Mississippi Rebels
Overall Rank: #49
#10 SEC
Mississippi Team Page
2010 Record: (4-8, 1-7)
2010 Bowl: None
Coach: Houston Nutt
Offensive Coordinator: David Lee
Defensive Coordinator: Tyron Nix
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Brandon Bolden, RB, 976
Passing: Nathan Stanley, QB, 261 yards
Receiving: Melvin Harris, WR, 408
Tackles: Damien Jackson, FS, 68
Sacks: Gerald Rivers, DE, 2.5
Interceptions: Charles Sawyer, CB, 2
Other Key Returnees: WR Ja-Mes Logan, OT Bradley Sowell, OT Bobby Massie, TE Ferbia Allen, LB Joel Knight, CB Marcus Temple
Key Losses: DT Jerrell Powe, LB Jonathan Cornell, QB Jermiah Masoli, WR Markeith Summers, S Johnny Brown
The pressure is gaining on Coach Houston Nutt this season. After two 9-4 seasons, his first two at Mississippi, the Rebels were 4-8 last season, and most were not even close games. His recruiting class is stellar, but that just means that they will be relying heavily on a bunch of very young talented guys with maybe too much to prove.
Strengths:
The reason the Rebels will do anything this season all hinges on the legs of senior running back Brandon Bolden. Bolden rushed for 976 yards at 6.0 yards per attempt and reach the end zone 14 times on the ground and three via the air. Transfer Randall Mackey is a very gifted quarterback, but still has plenty to prove and he will need Bolden to really help him the first part of season. The offensive line has three returning starters and had plenty of others play lots of minutes last season, so that can only help the backfield get familiar with one another. Really the only other strong point for the Rebels at this point is the special teams. Punter Tyler Campbell was a star last season leading the nation with 46.4 yards per attempt. That’s quite remarkable considering how many times they put him in plenty of fourth and longs. Kicker was also a positive area for the Rebels. Bryson Rose converted 16 of 18 field goal attempts last season and was only a sophomore.
Weaknesses:
The quarterback situation could be very good, or a down right disaster. Nathan Stanley, the only returning quarterback, transferred this summer opening the door for Mackey. Mackey is small but is very quick and shifty with a very nice touch on his ball. But he still has much to prove considering he is coming from the ranks of the Junior College game. The receiver position is a huge question mark, considering the Rebels will be looking at five true freshmen to contend for major minutes. Freshman Tobias Singleton is the star of the class. Singleton has world class speed and that will definitely be needed to help spread the field. There is not one returning starter on the defensive line. They will need to have several guys step up and establish some type of pressure for the whole defense to have any kind of success. As far as the secondary goes the Rebels ranked 11th in the SEC in allowing 246.3 yards passing a game. Coach Nutt brought in three new coaches and one was Keith Burns to help stop the bleeding in the heart of the secondary.
The Bottom Line:
Coach Houston Nutt has proved he can win when least expected, but this season will be a trying test of his will. He has a major weapon in Bolden, but will need Mackey or one of the other transfers to really step up and play a special season at quarterback. Defensively there are question marks up front on the defensive line, linebacker, and in the secondary. Coach Nutt is putting a lot of eggs in the basket with Burns to help and transform a very pathetic defense from a year ago. If there is a coach that can step forward and find a way, Nutt is a strong suit for that case, but if not, he might find himself without a job this time next season.
Projected Bowl: Liberty Bowl
Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 207.6 (18th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Passing Offense: 192.3 (82, 8)
Total Offense: 399.8 (43, 6)
Scoring Offense: 30.6 (41, 7)
Rushing Defense: 152.6 (61, 9)
Pass Defense: 246.3 (103, 11)
Total Defense: 399.2 (81, 11)
Scoring Defense: 35.2 (107, 12)
Turnover Margin: -0.50 (88, 12)
Sacks: 2.5
Sacks Allowed: 3.1
Madness 2011 Football Recruit Rankings
#30 C.J. Johnson
#52 Nickolas Brassell
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