Nutt's Media Day Press Conference

Aug. 9, 2010

HEAD COACH Houston Nutt

OPENING COMMENTS
We had a good start yesterday. It's always good to be on the field. I loved the enthusiasm. I have to give coach (Don) Decker a lot of credit, because it was a very hot day. I got my antennas up on the heat. I want to make sure our guys get through it, get a lot of water and stay hydrated the right way, because it is very hot. I thought our guys handled it very well. I think just about everybody made it through. Again you have a lot of anxiety and a lot of energy and a lot of guys that can't wait to get out there so they're moving around. I like the way we went about business. I was proud of our first day.

It starts with the defense. Our leadership comes from that group right now. We got guys like Kentrell Lockett, Jerrell Powe, Ted Laurent, Jonathan Cornell, Lawon Scott, who have played a lot of ball. Allen Walker and Johnny Brown; we're going to depend on their leadership. I told our guys to watch the way they go through drills and watch as they practice. They understand what we want, and it's good to have that kind of leadership from guys who have been in the trenches and played a lot of SEC football.
There's still some young corners that we've got to keep bringing along; guys like Frank Crawford we moved from safety to a corner. Right now at corners we have Jeremy McGee and Marcus Temple. I feel good about those guys. Charles Sawyer really had a good spring as you know, and he had a good summer. Frank Crawford kind of rounds out that four. You have to have four ready to go. At safety, Damien Jackson, Johnny Brown and Fon Ingram are three guys we feel like we can count on, and two of those three have played in the SEC before. Damien had an excellent spring. We need one more of those young safeties, Brishen Mathews, somebody like that to step up.

Offensively is where we know we have the most progress that needs to be made and as you know, we're missing some guys that haven't played in the SEC like a center, guards, brand new guys taking their first snap. A.J. Hawkins had a good day yesterday, and he's had a good summer. Evan Swindall is behind him. These are names you probably won't recognize, but I just feel good about their work ethic and their attitude right now. We're throwing a lot at them, so again defense is going to be a little bit ahead. But I like going good against good. Tight end Ferbia Allen has done a good job. We need to try to keep his weight up, he's about 252 right now. We're proud of him. Reggie Hicks is a senior, a guy that we'll count on. We'll use him in tight end situations, and Zack Mason has really had a great summer. So between those three and Layton Jones as the fourth guy, hopefully they'll be able to give us a hand in the running game and in the passing game. We want to get the ball to those guys a little bit more.

At receiver, we're still missing a couple of guys that should be here soon, but the ones we have out there Markeith Summers, Lionel Breaux, Melvin Harris, have stepped up and done a good job. They have to continue to do that, and then they have to do it when it's third and eight. We're going to put them through some difficult situations and let them really understand that we'll depend on them to be go-to guys. They've been working hard, catching a lot of balls, and now they have to continue on and have a good camp.
The tailbacks look good. We have a good group there starting with Brandon Bolden and Enrique Davis. Both are in very good shape. Derrick Herman we moved from safety over, and he looks good. Rodney Scott and then the freshman that caught everyone's eyes yesterday was Jeff Scott. That guy can run and does a very good job of running with his eyes. Of course when you can run a 10.3 you can't hide those track times. That's real speed, so I'm excited about him. Devin Thomas is a solid guy for us. EJ Epperson and H.R. Greer have been working at fullback, and another one of our younger backs that could go tailback or fullback is Nicholas Parker. He looks very good, very tough. It's early, so we just don't know who's going to hang in there or sometimes by the end of the week they get a little homesick a little tired. I'm excited about them.

The question that everyone wants to talk about is what about the quarterback. I think Nathan Stanley had a great spring. He knows the playbook probably better than anybody right now had a good start yesterday. I'm glad that Randall Mackey is here. Mackey can really throw the football. He has a good strong arm with a quick release, one of the quickest releases I've seen in a long time. He looked really good yesterday throwing the football. Jeremiah Masoli, I'm glad he is here. He brings a real humble presence, and you can tell he has played a lot of football.

The kicking game is one area we've been very good in the last couple of years. It's very important that we continue that. We have to find us a field goal kicker. Joshua Shene was very solid for us. He was a guy that was consistent. Every time we got to the 30-yard line we felt like we had three points. Between Andrew Ritter, David Hankins and Bryson Rose those guys are fighting it out, and I'm looking forward to that. Good thing is we have a kicker and a punter. Andrew Ritter has kicked off before, David Hankins has kicked off before, and Tyler Campbell punted in all the games last year. I'm excited about those guys. Deep snapper is a critical spot, and with Wesley's injury, I'm real glad Will Denny's here. Will Denny, as a true freshman had an excellent day yesterday, and he can really zip the ball back there. I'm really glad he is on our team.

