Following the Rebels 31-13 dismantling of LSU Saturday in Baton Rouge, it’s become apparent that Ole Miss is on the right track in the SEC West. Leading that charge is first-year head coach Houston Nutt, who came to the Rebels after a successful 10-year stint at Arkansas.
Ole Miss greatly improved as football program on November 27, 2007, when the Rebels announced that Houston Nutt would take over in place of the departed Ed Orgeron. Nutt’s unceremonious departure from Arkansas, where he posted a career 75-48 record, good for second on the school’s all-time list, came at the perfect time for the Rebels. While many Arkansas fans unjustly rejoiced Nutt’s departure, Rebel fans knew what they were getting – a proven winner.
The move has paid immediate dividends for the Rebels. Standing on the brink of an 8-win season and a likely Cotton Bowl bid, the Rebels thoroughly dominated the defending National Champion LSU Tigers 31-13 on Saturday. The game saw the Rebels, led by sophomore QB Jevan Snead, prove to the rest of the SEC that they are indeed back, and will be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years. The Rebels used a combination of Snead, WR Mike Wallace and the “Wild-Rebel” formation to roll up 409 yards of total offense on the Tigers en route to the win.
Having already knocked off the Florida Gators earlier in the season for their only loss thus far, the Rebels stubbed their toe vs. South Carolina before giving the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide all they could handle in a 24-20 loss in Tuscaloosa. Since then, the Rebels have gone on a tear, ripping off 4-straight wins vs. Arkansas, Auburn, ULM and culminating with the upset on Saturday vs. LSU.
With a win on Friday against Mississippi State, Nutt would polish off a successful first year in Oxford, and send notice that the rest of the SEC that they aren’t going to be a pushover anymore.
Nutt came to Ole Miss with the reputation of winning big games at Arkansas when nobody expected it. That obviously carried over to his current job with the upsets at Florida and at LSU. Couple that with the step back Arkansas has made this season at 4-7, and it’s very apparent – Ole Miss made the right hire after Nutt resigned amid controversy from Arkansas last year. What was Arkansas’ loss is, very clearly, Ole Miss’ gain.
