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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Spring Football Outlook
3/25/2009 | Football
What a difference a year makes ...
When Houston Nutt was preparing to begin his first spring practice as the new Ole Miss head coach last March, the Rebels were mired in a four-year losing streak and coming off a 2007 season which produced exactly zero wins (0-8) in the Southeastern Conference.
The general feeling surrounding the Ole Miss program was that Nutt was taking over a team with talent, but one that simply didn't know how to win. Shortly after being introduced on Nov. 28, 2007, as the 36th head coach in Ole Miss football history, Nutt met with his new squad and laid the groundwork to convince the returning players that they could win and that a bowl game in 2008 was possible, if only they believed in themselves and the coaching staff.
It was no secret that Nutt was bringing to Ole Miss a winning reputation which had produced eight bowl berths, three SEC West titles, an average of more than seven wins per season and the ability to win big road games when playing the role of the underdog. Not one player in the team meeting room that day could raise their hand when Nutt asked if any of them had enjoyed the fruits of participating in a bowl game for Ole Miss.
Fast forward to March of 2009: The late-season success enjoyed by the Rebels in 2008 is still the talk of college football, not only among the Ole Miss faithful, but also by the national media already pointing to the upcoming season.
With a 9-4 record and a 5-3 mark in the SEC, Nutt led one of the greatest turnarounds in school history, marking the team's best improvement from one season (3-9 in 2007) to the next since legendary Ole Miss Coach John Vaught's debut in 1947.
The 2008 campaign saw Nutt continue his reputation as a giant killer, knocking off three top 20 foes away from Oxford, including the defending national champion in No. 18 LSU in Death Valley and the eventual national champ in No. 4 Florida in The Swamp.
Not only did the Rebels win their final six games and dominate No. 8 Texas Tech, 47-34, in the 2009 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, Ole Miss finished second in the SEC Western Division and earned a No. 14 final national ranking. It was the highest finish since Eli Manning's senior season of 2003 when the Associated Press selected the Rebels No. 13 and USA Today picked them No. 14.
Nutt, who also was honored as SEC Coach of the Year for the third time, had reversed the Rebels' fortunes as he became just the fifth coach in the school's history to guide Ole Miss to a bowl in his first season.
When getting back to the reality of beginning his second spring practice at Ole Miss, Nutt admits that things will be different in 2009. His Ole Miss team appears to be gaining the type of early respect that could well find them in the national preseason rankings. One early preseason Top 10 included the Rebels at No. 6.
"We appreciated our final ranking last year and we are proud of the respect we're getting heading into the spring," Nutt said. "However, the only way you can get better is to continue to work with passion every day. I believe our team understands that and won't get caught up in the hype. Consistent success in this sport isn't easy. You have to earn your wins and the bull's-eye is a little larger than it was before."
While Nutt's second spring finds his Rebels returning six starters on offense and eight more on defense, having to replace two Associated Press first team All-Americans offensive tackle Michael Oher and defensive tackle Peria Jerry is sure to draw plenty of attention. Oher, a consensus first team All-American, started 47 consecutive games over his career and Jerry finally stayed healthy as he became the emotional leader on a defense which ranked No. 2 in the SEC and No. 4 in the nation in rush defense (85.5 yards per game) and tied for first in the NCAA in TFLs (8.62 per game).
"The goal this spring is to really concentrate on fundamentals," Nutt said. "This is a great time for just coaching football, because there is no urgency to be working on the game plan. We have a lot of redshirts, and we're anxious to put them into some situations."
Heading the list of starters returning on offense this spring is junior quarterback Jevan Snead, who completed 184 of 327 passes for 2,762 yards and 26 TDs in his first tour through the SEC. Those numbers were good enough to rank second in the league in TD passes (26), third in passing average (212.5 yards per game), third in pass efficiency (145.5) and fourth in total offense (217.1).
"When you look at Jevan's first six games and then his last six, it's not even close," Nutt said. "Jevan really matured as a quarterback and became much more knowledgeable. Coach Kent Austin did a tremendous job with him. His reads got better, he was getting us out of bad plays, his accuracy improved and he just got more and more comfortable."
Other returning starters on offense include senior running back Cordera Eason, senior wide receiver Shay Hodge, senior tight end Gerald Harris, senior tackle John Jerry and senior center Daverin Geralds.
Another key returnee is senior all-purpose player Dexter McCluster (5-8, 165), who had a total of eight starts as he was in the opening offensive series at three different positions. McCluster, the central figure in the "Wild Rebel" offense, was one of only two players (Florida's Percy Harvin) in 2008 to rank top 10 in the SEC in rushing yards, receiving yards, receptions and all-purpose yards.
McCluster, who led the Rebels in rushing with 655 yards on 109 carries and tied for the team lead in receptions with 44 and ranked third in receiving with 625 yards, was named Offensive MVP in the 2009 Cotton Bowl, posting 180 all-purpose yards, rushing 14 times for a career-high 97 yards and catching six passes for 83 yards.
Junior wide receivers Lionel Breaux and Markeith Summers, senior guard Reid Neely and senior Andy Hartmann also drew starts a year ago.
On defense, returning starters include senior Marcus Tillman and junior Kentrell Lockett at end, junior Ted Laurent at nose, juniors Jonathan Cornell and Allen Walker at linebacker, seniors Marshay Green and Cassius Vaughn at cornerback and senior Kendrick Lewis at free safety. Green was named the Defensive MVP of the Cotton Bowl, returning an interception 65 yards for a TD, and also ranked sixth in the SEC in punt return average (10.9 yards per return).
Other defensive players back who have seen action in starting roles include senior Emmanuel Stephens at end, junior Lawon Scott at nose, seniors Patrick Trahan and Lamar Brumfield at linebacker and sophomore Marcus Temple in the secondary.
Also back is senior defensive end Greg Hardy, who drew starts during his freshman and sophomore seasons, but had foot surgery just prior to the 2008 season, which forced him to miss four games. Despite seeing limited action in nine games, due to the injury, Hardy still earned third team All-America honors from Rivals.com and second team All-SEC recognition from the league coaches as he had a team-high 8.5 QB sacks (third in the SEC) and his 0.94 sacks per game would have ranked seventh in the NCAA if he had played in 75 percent of the games.
However, due to having another surgery after the season, Hardy will not participate in spring workouts. The only other player not expected to participate is redshirt freshman wide receiver Melvin Harris, also due to a foot injury.
When it comes to special teams, the Rebels return one of the nation's top place-kickers in junior Joshua Shene, who is the SEC active career leader in field goals with 42. Shene led the SEC in field goal percentage (81.0) a year ago, connecting on 17 of 21 attempts and PATs (1.000), hitting all 52 attempts. Senior long-snapper Preston Powers returns, but the Rebels must replace punter Rob Park.
Offensive starters to be replaced include Oher, guards Darryl Harris and Mo Miller, fullback Jason Cook and wide receiver Mike Wallace, while Jerry, linebacker Ashlee Palmer and strong safety Jamarca Sanford are defensive starters not back.
Sophomore offensive lineman Bradley Sowell, who was often used as a blocking tight end a year ago, begins the spring at the left tackle spot left vacant by Oher. Highly recruited signee Bobbie Massie is expected to join the mix when he arrives. "We feel good about the progress Brad made during the off-season," Nutt said.
