Content about tackle

When it was announced Nov. 7 that head coach Houston Nutt would not return next season, he was left to coach the last three games of the 2011 season. It was not the swan song Nutt had in mind. 

After blowout losses to Louisiana Tech and No. 1 LSU at home, the Houston Nutt era at Ole Miss (2-10, 0-8 SEC) reached its conclusion on a rain-soaked Saturday night in Starkville. 

“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.

In Saturday’s 52-7 drumming by the Alabama Crimson Tide, Ole Miss also lost the services of senior cornerback Marcus Temple for the remainder of the season.

Filling in for Temple, who had totaled 28 tackles, two interceptions and one sack before suffering a season-ending right ankle injury, will be freshman two-way player Nickolas Brassell and freshman cornerback Senquez Golson.

The Ole Miss football team hasn’t had many bright spots this season as they started the season 1-3, but one of those bright spots is freshman two-way player Nickolas Brassell.

Coming out of South Panola High School, Brassell was rated a four-star recruit by Scout.com and Rivals.com. In Saturday’s 27-13 loss to Georgia, he scored his first career touchdown on a punt return. Sophomore running back Jeff Scott fielded the punt. Brassell then took the reverse handoff and went 81 yards for the score.

Wednesday’s practice belonged to the defense.

Thursday could not have been any different, with the offense showing out. Ole Miss Coach Houston Nutt was pleased with the offensive performance after practice.

“I thought we competed really hard today,” Nutt said. “We got into some tight red zone today and guys rolled off the ball.”

Sept. 3 cannot come fast enough for Matt Hall. The 6’10” junior from Russellville, Ark., was forced to sit on the sidelines last year after transferring from Arkansas after the 2009 season.

Hall played in 11 games for the Razorbacks after redshirting the 2008 season, but felt that Ole Miss would be a better fit for him.

If you’re looking for the best all-around unit on the Ole Miss team for 2011, the answer is the Rebels’ offensive line.

For 2009 Ole Miss graduates Shallon Hunter and Barrett Beard, New York City is a place where dreams come true.

In early June, Beard and Hunter introduced SoCreo, a creative fashion house that provides a variety of services ranging from event production to editorial placement.

With spring football kicking off this afternoon, DM sports editor Paul Katool breaks down the Rebels’ roster position by position. Note: This breakdown doesn’t take into consideration any signees from the class of 2011 who aren’t already enrolled and participants in spring ball.  

Justin Bell
offensive lineman
Callaway High School
Scout.com: 3 stars
Rivals.com: 3 stars
Vitals: 6-foot-3, 320 pounds
Bell might not be as highly touted as his Callaway teammate, Aaron Morris, but he possesses all of the tools to be a dependable Division I offensive lineman. He is expected to play center, a position that Ole Miss already has several dependable players at and will likely red shirt to provide quality depth for the future.

Nickolas Brassell
wide receiver

The objective for defensive football players is to tackle and bring the opponent down. But for this year’s version of the Ole Miss defense, tackling and giving up a large number of points have been major concerns. 

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Through the first two games, Mississippi's vaunted "Landsharks" defense has disappeared.