Q&A

Where will leadership come from on offense?

I think the one I took to Birmingham, Bradley Sowell is a guy that has really come on and he's gotten stronger than he's ever been before. He has a lot of confidence, and I feel like he will give us good leadership. Rishaw Johnson is another guy that has worked hard and come a long way, but eventually it's got to come from the quarterback. Markeith Summers is another guy. Lionel Breaux, Reggie Hicks. We're depending on those guys. We don't have that many, but I think we have enough. It's got to come from the quarterback, and Bradley Sowell will help us there on the offensive line.

What does adding Masoli do for offense & team's expectations?

Well the first thing is the obligation to the players and our team. You have to have three, quarterbacks. Most schools have five quarterbacks on scholarship instead of four, so I knew we had to have a third one and we're fortunate. Watching him yesterday for the first time, you're talking about a brand new playbook brand new terminology brand new snap count and it didn't phase him at all. He steps right into the huddle, commands respect and talks with authority. You can see how smooth he was with ball skills and taking a brand new playbook. He jumped right in and you could tell that he's played football. He's been in the Rose Bowl. Those are all positive things, but as far as putting a number on how many wins, I don't know. I don't worry about that. I'm just glad he is on our football team, and I'm excited about it. I'm more excited about his teammates who have accepted him and wanted him here. That's what I feel good about.

What did you learn from background checks (Masoli) that made you feel good about the decision?

The biggest thing that helped me was when I got him on campus and got him to Oxford. I sat him down and looked him in the eyes and explained to him about the situation that we were in. One of the biggest points we made was you need us more than we need you, and I think he understood that. I love how humble he was, I love how genuine he was, and then I talked to his mother. When I talked to his mother and got to know her a little bit I just felt good knowing that he knew that this was his last chance and an opportunity to play in one of the best conferences in America. He has a wonderful privilege to be a part of a team that is coming off back-to-back Cotton Bowl championships, and he knew how important this time is this very in his life. I felt good after talking to all parties involved. Yes he made some mistakes, and he knows that he can't make anymore. I felt good about where he came from. When you listen to him talk, to hear him today, I think you'll feel what I feel. I'm glad that he is here.

Who did you have to really convince to bring in Masoli?

I don't know if it was so much to convince, but basically when Raymond Cotton left I had an extensive meeting with Pete Boone. I told him our situation was very unusual. I have never recruited before in late July, early August, especially to have a guy come be a part of a team to help immediately and on top of that, someone who's graduated in three years. In explaining the situation, I would either go get a junior college guy that slipped through the cracks that you didn't know much about or a guy like Jeremiah Masoli. Basically just in a conversation with Pete I think he trusted our judgment, and I think he's known in the past that I've given these guys second chances and I've helped their lives. There are a lot of examples, and so you want to do that. Also there is an obligation you have to your team and your fans. They players were pretty adamant about it too. I went to Nathan Stanley five weeks ago. I went to him first, because I loved how he kept the team together this summer with voluntary work outs with the receivers and tight ends. He's done an excellent job. And then Randall Mackey got here in the summer, so you're concerned about those guys first. As a quarterback you all want to play, and there's one ball. I like what Nathan Stanley said `coach I understand what you need to do we have to have three quarterbacks. Bring him on.' All the players jumped on board. Jerrell Powe, Kentrell Lockett. I think Pete trusts us enough to say hey we're not going to allow anything to disrupt our team. We want to do it with integrity, and that's how we're going to play it. Once we got Jeremiah here and he felt this one heartbeat that we have felt, the togetherness and felt like he could be a part of this thing, he wanted to in the worst way.

Is the quarterback job open?

If we played tonight Nathan Stanley would go out there. Nathan Stanley took the first snap yesterday. He understands what we want, he understands the playbook. I think all quarterbacks know that they have to be at their best. They have to perform, they have to take the football and put it in the end zone.

Did Nathan's response to the Masoli situation show his maturity?

Absolutely. You read all the time when quarterbacks transfer they're unhappy. They all want to play. It just shows that he has an unbelievable heart. He is a team guy all the way, and he wants to please, he wants to perform and wants to be the starting quarterback at Ole Miss. I'm really proud of him. He does things the right way.

Does having a 3rd option at quarterback allow you to do other things with Mackey?

The thing about Randall Mackey that excites you about him is he has ability. He can move and he has a quick release. He can throw the ball. He doesn't need to find the laces, he takes the ball and when he throws it, it's spinning. He does give us options. We've never had two quarterbacks on the field at one time. I'm just excited. We felt much better walking off the field. All the coaches are in agreement we did the right thing. You want everything to go right. We were very uneasy. We had two quarterbacks - one that's been here and knew the playbook, and then Randall getting a crash course. That's a tough way to go in the SEC.

