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The University of Mississippi Athletics
2005 Football Spring Outlook
3/8/2005 | Football
The winds of change swept through the Ole Miss football program last December 16 when University of Southern California assistant head coach Ed Orgeron was selected to take over for David Cutcliffe after the Rebels finished a disappointing 4-7, just one year after going 10-3 and winning the SBC Cotton Bowl.
With 20 years of coaching experience, it is Orgeron's first head coaching position and comes after serving the previous seven seasons as defensive line coach at USC, including the last four as recruiting coordinator for the Trojans. Orgeron, who is regarded as one of college football's premier defensive line coaches, played a key role in Pete Carroll's USC team winning national championships in 2003 and 2004. He was named the 2004 National Recruiter of the Year by The Sporting News and Rivals.com.
"We're looking for great effort and a quick tempo as we set the foundation as to how we are going to do things," Orgeron said heading into his first spring practice at Ole Miss. "I'm excited about our coaching staff, which represents more than 150 years of coaching experience. I think we have prepared well for our spring drills, and I expect us to be very organized and very energized as we begin to teach these young men."
The lone holdover from Cutcliffe's staff is tight ends coach Matt Luke, a former Ole Miss center who returned to his alma mater to coach in 2002. Luke is also serving as recruiting coordinator.
Orgeron, who will serve as his own defensive coordinator, returned a familiar face to Ole Miss football when he hired Noel Mazzone as his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Mazzone held the same position at Ole Miss under Tommy Tuberville (1995-98) before heading to Auburn with most of that staff.
Other members of Orgeron's first staff include Joe Cullen, defensive line; George DeLeone, offensive line; Tony Hughes, assistant defensive backs; Matt Lubick, wide receivers; Chris Rippon, special teams coordinator and defensive backs; Shawn Slocum, assistant head coach and linebackers; and Frank Wilson, running backs.
"I want our guys to understand how we are going to practice and play," Orgeron said. "I also want our staff to do a great job of evaluating each position and see if those players have the particular skills to play each position."
Orgeron has inherited 42 returning lettermen, including 13 starters, off last year's team. However, Orgeron was quick to point out during the press conference to announce his hiring that the depth chart is "etched in sand."
Returning starters on offense include quarterback Ethan Flatt, running back Vashon Pearson, wide receiver Taye Biddle, and tackles Bobby Harris and Tre' Stallings, while other offensive players back who started one or more games last season include quarterback Micheal Spurlock, receivers Mike Espy and Mario Hill, running backs Brandon Jacobs and Alan Abrams, tight ends Lawrence Lilly and Jimmy Brooks, tackle Darryl Harris, and guard-center Tony Bonds.
Pearson led the 2004 Rebels in rushing with 807 yards on 158 carries as the top six rushers from a year ago all return. Hill was the leading receiver last year with 36 catches for 426 yards and the return of Biddle and Espy should once again give Ole Miss one of the Southeastern Conference's best receiving corps.
Flatt, who replaced Spurlock as the quarterback starter after two games last year, led the passing game by completing 123 of 220 for 1,530 yards and six touchdowns, with 10 interceptions. Spurlock completed 30 of 70 passes for 341 yards and Robert Lane completed 25 of 57 for 242 yards and one score.
The quarterback position will be in the spotlight throughout spring drills as Flatt, Spurlock, and Lane renew their battle for the starting spot. Last season saw a three-man rotation used at quarterback, but Orgeron has expressed a desire to come out of the spring with one solid starter at the important leadership position.
Fullback Rick Razzano, wide receiver Bill Flowers, guards Doug Buckles and Marcus Johnson, and center Chris Spencer are offensive starters who must be replaced this spring. Spencer is the lone non-senior in the group, having passed up his final year of eligibility to enter the National Football League draft. The losses in the offensive line hit hard, especially since Buckles, Johnson, and Spencer's level of play earned all three of them invites to the NFL Combine.
Defensively, Ole Miss returns seven starters in end Jayme Mitchell, tackles McKinley Boykin and Michael Bozeman, cornerbacks Travis Johnson and Trumaine McBride, strong safety Kelvin Robinson, and safety Charles Clark. Other returning players who made at least one start on defense last year include defensive back Bryan Brown and linemen Andrew Wicker, Brandon Jenkins, and Corvelli Haynes. Wicker has been moved to the offensive line this spring.
Clark led the team in tackles last year with 76 and McBride led with three pass interceptions. McBride and Johnson shared the team lead with 13 pass break-ups each. Linebacker Patrick Willis also returns after leading the team in quarterback sacks with five and tackles for loss with 11, while also ranking third in tackles with 70.
Starters lost on defense include end Cory Robinson, linebackers Brian Lester and Rob Robertson, and free safety Eric Oliver. Robertson finished second in tackles a year ago with 73 and Oliver's 70 tackles tied Willis for the third spot.
Two other major holes to fill that will draw plenty of attention comes in the area of special teams. Kicker Jonathan Nichols, the 2003 Lou Groza Award winner, and punter Cody Ridgeway both graduated after compiling outstanding careers at Ole Miss. Nichols set 15 school records and became Ole Miss' all-time leading scorer with 344 career points. Ridgeway averaged 42.1 yards per punt during a career which saw him finish third in school history with 10,021 punting yards.
Changes will immediately be noticed this spring, especially on the defensive side of the football where Orgeron is installing the Multiple 4-3 alignment. Gone is last year's 4-2-5 set, which means the Rebels will be looking for more linebackers to fill those three slots.
That shift in defensive philosophy at Ole Miss will bring on a big change for veteran Kelvin Robinson, the returning two-year starter at strong safety, who has been moved to linebacker. Position changes for other players are expected as the new coaching staff continues to install the new schemes.
Ole Miss will remain "multiple" in its offensive scheme, with the quarterbacks moving more out of the pocket than in recent years.
Orgeron is hoping the spring will allow for the development of depth in both the offensive and defensive lines. "Developing depth is important, but I expect some freshmen will have to play next fall," he said.
