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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Nutt Weekly Press Conference
11/30/2008 | Football
Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt met with the media on Sunday and discussed the Rebels' Egg Bowl win over Mississippi State.
Opening Statement:
It's been a very fun year and one of the most enjoyable years as a coach to walk into this place with a staff and to take a group of young men that were very willing to listen. They had a good open heart and really gave us everything they had. Once we got healed up after the first month, especially on defense, they got better each week. Once you go back and look at it and study it, really after the Vanderbilt game, everybody got real healthy. Peria (Jerry) ... you really can't say enough about the way he played. The effort, the intensity, the passion and the leadership he brought as a captain was just outstanding. Greg (Hardy) came back and really gave us some good, quality minutes. Then you have guys like Emmanuel Stephens and Lawon Scott, people you really didn't think about in the summer. I thought Tracy Rocker did a good job of bringing those guys along. Kentrell Lockett and Jerrell Powe improved so much. We really want to work hard to try and get Jerrell down another 21 pounds. His technique and everything has gotten better. The back end was also very good. I thought they made some plays, especially at the end. You think of guys like Jamarca Sanford, Kendrick Lewis and Dustin Mouzon. Dustin was a guy that was a senior, who could have easily said enough at mid-year when we benched him. He comes back and keeps his attitude so good and competes and made everybody better. Marshay Green and Cassius Vaughn got better, because of the competition and that's a good thing. Marcus Temple and Fon Ingham provided depth and came on. Patrick Trahan, at linebacker, really came on and gave us a lift at special teams, along with Ashley Palmer, another senior. All the seniors played their best ball. Jonathan Cornell was another linebacker who made tremendous strides. You saw improvement and you have go give a lot of credit to Tyrone Nix and the defensive staff.
Offensively, our offensive line started to improve right after that first month. They started working together and jelling and developed good chemistry. I'm glad Michael Oher came back. That was big lift for us. He stayed very healthy. Everybody I talked with, scout-wise, said it was by far his best year over his previous three years. That's very positive for him and it's going to help him. John Jerry, on the other side, was real productive for us. Maurice Miller, another senior, moved from tackle to guard and was also backing up at tackle in case of an emergency, who played his best ball. We had just a lot of heroes and a lot of heart and effort.
Our schedule will let them be a student this week, so they can really work hard academically. We are going to run and lift only, starting Wednesday. We will go Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We'll practice Saturday and Sunday. We don't know the times right now until we find out what time the recruits are coming in. The following week is finals, so there's not much we can do. We'll leave the weight room open and try to keep our conditioning real good right now. The first thing I'll bring up in tonight's meeting is that when I first got here last year there were 33 people who couldn't have gone to a bowl last year. That's understandable, because when you lose your coach it's easy to let go of the rope and nobody's really watching. Hopefully, it will be much different this year as we find out and wait anxiously where we will go.
Q: How many scholarships can you offer and how many would you like to sign?
A: We're going to sign 25. There may be 12 to 13 left. Depending on if we think some might not make it academically, we may sign one more. As far as who to place, we're not that far yet. We're really zeroing in on our needs, which are offensive line, corners, a couple of linebackers, a fast tailback and a wide receiver who can fly. We're really going to miss (wide receiver) Michael Wallace, another senior who played his best ball over the last four weeks. We're going to sign our full allotment and be very selective with these last 10 to 12.
Q: Talk about the bowl situation and if you have a preference.
A: You always want to finish the way we finished. We've always been good in November and that's key. There's nothing like winning in the end, because your stock rises. I've been to the Capitol One. There's no way you can't have a good time in Orlando, because of Disney World, MGM, Universal Studios, the weather. It's just awesome. Those people do an excellent job. I've never been to the Outback. I've been to the Cotton Bowl three times. The work that Rick Baker and their staff do is unbelievable. They are so thorough, so detailed, so committed to the players, to their families, from the luncheon to the banquet to all the activities, it's just a very good place. I've been to the Independence and to the Music City. I haven't been to the Chic-fil-A Bowl, but all of them are good and great rewards to your team. January 1 or January 2 are hard to beat, because they put you up there a little higher as far as recruiting, the prestige and all of those things. It's so good for your program.
Q: Talk briefly about Greg Hardy.
A: From the day I met him, Greg has always been very polite. I love the way he's been raised. He's been 'Yes, sir, No. Sir' to me from the first day I met him and I really appreciate that in Greg. His attitude around me has always been good. The thing that got him really off track was the injury. He had a legitimate injury and he gets frustrated. He's so talented. We got so excited during the spring and the first days of two-a-days, because this guy is flying around and we can't block him. When he has to have the surgery and is not a part of something, it's very difficult for him and that's understandable, so that was hard. Once he came back, what was tough was Lockett is playing good and Emmanuel Stephens is playing good. I thought Rocker did a really good thing, and we've done this together before, he's not so quick to move people back (to first team). He keeps that rotation going and we're always fresh. We have eight to nine solid guys that he substitutes and rolls in there. And when you roll in a Greg Hardy, it's a different speed. A lot of teams try to put four hands on him. Even with four hands on him, a lot of times he's going to sack you. He's going to either sack, get close or disrupt. He's just a phenomenal football player. He's a talented guy who wants to play and make plays now. When he's on the bench and out of the loop and not in that family, directly, it's very hard on him. He's been a really respectful guy, a good-hearted person and I really hope he comes back next year.
