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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Spring Practice Report 04.10
4/10/2009 | Football
OXFORD, Miss. With classes out for “Good Friday,” Ole Miss moved their schedule to the morning for a two-hour workout in pads and shorts in the Indoor Practice Facility, as the team geared it up for the second major scrimmage of spring drills.
The middle of the offensive line was an area under scrutiny on Friday, as starting center Daverin Geralds sat out after getting banged up early. Head coach Houston Nutt emphasized his importance to the offense and added that he expects Geralds to be back for at least two series in Saturday’s scrimmage.
“We miss him when he’s not out there,” Nutt said. “That’s the thing about the offensive line. They’re thin. They’re inexperienced. This is what spring football is for, to try and develop those guys that haven’t played before. You take a Daverin Geralds out, and you see where you are.
“(Center) is a huge responsibility. When you have the ball, you’re calling out defenses, Tyrone (Nix) is bringing every blitz known to man, it’s not easy. From the first day though, Mark Jean-Louis has gotten much better. We need him, so these are valuable reps."
It has been a busy spring for quarterback Jevan Snead, who has drawn the attention of media across the nation. Among his interview requests have come from ESPN.com, SportsIllustrated.com and NYC newspaper Newsday.
On Wednesday, Kirk Herbstreit and an ESPN crew flew to Oxford for a sit-down interview with Snead that will air on a future SportsCenter. The piece is part of a series on the nation’s top-five quarterbacks, with Snead joining Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford, Texas’ Colt McCoy, Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor and Florida’s Tim Tebow on the list.
After some struggles in last Saturday’s scrimmage, Nutt said Snead bounced back.
“I thought this past week, Jevan really improved,” said Nutt. “We weren’t really excited about that first scrimmage. He knows he can do much better. But I thought this past week, he really focused and really improved. You could tell the first week that everything is so much more comfortable with the terminology and getting us in and out of the huddle.”
On Saturday, the Rebels plan to scrimmage for at least 75 plays with an estimated 30 to 35 for the first string. Nutt said among the areas the coaching staff will be watching closely is offensive guard, receiver and back-up quarterback.
Rising sophomore Andrew Harris is among the wideouts in competition for the receiver spot left vacant by the graduation of Mike Wallace. Nutt praised Harris’ continued maturation.
“Drew Harris has made a really big step for us,” Nutt said. “He has got to be more consistent. But today he goes up and makes two one-handed catches, converts another route, but then the next play, he doesn’t get the audible we want from Jevan. But I’m proud that he’s getting two out of three plays instead of one out of three.”
Ole Miss’ Saturday practice begins at 10:20 a.m. in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and is open to the public. One week later, the Rebels will take the field for the annual Grove Bowl on April 18 at 1 p.m., and Ole Miss will also honor Michael Oher, Peria Jerry and a trio of former Rebels at “Path to the Draft: Ole Miss to the NFL” at 11 a.m. on The Grove Stage. FOX News anchor Shepard Smith will emcee the panel discussion.
On Thursday, Ole Miss will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Chucky Mullins Courage Award with the annual awards banquet at 6:30 p.m. in the IPF. The three finalists are Marshay Green, Kendrick Lewis and Marcus Tillman.
