Familiar faces : 10 years after UA honeymoon, Nutt sees similar first-year hope at Ole Miss
Posted on Friday, July 25, 2008
HOOVER, Ala. - This year's Ole Miss team looks awfully familiar to Houston Nutt.
That's because Nutt, who now enters his first season as the Rebels' coach, was in the same situation 10 years ago in Fayetteville. A new coaching opportunity, renewed excitement in the fan base and a veteran group of returning starters graced the new Arkansas coach in the summer of 1998. Quarterback Clint Stoerner and go-to receiver Anthony Lucas highlighted a team that returned a staggering 19 starters from a team that went 4-7 the season prior.
What resulted was an 8-0 start to the season, talks of a national championship and a complete overhaul of the Razorbacks' mindset. Flash forward to today. Ole Miss welcomes Texas transfer Jevan Snead, who Nutt called one of the best quarterbacks he's ever coached, a talented group of wide receivers and 15 returning starters on offense and defense.
"A lot of comparisons," the former Arkansas coach said Wednesday at SEC Media Days. "A lot of similarities. Very, very similar. "And it doesn't stop there for Nutt, who resigned at Arkansas on Nov. 27 and accepted the coaching position at Ole Miss within 72 hours of his departure. The Oklahoma State alum hired an energetic staff in 1998 that included Arkansas alum Joe Ferguson as the Razorbacks' quarterbacks coach. Today, former Ole Miss quarterback Kent Austin will be Nutt's first offensive coordinator in Oxford. All the similar signs are in place for Ole Miss which, like Arkansas 10 years ago, is a program attempting to keep its head above the water. Since the firing of David Cut- cliffe in 2004, the Rebels have not been to a bowl game nor had a winning season. Last season, under Ed Orgeron, the Rebels went 0-8 in SEC games. But Orgeron, who was fired last year, left behind a strong core of players that is hungry to win again, Nutt said.
"We look good on paper," Nutt said. "We look good if we walked in this room; you'd say we have a very good-looking SEC team. But the bottom line is we didn't win an SEC game last year. And it was really sad - it tugged on my heart - the very first time I asked the seniors, ' How many of you have been to a bowl game ?'
"Not one could say, ' I've been to a bowl game. '"
At Arkansas 10 years ago, the Razorbacks were coming off back-to-back 4-7 seasons.
"The mindset, the obstacles you're facing [this season ] are very, very similar," Nutt said. "You just take your experiences and hopefully you try to change a mindset that won't accept losing. We've got a lot of hungry guys, a lot of hungry fans."
Thirty-seven days before the kickoff of his first season, Nutt's impact in Oxford, Miss., has already been felt. Left tackle Michael Oher announced his intentions to enter the NFL draft on Jan. 14, but changed his mind two days later after some chats with his new coach. Oher was tabbed as the top left tackle in the NFL draft and many draft services had him down as a first round pick.
"The impact [Nutt has ] is unbelievable," Oher said. "We have a lot of talent on our team. Coach Nutt, he's unbelievable.... We trust him. I could go on and on. He's a great guy."
On the other side of the team, defensive tackle Peria Jerry had the same compliments.
"Everyone loves him in town," Jerry said of Nutt. "The optimism is extremely high. I feel like everyone has a much more positive attitude and we're just ready for the season to start and to start working hard."
While Nutt's first game (Aug. 30 against Memphis ) as the head Rebel is of the utmost importance, his Arkansas days and a trip to Fayetteville to face new UA head coach Bobby Petrino on Oct. 25 still weigh on his mind.
"You can't help but think about it," Nutt said. "You grew up in Arkansas. You thought at one time you'd be there for life. I had 10 great years of experience there working with some great people.... We had some great days and great times there. You can't help but think what it's going to be like coming in from the visitor side.
"But quickly my mind goes back to Memphis."
Not much is certain about Nutt's first Ole Miss team, but many in the media have Ole Miss pegged as a potential dark horse in the SEC West this season.
"I'm excited about the athleticism and some of the things we have," Nutt said. "But guys, we've got to get better. We've got to get better every day."
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