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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Spring Practice Report 04.17
4/17/2009 | Football
OXFORD, Miss. In the final tune-up for Saturday's Grove Bowl, Ole Miss focused on the mental side of football Friday, as the team trained for less than two hours in helmets, shorts and no pads.
In practice No. 14 of spring drills, Rebel head coach Houston Nutt put his team through a light walk-through that was heavy on special teams.
"It was a lot of mental work and kicking, since we won't have kicking tomorrow," Nutt said. "Sometime that can be so unorganized, so we're just making sure we have 11 on both sides.
"(Grove Bowl) will be a scaled down version of a game, but hopefully we can avoid some rain and everyone comes out and we finish strong."
Nutt said the spring game, which kicks off at 1 p.m. at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, will provide a close look at a number of second-year Rebels that are lacking in experience.
"Guys like Jason Jones, Justin Smith, Devin Thomas, Gerald Rivers and Lekenwic Haynes have really stepped up," said Nutt. "I'd like to see them finish up and play physical."
Headlining the list of players providing the example for these youngsters is rising senior offensive tackle John Jerry. The Batesville, Miss., native has played in all 37 games over the past three seasons, starting 34.
"John is a veteran," Nutt said. "He understands the schemes. He has done a really good job of coaching Rishaw (Johnson)."
Even though right foot surgery has sidelined him since January, Greg Hardy has showed up for every team function this spring and earned the praise of his head coach. The two-time All-American defensive end enters his senior season with 32.5 career TFLs and 21.5 sacks, including an SEC-best 10.0 in 2007.
"He is out here encouraging his teammates," Nutt said. "He was coaching Craig Drummond last week. I see a tremendous improvement in the way he goes about things. I'm really proud of him."
In general, tomorrow's Grove Bowl will feature the first string (Blue) vs. the second strong (Red). Several players, in particular the quarterbacks, could play for both teams. Quarters will last eight minutes, and the Red squad will receive an extra seven points at the conclusion of each quarter.
Prior to the Grove Bowl, Ole Miss will honor Peria Jerry, Michael Oher 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. In case of rain, the event will be held in the Student Union.
