Malzahn, Mustain hot topics
HOOVER, Ala. — Interest in all those hot topics that have spun around the Arkansas football program lately doesn’t end at the state line.
On Thursday, media who cover the SEC took their turn asking Coach Houston Nutt about the newsy off-season.
The upset of the second day at SEC media days was that the first three questions directed at Nutt had nothing to do with offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, freshman quarterback Mitch Mustain or play-calling responsibility. Somebody asked Nutt whether he had a policy about players keeping guns — Nutt said he forbids it unless it’s a hunting weapon — before the first biggie was asked.
Seven of the next 11 questions hit the Malzahn / Mustain / offense subjects head-on.
Nutt has addressed the questions at different times this year but not all at once. Here are some of his responses from Thursday’s half-hour interview session with the print media: On whether Mustain will be more comfortable than a normal freshman because he’s familiar with the passing offense, Nutt started by pointing out that Robert Johnson has started seven college games and Casey Dick has started four and that their experience gives Nutt comfort.
“Now we’ve never had a quarterback like Mitch Mustain that’s coming in here from high school with Gatorade All-American, Parade All-American, all these accolades,” Nutt said. “He probably will feel a little more comfortable in the passing game because he’s done some of those things from his high school. That’s going to be a natural carry-over.
“ Again, jumping from Friday night to Saturday night, it’s an awful big step in this league. That’s going to be real interesting to see how all that plays out.” On having a former NFL assistant coach in Alex Wood and a former high school coach in Malzahn and how they’re getting along, Nutt said the offensive staff reorganization has been “a very, very smooth transition. Change is always hard for everyone, especially an 18-year-old. But for the coaching staff, this has been a very, very good fit. We’ve had some great discussions. We’ve gotten better as a staff.” On who will call the plays and have the final say during games, Nutt emphasized that the game plan, as it always has been, will be tailored early in the week, suggesting that some of the mystery will be taken out of the play calling. Wood, Markuson and Nutt will have input, but Malzahn will make the game-day calls.
“I’m going to let Gus go,” Nutt said of giving Malzahn play-calling freedom. “I’m going to turn him loose. I don’t think you can mess with a play caller and have to veto every play.... To disrupt a play caller, I think, is very damaging, where you hurt his rhythm, his train of thought.” On the biggest misconceptions about the offense and the staff changes, Nutt said one is that the offense is going to be a wide-open, fling-it-every-down system. It’s not, he said.
The other is that animosity developed on the staff.
“Nothing’s further from the truth,” Nutt said. QB no-show so far
Ole Miss’ starting quarterback has yet to work out with his team but is expected to be there when the team reports in one week, Coach Ed Orgeron said.
Orgeron named Brent Schaeffer the starter six months ago even though he wouldn’t be at spring practice because, Orgeron said, promising Schaeffer the job helped land his recruiting signature and because Schaeffer was by far his best quarterback.
Schaeffer was supposed to be on campus to begin the summer, then was to report in early July, then late July. Now he’s expected Aug. 3, Orgeron said. All Orgeron will say to explain the repeated delays is that Schaeffer is finishing schoolwork.
Schaeffer has been attending College of the Sequoias in California, where he transferred in 2005 after leaving Tennessee. He left the school at one point this year to take classes by correspondence but returned to the school at Orgeron’s urging.
The correspondence work had no deadline and looked like it could have kept Schaeffer from reporting to Ole Miss for two-a-days, Orgeron said. The junior college work has to be completed next week. Old bowl is new bowl
Remember the Liberty Bowl ? It used to roll SEC teams through Memphis regularly.
Thanks to a four-year contract beginning this year, SEC teams will return to the Liberty Bowl for the first time since Ole Miss played there in 1992.
Adding the Liberty Bowl gives the SEC another postseason destination favorable to Western Division teams. It replaces the Houston Bowl in the SEC lineup. The Liberty Bowl has the first pick from Conference USA for the other team.
“Pencil in Dec. 29 as a possibility for the Razorbacks,” Liberty Bowl associate executive director Harold Graeter said. “If the opportunity is there, we’d like to have Arkansas.”
Arkansas has appeared three times in the Liberty Bowl, losing to Tennessee in 1971, to Auburn in 1984 and to Georgia in 1987. Better game
Arkansas senior linebacker Sam Olajubutu was asked if the Razorbacks’ game against Southern California will be more competitive this year after the Trojans won 70-17 last season.
“It will be a better game this year,” Olajubutu. “You should get you a ticket.”
Better hurry, too. Tickets figure to be in short supply.
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