I'm a baseball junkie. In late June, my focus on sports usually centers around the baseball diamond.
Though that's more or less the case in 2008, I've recently felt the hunger pangs for football a bit earlier than usual.
As an Ole Miss fan, I haven't had much cause for enthusiasm over the last few seasons. Actually, the feeling I've experienced as autumn neared in recent years was dread.
Each approaching season as of late has been tantamount to a train wreck we all knew was coming—ugly and painful.
Oh, how quickly—and unexpectedly—things change.
In 2007, the Rebels could not muster a single SEC win—not even against Vanderbilt, who routed Ole Miss 31-17. Though his efforts throughout his three-year helm as head coach were tireless, Ed Orgeron was outmatched. He was not, and is not, an SEC head coach.
As the '07 schedule drew to a close, Rebel fans, convinced that Orgeron would return for a fourth year, settled for beating Mississippi State, its bowl-bound in-state rival, in the Egg Bowl.
Last year's Egg Bowl stoked the emotions (all of them) of all Ole Miss fans (all of them). The Rebels led the Bulldogs for most of the game, and in fact had the game all but won.
Enter fate.
A string of inexplicable coaching decisions gave momentum—and eventually the win—to the Bulldogs.
Rebel faithful watched in shock as Ed Orgeron's thinking (or lack thereof) squandered what should have been the Rebels' first and only SEC victory of the '07 campaign.
Amid the dark clouds of frustration and bewilderment, however, a ray of light—of hope—appeared. That loss to Mississippi State, a loss during which the Rebel head coach practically gave the game away, forced the hand of university officials.
Enter fate (again)—and Houston Nutt.
After wrapping an 8-4 season with a thrilling 50-48 win over LSU, Houston Nutt's Arkansas Razorbacks should have been on top of the world.
Their all-world tailback, Darren McFadden, found himself in the midst of the Heisman Trophy campaign. The Hogs were also waiting for a bowl bid. All was right with the world in Fayetteville, right?
Not so fast.
A contingent of Razorback supporters had been waging war with Nutt for a multitude of reasons. This writer is uncertain as to whether the world will ever know all the gory details that facilitated Nutt's exodus from Fayetteville.
As the saying goes, however, "one man's trash is another man's treasure."
Ole Miss, on the heels of a humiliating Egg Bowl loss, had to make a change. Ed Orgeron was ousted the next day. Rebel fans, feeling as if Christmas had arrived early, wondered how this coaching search would play out.
Would it prove to be a repeat performance of the school's 2004 embarrassment? Would it lead to another "panic hire," as the Orgeron hiring has often been construed?
Houston Nutt stepped down as the Razorbacks' coach on No. 26, 2007. Two days later, he was introduced by Chancellor Robert Khayat as the new coach of Ole Miss. Though he has not yet coached a game for the Rebels, he has brought something that has been lacking since Eli Manning's last college snap.
Hope.
12 comments Last one added 11 months ago — Leave a Comment
Liger about 1 year ago
Houston Nutt has always given Auburn problems...you guys got yourself a good coach there. And, from what I hear (one of my best friends' dad is over the SEC officials) Nutt is one of the most personable coaches to be around. That's big because kids will give their all for someone they like.
I look forward to our teams starting the next chapter of their saga.
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Maury Billingsley about 1 year ago
I've never really been so ready for ole miss football like this since Eli's senior year its not gonna probably be a january bowl season as long as we go 6-6 or 7-5 ill be very happy but i will not be surprised if we have one of those seasons where no one expected us to do anything and we do just what south florida did last year or rutgers a few years back because we have the athletes and finally the coaching staff to lead them we just have to come prepared every saturday even for the louisiana monroe game because just last year on a saturday night the tide thought they were gonna have gimmie game but got shocked with a lose
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BabyTate about 1 year ago
Please. The era of Ole Miss ended the day Kentucky beat them in 1964. That was a highly questionable game regarding the calls. Except for hiccups with Archie and Eli the Rebels have never come close to what they were before that.
During the 5 seasons of 1959 through 1963 Ole Miss lost a total of 2 regular season games, both to LSU. 7-3 in '59, the Halloween night of Billy Cannon's run and 10-7 in '61. Ole Miss mopped the floor up with LSU in the '59 season Sugar Bowl and then took them to the woodshed in '62 and '63 for payback.
Ole Miss used to rule. 2 losses in 5 regular seasons? LSU lost 2 games last year alone and won the unanimous national championship! Ole Miss won part of two minor services National Championship in 1960 and '62 going undefeated in both seasons. It's jive and politics now.
I wrote an article for the Bleacher Report on Big Jim Dunaway, superstar lineman of the Ole Miss Rebels during their glory days. I would hope you might find it interesting reading.
Submitted in honor of John H. Vaught.
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Chad Haynie about 1 year ago
I'd have to disagree with you on that.