Given the losses at DE, what do you need out of Lockett?

When you lose Emmanuel Stephens someone who was really underrated (go back and look at how many plays he made), Marcus Tillman, who was so solid and Greg Hardy, who was a play-maker, you lose three difference makers. That's why Kentrell Lockett has to be at his best this year. Wayne Dorsey has to really come on. This guy is starting. He's in a starting role. That's why we recruited him. He took off where he left off in the spring, which was very good. Gerald Rivers has to come on. He's probably another name you haven't recognized. But he's a guy that has to perform and give us some plays, and he looks good. Carlos Thompson will get a really good look. He's young, but he looked good yesterday. That's a critical area that we've lost a lot of experience in. We lean on Kentrell Lockett for sure.

How hard is it for a quarterback to come in so late and have chemistry with the receivers?

Well it's hard, but I'm glad we have three. Yesterday was installation one, here's installation two. Yesterday was a little bit fuzzy, and it's going to be fuzzy again today. After we go through this you get about 10 or 12 days out and after a couple scrimmages you're going to have a better feel on what they can and cannot do. Then you try to put them in situations where they can perform and execute. It is hard. Naturally you'd love to be sitting here with two years experience. You'd love to have Jevan Snead back. We haven't talked about him in the last 30 minutes. He's a guy that if he's back, then you wouldn't be having those other conversations. He's a guy who has a lot of experience who's got 18 wins under his belt. But you have to deal and play with the cards that you have. This is what we have, and I'm glad we have them. Now it's just about practice and getting better. You either get better or you get worse.

What are the challenges of a quarterback under six feet?
I don't know that I ever said I wasn't a fan of a quarterback that was under six feet, but if you ask me what would you like I would probably say yeah I'd love to have a guy that is 6-4, runs a 4.5 and can throw a rocket. That's what I'd probably like if you drew one up, but I love quarterbacks under six feet who are playmakers. We have guys here that are playmakers. Jeremiah Masoli and Randall Mackey have strong arms. They have the ability to make somebody miss when the pocket breaks down. You can guarantee there will be about five times in a game where our quarterback has to make something happen because the defenses in this league are too good. They're too fast, so that gives you an advantage when you have a quarterback that says ok something breaks down I can escape, I can make something happen, That's important, and I'm glad of the guys that we have, even if they're under six feet.

What do you think made Powe stick it out and persevere?

He loves Ole Miss. He's such a good teammate and a good leader for us. By just listening to him, he had one goal. He wanted to play at Ole Miss, and nothing was going to stop him. That's the attitude that you want. Those kinds of guys are successful. They're going to get a degree, they're going to make plays for you on Saturday, and they're going to do what's right and be good citizens. We took him to Birmingham for Media Days, and he did an awesome job. He stole a lot of hearts down there. A lot of people met him for the first time. He handled himself great. He's genuine, unselfish and has a good heart. And he can play football.

Have you talked to Jevan Snead?

I haven't talked to him since he got to Tampa Bay and then got released. I hope somebody else picks him up.

Did he make a mistake leaving?

I encouraged him to stay. We had the NFL grade reports. I thought it would be better for him to come back. It was hard. He graduated, he had been a through a couple of systems already. His heart was set on it. Before the South Carolina game, Mel Kiper had him coming out as the No. 1 pick. I think he's a good quarterback. In a certain situation, he can make somebody's team. I wish him the best. He's a good person, and I hope he makes it.

Talk about the linebacker position.

It starts with Jonathan Cornell and Allen Walker, two veterans. I love the way they play. The thing that excites me is guys like Joel Kight, D.T. Shackelford, Mike Marry. Those are young guys who can run and can hit you. Ty (Nix - defensive coordinator) will move those guys around. He'll teach those guys more than one position. In case of injury, he'll be able to move those guys around. Clarence Jackson is a new guy who comes in at 220 pounds as a true freshman. Alex Williams is another guy that's athletic. We have to find him a home. We feel really good with our linebackers right now.

Upcoming schedule. Any game you're looking forward to more than another?

Jacksonville State is the one. I worked with Jack Crowe. He's a really good football coach. He had Florida State beat. This guy can coach. He's going to run option every which way. It's going to be 2:30 in the afternoon, probably 100 degrees out here. You have to be ready to go. Our guys have been hearing a lot about the schedule and the first conference game, etc. Our first game is that first one in September. You have to be ready to go.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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