Content about Kentrell Lockett

A tumultuous week that started with the firing of Head Coach Houston Nutt ended with a resounding thud this past Saturday as Ole Miss hit rock bottom in a 27-7 loss to Louisiana Tech.

Ole Miss offensive coordinator David Lee called it “a living nightmare out there.”

Many wondered how the traumatic and chaotic week leading up to the game would affect the team, and it was clear the Rebels’ focus was off.

“I felt like myself again.”

That’s what senior defensive end Kentrell Lockett said on Monday about his performance against Auburn, which head coach Houston Nutt called “his best game of the year.”

In Saturday’s 41-23 loss to the Tigers, Lockett recorded six tackles and one tackle for a loss, and he recovered a fumble. He also showed an explosion and burst that both the coaches and he hadn’t seen yet this year, as he missed most of this past season with a torn ACL.

Defensive line:

The Rebels’ defensive line has been solid so far in 2011 against the pass but has struggled to stop the run. Ole Miss is now faced with the task of replacing senior defensive end Wayne Dorsey, who broke his right arm against Alabama this past weekend. Dorsey was in the middle of an impressive senior season, leading the Rebels in sacks with three and racking up 22 tackles. 

Wayne Dorsey’s first season in an Ole Miss uniform didn’t go the way he planned.

Ole Miss sputtered to a 4-8 record while Dorsey struggled to make the transition from junior college football to the Southeastern Conference.

With the bad memories of the 2010 season behind him, Dorsey has improved by leaps and bounds in the offseason and is poised for a breakout this season.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Four Ole Miss Rebels were recognized Thursday with their selection to the 2011 All-Southeastern Conference Coaches’ Preseason Football Team, including first-team honoree Bradley Sowell.

A senior from Hernando, Miss., Sowell was chosen as an offensive lineman on the preseason first team, while fellow tackle Bobby Massie, of Lynchburg, Va., was named to the third team. Senior defensive end Kentrell Lockett, of Hahnville, La., was selected to the coaches’ second unit along with junior punter Tyler Campbell of Little Rock, Ark.

The Good
Lockett returns…
Ole Miss received good news midway through spring drills when the NCAA granted standout defensive end Kentrell Lockett a sixth year of eligibility. Lockett, who collected 10 tackles for a loss and five sacks for the Rebels as a junior, missed the majority of the fall season with a torn ACL.

Lockett is lauded not only for his stellar pass-rushing skills but also for his leadership on and off the field.

After spending much of his life at Ole Miss, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Compliance David Wells is retiring.

Wells is a graduate of Ole Miss and has been in the administrative office for the past 30 years. He started off as the director of academic support and took his current office when the University opened its compliance office in 1994.

Wells oversees the actions of the compliance office, which makes sure the University is abiding by the rules and regulations of the NCAA and the SEC.

Following a stellar junior year on the gridiron, Ole Miss running back Brandon Bolden did the responsible thing and looked into his NFL Draft prospects.

After Bolden received an evaluation of his draft stock from the League, the Louisiana native found he was a wanted man by NFL front offices. The punishing runner received a late second round/early third round prediction, meaning he would be in for quite a payday if he decided to enter April’s NFL Draft.

Many assumed Ole Miss would struggle Saturday against Southeastern Conference opponent Kentucky because key players -- defensive end Kentrell Lockett (out for the season), running back Enrique Davis, safety Johnny Brown, and wide receiver Lionel Breaux -- were as a result of injuries. 

One look at the Ole Miss defensive depth chart reveals a roster littered with juniors and seniors that have become team leaders during their time in Oxford. 

Kentrell Lockett is back. The talented junior defensive end missed last week’s game against Jacksonville State because of an irregular heartbeat that required tests in Cleveland, Ohio before he could be cleared.  

The Ole Miss scoreboard displayed a shocking result after Saturday’s season opener: Jacksonville State 49 – Ole Miss 48.