The Nutthouse comes to Oxford
No where to go but up for this guy in Oxford
The Houston Nutt hiring is all the buzz in the Ole Miss world. I must say at first it was a surprise to me and I had a few reservations, but here is my overall outlook at the Nutt’s trip down to Oxford.
Negatives:
1) There is something to say about a pretty substantial group of Arkansas fans trying to run him out. There is always fire under smoke, now it might be a lot of smoke and a little fire…but it is one of my reservations
2) He has been at Arkansas for 10 years, which translates into a monopoly on recruiting. He will definitely be in the hotbed of recruiting fighting against LSU, Alabama, Auburn and State. It will be interesting to watch his recruiting.
3) He can sometimes come across as a little goofy and he wears a straw hat
Positives
1) He actually has this thing called head coaching experience. Sadly, it is something we have not had around Oxford in quite awhile
2) I had forgotten until I went back to his wikipedia site (always my source of info) just how many games he has won at Arkansas. He went to Atlanta three times at Arkansas, so something has to be said for that. That is three more times than Ole Miss has gone.
3) He takes what he has and builds around it. Again, it will be refreshing to see someone actually build around the talent instead of forcing the talent into a system (Cut and O). I heard part of his press conference and he talked about how he changes according to the talent he has. I can’t complain when a guy realizes he should put the ball in Darren McFadden’s hands 30+ times a game. Would have been nice to do that with Deuce. I bet he wouldn’t have Shaeffer dropping back into a pro-style offense either.
4) He wins wherever he goes…from Murray State, Boise State, to Arkansas
5) He has handed it to Ole Miss and Miss. State over his career. If you can’t beat him, convince him to join you.
6) He constantly flashes fingers on the sidelines. What they mean, I don’t even think he knows, but it’s exciting
7) The national media (whatever weight they hold) seem to think that Arkansas was crazy for showing him the door.
8) He always seems to make the most with whatever hand he has been dealt. His teams have differed in talent over the years, yet for the most part he keeps finding ways to win.
9) It was a safe hire for the Rebels. If Ole Miss had taken another chance on a young coach at this critical point, it could have been a disaster.
10) He knows SEC football.
11) I could understand him in his press conference
12) He probably won’t head butt anybody
posted by Brian @ 3:04 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
Not to split hairs, but Nutt has only been to Atlanta twice. He was not Arkansas' coach in 1995 (the first year they appeared in Atlanta). Anyway, I think it's a great hire for Ole Miss. Nutt is all about the rah-rah, but Ole Miss is sorta like that too. Although I think Nutt will find it more difficult to recruit in a smaller state with multiple D-I teams he's certainly a better game coach than Ogeron. The only possible drawback is that he is a really conservative coach (offensively), which is what drew the ire of many Arkansas fans. I expect Ole Miss to be in a few more close games with Nutt at the helm. All in all, a great hire.
this is the best Ole Miss could hope for. He will have them competitive again. 0-8 never again under him. I think Ole Miss fans will look back at Orgeron as the "darkest days of the program".
-Chris
Poor research on my part, thanks Kurt for the correction on how many times the Nutt went to Atlanta. That's why you blog, our faithful readers will keep us truthful
To respond to Kurt's other point. Yes, Nutt has been conservative for the past few years, but I think that is more a result of the talent he had. Don't forget about when he had Clint Stoerner. Clint led the SEC in TD passes I believe
Great, great hire by the Rebels. In hindsight, I have never been so thankful for an Egg Bowl loss like the one that occurred on Friday. From the rumors out there, this might have happened anyway, but it sure made it easier.
With the talent already on campus, I look for the Rebs to instantly be a factor in the West next year.
Mark
Yeah Mark, I was at the Egg Bowl and I had mentioned to a friend that I thought it odd that Nutt had declared he would leave with two games to go in the season. I don't think you do something like that unless you know you have a job waiting in the wings. I'm sure the game vs. State didn't help Ogeron, but I think this was in motion for a couple weeks.
This was a wonderful move for the Rebs. I applaud the hire. The criticism in the media about the options of hiring a minority (Charlie Strong ect..) are absurd. Ole Miss could not afford to hire another HC with no HC experience.
I don't generally think of Houston Nutt as conservative. I do think he's one of the better 'game day coaches'. The rebs just fired THE WORST game management coach and made a solid replacement. well done.
O: the (ex) coach.
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