2010 Ole Miss Football Outlook

Aug. 13, 2010

The following is an updated version of the season outlook published in the 2010 edition of the Ole Miss Football Guide, which contains rosters, bios, statistics on all the returning stars. As always, the publication also provides a colorful look at the University and the history of the storied Rebel football program. Fans can order a copy of the 2010 Ole Miss Football Guide online through the OleMissSports.com ticket office.

When looking back at Houston Nutt's first two seasons at the helm of the Ole Miss football program, it's easy to understand why long-time followers of the Rebels just might recall the days when legendary coach Johnny Vaught roamed the sidelines.
After all, Nutt's first two years have produced consecutive nine-win seasons for the first time since 1961-62 and back-to-back January bowl victories for the first time since 1960-61. Those milestones came when Vaught's teams were marching to what was then a national-record 15 consecutive bowl games.
Vaught's Ole Miss squads won six Southeastern Conference titles and a share of three National Championships as the Rebels finished nationally ranked 18 times. Both of Nutt's Ole Miss teams ended the season nationally ranked, 14th in 2008 and 20th in 2009.
In his first season in Oxford, Nutt led one of the greatest turnarounds in school history, reviving a Rebel squad that was coming off four straight losing seasons and a 3-8 campaign with no conference wins in 2007. With a 9-4 record (5-3 in the SEC), it marked the team's best improvement from one season to the next since Vaught's debut in 1947.
Rising as high as No. 4 in the national rankings in 2009, Nutt's Rebels knocked off No. 8 LSU, Tennessee and Arkansas en route to a second straight berth in the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, in which Ole Miss prevailed over No. 18 Oklahoma State 21-7.
As Nutt entered the offseason, the 2009 FCA National Coach of the Year admitted he was facing the biggest challenge since taking over the program, as his staff assumed the task of developing an extremely young football team with major holes to fill.
While the Rebels return 46 lettermen from last season, the team lost 28, including eight starters on offense and five on defense, plus one of the best place-kickers in school history.
"We thought the first year would be an enormous challenge, because we didn't win a conference game the previous year," Nutt said. "The youth on this team has made it our biggest challenge. We lost 24 seniors."
Offensive starters to be replaced include quarterback Jevan Snead, running back-wide receiver Dexter McCluster, fullback Andy Hartmann, wide receiver Shay Hodge, tight end Gerald Harris, guards John Jerry and Reid Neely and center Daverin Geralds. Only junior running back Brandon Bolden, junior tackle Bradley Sowell and sophomore tackle Bobby Massie return to starting positions on offense.
Defensively, the Rebels are in much better shape, having lost only end Marcus Tillman, linebacker Patrick Trahan, cornerbacks Marshay Green and Cassius Vaughn and safety Kendrick Lewis. With the return of senior end Kentrell Lockett, senior tackles Jerrell Powe and Lawon Scott, senior linebackers Jonathan Cornell and Allen Walker and senior strong safety Johnny Brown to the starting lineup, the defense is being counted on to be a strong point early this season as the offense continues to develop.
"This spring was a tremendous teaching time for us, especially since the main focus was the entire offense," Nutt said. "With replacing eight starters, it was a challenge and we started out taking baby steps. It was time for some of our younger players to step up, and I believe they did."
After having earned his degree in December, Snead decided to forgo his senior season to enter the National Football League Draft, leaving Nutt the task of having to replace a two-year starter who became just the second Ole Miss signal-caller to reach 2,000 passing yards in consecutive seasons.
Sophomore Nathan Stanley, who saw limited duty last season, emerged from spring as the potential starter.
"Nathan had a very good spring and really learned the playbook," Nutt said. "He took care of the ball for us and was very accurate. He got us out of a wrong play and then into the right play, so he's ahead."
Stanley had already expected to be challenged in the preseason by touted JUCO transfer Randall Mackey, and just prior to fall camp, the competition for the starting job got even tougher with the arrival of Oregon transfer Jeremiah Masoli. The 2009 first team All-Pac 10 QB helped the Ducks to 10-3 records in each of his two seasons as the starter, including a Rose Bowl appearance last season.
Losing McCluster and Hodge, who accounted for more than 50 percent of the team's 205 pass receptions, opens the door for a mix of veterans and youngsters being called on to fill that void at wide receiver.
"When you lose the first 1,000-yard receiver in Ole Miss history (Hodge), and then lose a guy like Dexter, who was a 1,000-yard rusher and 500-yard receiver, that's 2,500-yards you've got to make up," Nutt said. "We entered the spring with a lot of questions and a lot of unknowns, but we emerged with guys like seniors Lionel Breaux and Markeith Summers, sophomores Jesse Grandy and Melvin Harris and redshirt freshman Ja-Mes Logan stepping up.
"Markeith and Jesse have to be our go-to guys and Lionel is a senior who we expect to show leadership for us. Ja-Mes had an excellent spring and is going to be a guy we are going to count on. Melvin had a good spring and is another receiver that's big and tall (6-6). We need him to step up for us and become more consistent."
While the loss of McCluster was a major blow, the Rebels are still deep when it comes to running back. Bolden, who is quicker and now down to 215 pounds, has the most experience among the returning backs, and junior Enrique Davis had an excellent spring, impressing the coaches with the way he ran "behind his pads and going downhill." Sophomore Rodney Scott has also shown he is a tough runner, and sophomore Devin Thomas has displayed some consistency. Also in the mix are freshman Korvic Neat and junior Derrick Herman, who may be involved in certain packages.
