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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Nutt Speaks With Beat Writers
11/22/2009 | Football
Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt spoke with the media on Sunday and reviewed the Rebels' win over LSU and discussed the upcoming SEC encounter at Mississippi State.
Opening Statement
After watching the film this morning, I was very pleased with how physical we played, and I have never been prouder of a group. They played extremely hard on both sides of the ball, and besides the blocked kick that was kicked low, the special teams were outstanding. They played with extreme effort and were very physical throughout the game. They overcame some setbacks, including the two touchdowns that were called back. They did not drop their heads or let go of the rope. They finished the game, and I was really proud of them for that.
Q: Did Dexter McCluster do what you wanted him to do on the onside kick?
Yes. The kicked ball was too hot. We teach the front line to let it go if it's too hot and let the second line guys get it. They timed it right, and LSU made a great play.
Q: Do you still get nervous watching film even after a game is over?
Absolutely. I just got through watching it and had the same feelings that I had with about a minute left.
Q: What kind of job has Tyrone Nix done this season?
In my mind, he's the defensive coordinator of the year. He has been consistent every single week. His plan has been right on every game, and he's just done a great job. He has a great feel for the game. He knows when to call a blitz or when to bail out of a blitz. He's been outstanding.
Q: Did you feel he called the right play with the blitzes at the end of the game?
No question about it.
Q: Have you ever coached in a game where the different emotions fluctuated so much?
Yes, maybe one or two other times, but this was right there at the top.
Q: Do you think Mississippi State will be extra fired-up after last season's loss?
I don't know. I'm more concerned about our guys. This is the biggest game of the year. It's an in-state rivalry. There are brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles, and anytime you go in a coffee shop someone is from Mississippi State and someone is from Ole Miss. I'm just glad all the recruits we had in got to see the atmosphere here last night, and they were very safe. It was an exciting time and they got to witness one of the best games played this year.
Q: What is the team's schedule this week with no classes?
We will do pretty much the same thing except we will move practice up. We'll keep a study table going for those who need it. We will watch film in the morning and practice a little earlier in the day, probably around 2 p.m.
Q: Did any recruits not show up due to the rally?
It kept about eight student-athletes from coming, and I really hate they missed the game. I hate they felt like they needed to stay home. I understand, but there was nothing of significance that happened as far as their rally. I heard some of them were from out of town, not from the state of Mississippi I talked to mothers and dads who did come, and they saw the harmony and togetherness in the stands and in our locker room and saw it amongst our players. I had a lot of comments that 'I didn't know it was this good up here.' We had a lot of positives from the weekend.
Q: What does the team's injury situation look like?
It's that time of year. We are beat up and sore. But every one of them, if you ask, will tell you they have another 60 minutes left in them. They will be ready to go and have a good week of practice. We have to get ready.
Q: How has Emmanuel Stephens been performing?
Marcus Tillman, Kentrell Lockett and Emmanuel have raised their levels of play since Greg Hardy left. They have taken it upon themselves to become more productive. They have always been good against the run, but now they have added to both sides of their game, especially the pass. They have stepped up a lot, and you just can't say enough about those three guys. They have gotten so much better these last three weeks.
Q: Have you talked about the bowl game situation much with your team?
I have not talked to them about it. They know they have a shot at a January 1 bowl, but we've told them we need to stick to taking care of business. It's easy to get caught up in that conversation, but it really does no good until after this last 60 minutes. We told them the same thing before the LSU game. We can dream about Disney World and all of that, but it does us no good unless we take care of business on the field. I want to keep the same attitude and concentration we've had here in practice and get ready to go to Starkville.
Q: Did it surprise you that some of the recruits stayed home because of the rally?
I thought they would be here and was disappointed they didn't show up. A couple of them had been on campus before and know the kind of people we have here. I am on my second year here, and I just haven't seen any racial problems. This is a wonderful community, unbelievable school, one of the most beautiful campuses in the country and you have a football program getting ready to go to back-to-back bowls, hopefully January 1 bowls. That hasn't been done in a long time. There is so much positive. I just wish they would look into it very, very closely and not let anyone discourage them or give them bad information. I think there is a lot of bad information out there.
Q: How quickly will you try to talk to those student-athletes and their parents?
Some of them have already been talked to, and we will continue that this week. Right now we have a lot of recruits swimming to the boat. That's what happens when you win. We are going to have another recruiting class this year equal to last year or better. When you have them swimming to the boat, we can now make choices, so they can't dilly-dally too long. They are going to have to make a decision and look at things closely. If they are worried about some things around Oxford, they need to revisit it. It's just not here unless someone is feeding them a bad story and bad information. You have young men here who are very safe, getting a great education and having fun playing the greatest game in the world.
Q: Do you think there are other schools using some of this stuff against you?
Without a doubt, and that's fine. It's not going to help them. This is one program in the state that is becoming very strong right now. We have Archie Manning, Eli Manning, Deuce McAllister and guys like that have a lot of pride for this program and it takes our coaches to another level. To see Deuce shaking hands with our current players and telling them how proud he is of them, it's an awesome feeling. They can try to use that, but it's not going to help them.
Q: Do you think it is a bit ironic that some recruits are worried, but at the same time your staff is as racially diverse as any around college football?
I think that's a good point, but I have been raised not to look at skin color. We get the best coaches and players regardless of race. We do have the most African American coaches on our staff, but they were chosen because they are the best. Tyrone Nix should be up for the Broyles Award. Terry Price is an unbelievable recruiter and has done a magnificent job with the defensive line. Chris Vaughn is an excellent recruiter and has done a great job with our corners. Then you have Kim Dameron, who has coordinator experience, and that defensive lineup is strong. We have a perfect staff right now and once recruits get around that and hear our players and see us together, see how we handle our young men, they will get excited. Basically, people who haven't been here are going by what they hear..
Q: How did your kickers perform?
Andrew Ritter did a very job kicking to the most dangerous people in the league and Tyler Campbell was unbelievable with his hang time and keeping LSU deep. Joshua Shene kicked some critical field goals and got some points that we had to have.
