississippi's Eli Manning, when asked if he's ever done an interview where his father and brother weren't mentioned.