As for who will be taking over for McCluster in the "Wild Rebel" formation, Nutt quickly mentions Grandy and Herman, a converted defensive back. "We've got those two guys going," he said.
Another priority in the spring was finding a fullback to replace Hartmann. "We're going to really miss Andy, because he was so valuable," Nutt said. "Fullback is a huge responsibility." Sophomores E.J. Epperson and H.R. Greer will enter the fall as the top two fullbacks.
The loss of the dependable Gerald Harris opened up the competition at tight end, and sophomore Ferbia Allen, who has gained 15 pounds and now weighs 245, senior Reggie Hicks and redshirt freshman Z. Mason got strong looks.
After losing starters at center and both guard positions, Nutt still maintains the Rebels must continue to be strong up the middle.
Sophomore A. J. Hawkins and freshman Evan Swindall battled it out all spring at center, with junior Alex Washington, sophomore Josh Tatum, freshman Chris Gill, junior Rishaw Johnson and freshman Michael Brown shooting up the depth chart at the guard spots.
Sowell has the most experience among the returning offensive linemen and will be starting his second season at left tackle after taking over for All-American Michael Oher a year ago. Sowell built on that experience in the spring and was named as the Outstanding Offensive Player, based on his spring practice performance.
While the offensive line struggled in the early stages of spring workouts, Nutt was pleased with the continued improvement the unit made against what is expected to be one of the Southeastern Conference's top defensive lines.
"The reason we got off to a slow start was because we've got the middle that hadn't played. Alex Washington, A.J. Hawkins and Rishaw Johnson played very little and they were going against guys like Jerrell Powe, Lawon Scott and Ted Laurent, so that makes a difference," Nutt said. "They're coming and getting better. They just need a thousand snaps. They've just got to keep working. We got better, but we must come back in the fall and get even better. Bobby Massie played the last six games at right tackle, so that helps us. We feel good about the tackle spots, because those guys have played the most football. We have a lot of holes to fill and a lot of experience that we're missing."
Nutt feels the defensive line will once again be a major strength when the Rebels line up for the 2010 campaign, led by preseason All-SEC honorees Jerrell Powe and Kentrell Lockett. Powe also earned preseason All-America accolades from several media outlets. In addition, Laurent was selected as the Outstanding Defensive Player of spring workouts.
"Having a good defense gives you a chance every game," Nutt said. "There's nothing like having Jerrell Powe, Lawon Scott, Ted Laurent and Kentrell Lockett. Those guys are all seniors and have valuable experience. Sophomore Gerald Rivers is coming, and JC transfer Wayne Dorsey made an immediate impact at defensive end, emerging as the starter, while freshmen Cameron Whigham and Alan-Michael Thomas provide depth."
Another area on defense where Nutt feels good is at linebacker. "You must be strong up the middle and that's where we're the strongest. With that defensive line, and then you add returning starters in Jonathan Cornell and Allen Walker, that gives you some experience there. Those guys have played a lot of football."
Sophomore Joel Kight enters preseason as the third linebacker starter and sophomore D.T. Shackelford is back after logging extensive playing time last season. With Kight, Shackelford, freshman Mike Marry and redshirt freshman Alex Williams, Nutt says he feels pretty good about his two-deep at the linebacker spots.
The biggest challenge on defense is replacing two starting corners, Green and Vaughn. "Corner is a very difficult position to play and junior Marcus Temple and senior Jeremy McGee have the most experience right now and their fundamentals are getting better."
With mostly youth behind Temple and McGee, redshirt freshman Charles Sawyer excited the coaches as he came on strong in the spring and demonstrated his ball skills while coming up with numerous pass interceptions, including two in the Grove Bowl.
The loss of Lewis, a three-year starter at free safety, was a blow, but JUCO transfer Damien Jackson had an outstanding spring and enters the fall as the co-starter with senior Fon Ingram. Johnny Brown's return at strong safety is a plus and he is being backed up by redshirt freshmen Frank Crawford and Terrell Grant, who moved over from wide receiver late last season.
Special teams play has always been a top priority for Nutt-coached teams, and 2010 will be no exception. With the loss of Green, Grandy is expected to get the nod for kickoff returns and punt returns, along with Bolden, after posting the second-highest kickoff return average in school history a year ago.
Replacing All-SEC place-kicker Joshua Shene, who became only the second Rebel all- time to lead the team in scoring all four years, remains a major focal point heading into this season. "Joshua's loss was huge," Nutt said. "The guy was so consistent and made some awfully big kicks for us. We miss him."
Sophomore Bryson Rose and junior David Hankins appear in a deadlock as to who will replace Shene as the place-kicker. "Right now, Bryson Rose is a little inconsistent and he's really getting a lot of competition from David Hankins, so that will be interesting," Nutt said.
When it comes to punting, Nutt feels good about the return of sophomore Tyler Campbell, who finished second in the conference a year ago with a 44.0 average and earned SEC All-Freshman honors. Sophomore Andrew Ritter is also back to kick off, along with Hankins. Deep-snapper Preston Powers graduated, and senior Wesley Phillips moves into that spot, with senior Richie Contartesi serving as the holder on placements.
When it comes to filling leadership roles, Nutt is counting on Kentrell Lockett, Jerrell Powe, Jonathan Cornell, Allen Walker and Johnny Brown to step forward on defense, while Markeith Summers, Brandon Bolden, Nathan Stanley and Bradley Sowell are offensive players expected to be leaders.
"I love this team and I love their personality," Nutt said. "This is a good, young listening team."

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