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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Spring Practice Report 04.11
4/11/2009 | Football
OXFORD, Miss. Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt was pleased with his Rebels' intensity Saturday in their second major scrimmage of spring football drills.
"I thought we had a good physical day today," he said. "This week was so much better than the first week. We hit them all week. I thought our guys really responded. We asked them to be physical. We asked them to play hard."
With approximately 400 fans in the stands, the team trained for close to two hours inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and wasted little time before beginning the scrimmage, which saw the opening drive end with a Lionel Breaux 38-yard touchdown on a reverse.
"Our first drive, going 99 yards without a mistake, I thought that was a good step forward," said Nutt.
The next drive ended quickly on a safety by rising senior linebacker Patrick Trahan. In similar fashion to his play in the Cotton Bowl, Trahan darted quickly into the endzone for a sack of Nathan Stanley.
"(Trahan) is so fast and so quick," Nutt said. "He's gaining so much confidence, and that's what you have to have. You have to have confidence and understanding of the terminology and what your assignment is, and he understands it."
Each of the three scholarships quarterbacks tossed TDs: Stanley to Dexter McCluster from 13 yards; Billy Tapp to Richie Contartesi from 10 yards; and Jevan Snead to Andy Hartmann from seven yards.
Nutt said the battle for the No. 2 spot behind center continues to heat up, and the redshirt freshman got the edge on Saturday.
"We're going to look at this film, but just coming off the field, I like Nathan Stanley," said Nutt. "I think everything is in front of him. I think he has really improved. He's got a real chance.
"Billy is so intelligent. I'm glad he's on our team, because I think he can get us out of any situation. He knows the checks. Jevan continues to get better with his decisions, and I want him to get better. Overall, I'm glad to have the three that we have, and Clayton Moore has gotten better."
A freshman from Louisville, Miss., Moore joined the team in January after graduating high school early. The 6-foot, 205-pounder accounted for 61 TDs during his final two prep seasons.
"I like his attitude," Nutt said. "I like the way he's listening. He comes to work every day, and that's all you can expect from a freshman. He could still be in high school right now. I'm proud of how far he's come."
Ole Miss opens the final week of spring drills Monday and will also practice Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, before holding the annual Grove Bowl Saturday at 1 p.m. at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
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.