While yes, their last conference title came in 1963, they have fielded some solid teams since then.
Most people are quick to forget the 2003 season which they loss to the National Champion LSU Tigers by 3 points, missing three field goals in that game. Other than that they were undefeated in SEC play and shared the SEC Western Division title with LSU.
There is no doubt the program is in a state of mediocrity and has been for years, but saying Ole Miss can never field a football team again is a bit of a stretch.
No, they will never be as good as they were in the 50's and 60's, but they will be a respectable program again. Probably to an even or great extent than what Arkansas is right now.
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Justin Goar about 1 year ago
i know many arkansas fans were happy to see him go but i didn't want nutt staying around the SEC. he gets a lot from a little and he's a nice fit in oxford. ole miss has been pesky for LSU and it will probably get worse under Nutt.
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Thomas Brown about 1 year ago
Nutt is a great coach but what makes you think things will be any different at Ole Miss than they were at Arkansas
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Liger about 1 year ago
I think the point of the article is "hope". That's not uncommon when frustrated fans get a new coach. Hope is why we're all looking forward to the season this year, and every other year.
I know when we went undefeated in 2004, I was hoping that we would redeem ourselves after a bad to mediocre 2003 campaign. I don't think anyone would have ever guessed that we would pull it off at the time. Same with UGA...there was a period in 2006 when they had lost back to back games against Vandy and UK. But now look at them.
You never know...sometimes a coach makes a great fit and does something that has never been done before at a school. I think he's hoping that this is the case.
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Tim Simpson about 1 year ago
Thomas... A defference maker will be the talent pool in which he has to recruit. From Memphis to the Gulf coast, the state of Mississippi is talent rich. Ther are more NFL players from the state of MS than any other per capita. The campus is an eye opener to those that visit and the City of Oxford is beautiful and unique by any standard. All of the tools are in place. A good staff with win hungry players with talent is a combination that leads to success.
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Brock Reynolds about 1 year ago
Arkansas fan here. I won't bash Nutt (Ole Miss fans have seen/heard enough of that already), but I will emphatically declare that I'm glad he's gone. Like a used car, Arkansas fans have just grown tired and less appreciative of him over the years. Nevertheless, he can still be serviceable for Ole Miss. Houston has his hangups. Nothing major, but he has them just the same. The problem is that Arkansas fans drove him long enough to know what all of them are. You know the old saying--familiarity breeds contempt, blah, blah, blah.
I would just share this thought with Ole Miss fans: Beware. Nutt is not maintenance free. His service engine light comes on from time-to-time. He had as much to do with his departure from Fayetteville as anyone; however, if you take it easy on him, and don't demand too much, he'll provide you with adequate performance for years to come.
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Jeff Howell about 1 year ago
I'm an Ole Miss fan through and through, but even an Ole Miss hater would have to admit...
this article hits the nail on the head. I was embarrassed by the Ed Orgeron experiment at Ole Miss.
It was sad. He did all he could do...recruit and he did recrtirelessly. Other than that, it was the low point of low points for many Ole Miss fans. Now to the good part. Some on here say Houston Nutt is not perfect and he has some warts. Well, what SEC head coach doesn't? At this point, Houston Nutt is a helluva lot for Ole Miss to get. He went .500 against Auburn and Alabama. He was one game short of .500 against LSU. He owned MS State to the point where it was embarrassing. The same success at Ole Miss and we're in Atlanta playing for a championship game at some point. So, yes, there's a lot of hope. Almost everyone who visits Oxford is impressed with the Ole Miss campus and atmosphere. Facilities for football are very nice. Hoston has a chance to end his legacy as a coach at a place that will LOVE him for giving us a few chances to play in the championship game and multiple new year's day bowl games. Arkansas was ready for a change, but so was Houston Nutt.
As you said, enter fate and the unraveling of the Ed Orgeron era. One thing's for sure...it will be fun to watch and follow.
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Maury Billingsley about 1 year ago
and if all we get are a couple sec championships and january bowls i am more than fine with that but you know a national championship wouldnt hurt either
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Mary Bown 11 months ago
I am an Ole Miss fan thru and thru, but I live in Arkansas...and witnessed the whole undoing of Houston Nutt. He is definitely a player's coach and I also am hopeful. I was a little concerned when I heard he was coming to Ole Miss, but no doubt he has to be an improvement from what we had. At the end of last season, I along with I am sure many other season ticket holder and donaters were demanding some reform on the part of the Administration and Athletic decision makers when it comes to salary. In order for Ole Miss' program to be able to compete with the big boys they have to be willing to fork over the money. I am hoping by obtaining Houston and raising the anty, we can begin to do this. Ole Miss is a great school and campus...they need a great football team. I'm all for Houston succeeding. Hopefully the Ole Miss fans will not be as high maintenance as the Fayetteville possy!
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