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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Spring Football Begins Friday At Ole Miss
2/20/2003 | Football
Feb. 20, 2003
OXFORD, Miss. - When spring football practice begins here Friday afternoon at Ole Miss, head coach David Cutcliffe will once again be able to concentrate the majority of his time on evaluating players, not the schemes those players are expected to run.
Unlike a year ago when the Rebels were having to install the 4-2-5 defense under first-year defensive coordinator Chuck Driesbach, Ole Miss will spend most of its 15 days of spring drills, including 12 in pads, on fundamentals and taking younger players to another level.
"The first thing people have to realize about spring practice is that you're talking players, not plays," Cutcliffe said, as he begins preparations for his fifth full season at the helm of the Ole Miss football program. "It's not about schemes. Spring practice is about fundamentals and getting your young players, hopefully, in your two deep, whether as a starter or as a back-up."
Cutcliffe also believes it's important to use the spring to come together as a team.
"Spring practice is a lot about hard work," he added. "There are a lot of things you focus on, including the evaluation of individual personnel as well as every position on the team. You also want to take your veteran players and go one more notch with them."
Ole Miss returns 51 lettermen off last year's 7-6 team which ended the season by reclaiming the "Golden Egg" with a 24-12 victory over Mississippi State and then a 27-23 upset win over Nebraska in the MainStay Independence Bowl.
Returning starters on offense include senior quarterback Eli Manning, senior tailback Tremaine Turner, junior fullback Rick Razzano, junior wide receiver Bill Flowers, sophomore tackle Tre' Stallings, and junior guards Doug Buckles and Marcus Johnson.
Other offensive players returning who started at least one game last year include senior tailback Ronald McClendon, sophomore running back Vashon Pearson, senior wide receiver Chris Collins, senior offensive lineman Justin Sawyer, junior tight ends Eric Rice and Bo Hartsfield, sophomore wide receivers Mike Espy and Taye Biddle, and junior wide receiver Kerry Johnson. Flowers and Hartsfield are expected to miss spring workouts due to injuries and Biddle may miss some work since he's running track for the Rebels.
Offensive starters to be replaced include wide receiver Jason Armstead, tight end Doug Zeigler, center Ben Claxton, and tackle Belton Johnson.
Defensively, the Rebels return eight starters, including senior ends Charlie Anderson and Josh Cooper, senior nose tackle Jesse Mitchell, senior linebacker Justin Wade, senior cornerback Von Hutchins, sophomore cornerback Travis Johnson, junior safety Eric Oliver, and senior safety Travis Blanchard. Junior defensive linemen Cory Robinson and Daniel Booth, sophomore defensive lineman Jayme Mitchell, senior linebacker L. P. Spence, and senior safety Wes Scott are returning players who also drew starts a year ago.
The Rebels must replace three defensive starters this spring - tackle Yahrek Johnson, linebacker Eddie Strong, and strong safety Matt Grier.
When it comes to special teams, one of the biggest projects of the spring will be to find a new deep-snapper after the loss of veteran A. J. Kiamie, who handled those duties the last three seasons. The Rebels do return junior Cody Ridgeway as the starting punter as well as junior kicker Jonathan Nichols, who led the 2002 team in scoring with 85 points, plus senior kicker Lee Rogers.
In addition to Flowers (toe surgery) and Hartsfield (shoulder surgery), several other players will either miss spring drills or be limited due to various reasons.
Sophomore defensive tackle McKinley Boykin (back) and senior defensive back Marcus Woodson (knee surgery) are currently listed as limited. Sophomore strong safety Jeremy Ruffin is out after foot surgery, and senior defensive lineman Billy Armstrong is out due to knee surgery. Ridgeway will be limited after having shoulder surgery. Also, redshirt freshman cornerback Bryan Brown may miss some time since he's currently playing basketball for Coach Rod Barnes' Rebels.
Spring drills will conclude on Saturday, March 29 with the annual Red-Blue "Grove Bowl." Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field.