Q: Do you expect him (Hardy) back next year.
A: I don't know. I have to sit down and talk with his family and Greg and see. Q: Talk about the SEC Championship Game.
A: Alabama is solid. That is the one word to describe them. They can run the ball, because they have an outstanding offensive line. They have big, strong, fast guys and they are physical. They will run right at you. They have solid backs in Coffee, Upchurch and Grant, but Coffee is the guy. Wilson doesn't make mistakes. He is going to throw it to his guys and especially to Julio Jones. And Julio is a difference maker. Defensively is where they are at another level. Nick Saban is best at zeroing in on what you do offensively first and taking that away. He will make you try to play left-handed by taking away your best plays. He will give you some complicated coverages with Johnson at safety. They are so solid defensively they will make you go the long hard way. Florida is flashy and has speed. Harvin is a difference maker that can change the game. Just an exciting, fast offensive and you have to cover responsibilities with the option game. He has a triple threat going there. And then I think their defense is underrated. Their defense when they are all healthy and together is fast. They are very, very good. Then it will come down to special teams. Well, both teams are great believers, like we are, in special teams. Urban puts his best players on the field. He is going to try and block a couple of punts a game. Alabama will be more invested in the return game because of Arenas. They do a great job of setting up blocks for him. It is going to be a fantastic game any way you look at it; defensive, offensive and special teams are all solid. So it is going to be a great game.
Q: Talk about how your special teams have improved.
A: That is probably the thing that I am most proud of. The thing that I didn't tell you year ago sitting in here was I was scared to death because of special teams. It was horrible. The kickers weren't kicking, you weren't covering, you weren't protecting and you weren't tackling. The real estate was so uneven that almost every team was playing on a 50-yard field. That had to be changed and James Shibest deserves so much credit by investing pride. When I sit in here with the players and they know it is important that we hand select players for special team. You can be a starter and be on these teams. Jamarca Sanford is on our punt team and so is Kendrick Lewis. It just sends a real message and pride starts to develop. Our guys got better and better and started to take a pride in it. The first thing we do on Sunday after a game is go over every play of special teams. There is nothing like ohhs' and ahhs' from you peers. We point out the effort of every player. Whether it is a PAT or covering a punt they are big plays. Joshua Shene has had an all-conference performance. He is so consistent when we needed three points. You hit the thirty-yard line and I got three points. A lot of years you can't play that way, you have to think we have to play four downs. Its third and seven you your play calling is different, but this year we did have three. He was huge. Justin Sparks kicked it deep, between the white lines and with a lot of hang time, so we can go cover a kick. I'm proud of him. Rob Park gave us a lot of hang time so could go cover the punt. He didn't have one punt blocked all year, knock on wood. We had good protection and he got off a good punt for us to go and cover.
Q: Does winning make it easier to recruit?
A: It's so much different because of the success and winning. Everybody loves a winner. It's easier to sell now. It is harder to get people to jump into your wagon when you haven't been winning the last three or four years and haven't been to a bowl game. That's tough to sell. It's easy to say we are going to start winning, but they want to see it. When we get beat by Vanderbilt, that was the toughest week. That was tough getting on the phones. Now you fast forward into November, it's "coach when am I going to get to visit?" and "coach do you have a spot for me?" Now it's a little bit different conversation. Now your name is going to be thrown out there for the next month and tied to a bowl. There is going to be highlights of Ole Miss and it will go to another level. I have already gotten a couple of calls from kids in Florida. You have got to be selective right now because things have gotten much better.
Q: Do you know your bowl practice schedule yet and does the team have a preference on a bowl game?
A: We are going to practice Saturday and Sunday. The next week is finals week, so we won't, but as soon as that last final is over then we will go. We have to talk about specific times, so we can work around recruiting. I think the team will be excited, because it looks like it is going to be a January 1st bowl game and that's huge. That's what winning in November does. We will tell them that you have done what we asked of you and worked hard and because of that you are going to a great bowl game. We should know by the end of the week. They like to wait until after the championship game, but it's hard to keep in that long.
Q: How important is it to recruiting in the area where your bowl is?
A: It's key. The exposure helps you in that area. It makes it easier to go into that living room when they have seen you play. There's nothing like it. Whether it's Atlanta, Florida or Texas, it's all good.
Q: How is Jevan Snead's shoulder?
A: We got to give him some time off, at least a full week. I thought he was a soldier out there. He took another hit on it, but boy he really played well.
Q: What about Jason Cook and Andy Hartman?
A: Jason is probably the furthest out with a sprained MCL. We will give him some time off, but nothing will keep him away from of this bowl game. Andy had a slight concussion. We kept him in the hospital overnight to be cautious, but he is going to be fine.
