Changing on the Fly
Houston Nutt has made a remarkably comfortable transition from Arkansas to Ole Miss
By Jamie Lay (Posted 8-15-08)
Gertrude Castellow Ford always loved the theatre. So it was no surprise in 1998 when the Gertrude C. Ford Foundation in Jackson, Miss. donated $20 million to Ole Miss to design and build a performing arts center in Oxford. The six-story, 88,000-square foot theatre, featuring two performance stages, a state-of-the-art theatrical production facility and seating for 1,200, was named in her honor, the Gertrude Castellow Ford Center for the Performing Arts.
It’s home to the annual Oxford Shakespeare Festival, will hold the first Presidential debate this year and last November, the Center hosted the climax of a very tumultuous tale, the media announcement that Houston Nutt accepted the head coaching position for the Ole Miss football program.
“We walked into the Ford Theater,” said Nutt, “I really thought the press conference was going to be basically a room full of just media. But to walk into the Ford Theater and have 1,500 people, then later find out that 500 to 600 people were turned away, I can’t tell you how we felt that day. That was a day full of goosebumps and just reenergized us from that moment forward.”
The drama that preceded the event?
Last year Ole Miss fired Ed Orgeron following a 3-9 season. Houston Nutt resigned from the top spot at Arkansas after 10 seasons, eight bowl games and three SEC West titles. Then, less than 24 hours later, the Rebels swooped up the experienced SEC coach and embraced him with the comfort of a long lost family member. Nutt felt the same way.
“You go into the meeting with the players, you see that hunger again, to see how they embraced our coaching staff, it excites you, motivates you,” he said. “It makes you want to please. It makes you want to work a little bit harder. So it’s just been an excellent transition. There’s something about being reenergized with new names, new problems, new street numbers, the whole bit.”
It helped that Orgeron, known for recruiting skilled players, left Nutt with a talented roster of players who are ready to win this season.
“I think Ed [Orgeron] did an excellent job of recruiting,” Nutt said. “There are some holes at some different spots, different positions. But if you look at [defensive end] Greg Hardy, [left tackle] Michael Oher, [defensive end] Peria Jerry, you look at those players. Look at the receivers: Michael Wallace, Shay Hodge, Lionel Breaux, Dexter McCluster, boy, there's spots of tremendous athleticism. That really excites you.
“[Running backs] Cordera Eason, Derrick Davis, two guys, they had a good spring,” he continued. “They’re gonna get a lot of competition from three freshmen, Devin Thomas, Brandon Bolden, and Enrique Davis. I’m excited about Cordera [Eason], how far he came in a short period of time. He really improved each day. I really think with our offensive line, we can have a very physical running attack. Hopefully we’ll be able to get better and take off right where we left in spring.”
Nutt’s task of reprogramming a team, who hasn’t won since Eli Manning left for New York, will not be easy. He has the advantage of already being a proven winner in the SEC and his players, obviously, understand this fact.
“I’ve got great respect for [Nutt],” said Jerry. “He’s working us hard, has us doing a lot of running. Everyone loves him in town. The optimism is extremely high. I feel like everyone has a much more positive attitude. He’s my type of guy. He’s very high energy. He has everyone staying positive and telling us to stick together, like family.”
The Rebels open the season in Oxford against Memphis, one of the few teams they’ve consistently defeated over the last four seasons. Then Ole Miss will face Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C. Though Wake is considered one of the top-5 teams in the ACC this year, this game is winnable. The Rebels won’t have trouble with Samford and are 2-2 against Vanderbilt in the last four meetings. If Ole Miss magically wins all four games to start the season or even 3-of-4, the Rebs will have a winning record when they travel to Gainesville Sept. 27. It will be interesting to see how Ole Miss fares against the remaining schedule of SEC West opponents – Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU and Mississippi State.
Ole Miss (2003-2007)
2003 – 10-3, SEC West Co-Champions
2004 4-7
2005 3-8
2006 4-8
2007 3-9
Houston Nutt (Arkansas: 1998-2007)
1998 9-3 SEC West Co-Champions, Citrus Bowl
1999 8-4 Cotton Bowl
2000 6-6 Las Vegas Bowl
2001 7-5 Cotton Bowl
2002 9-5 SEC West Co-Champions, Music City Bowl
2003 9-4 Independence Bowl
2004 5-6
2005 4-7
2006 10-4 SEC West Co-Champions, Capital One Bowl
2007 8-5 Cotton Bowl