Nutt wows Rebel Club with his charm and wit

MEMPHIS - Jim Duncan grew concerned. As executive director of the Memphis Botanic Garden, Duncan was responsible for the seating arrangement inside Hardin Hall on Monday night for the fall meeting of the Rebel Club of Memphis.

Duncan, himself an Ole Miss alumnus, brought in 766 chairs and, alongside his staff, positioned them in nice, neat rows. But he soon learned that it might not be enough. This was Houston Nutt's formal introduction to Ole Miss' Memphis-area alumni, and who knew how many folks might show up? So Duncan set up chairs and speakers on the patio and in the lobby, just in case.

By the time Nutt took the podium after 7 p.m., the room was packed. It was the same sort of scene six months ago when Nutt was introduced on campus as Ole Miss' new football coach -- and the enthusiasm has not waned.

"People are really, really excited," said Kelly Lomax, president of the Rebel Club of Memphis.

Nutt addressed the crowd for over an hour, using his homespun charm to rile up 800 alumni and fans. He talked about his offensive line ("They look like an SEC offensive line") and his horses ("four Clydesdales, three Paints, one Quarter Horse"), about quarterback Jevan Snead ("We got a good one") and his new life at Ole Miss after 10 years somewhere else.

"We don't use that word anymore," he said after someone asked him about bringing his assistants with him from Arkansas.

The evening was one-third Southern tent Revival, one-third pregame speech and one-third comedy routine. Whatever material he floated out there seemed to work. Example: He gushed about wide receiver Dexter McCluster, who has been injury prone.

"He's quick as a cat," Nutt said. "But I tell him, 'Dexter, you've got some good moves. You jitterbug. But when we put you in Wild Rebel with the direct snap, don't be afraid to get down, don't be afraid to run out of bounds. Live to play the next play!'"

The room erupted. Then Nutt leaned into the microphone and lowered his voice: "He's going to be fun to watch, y'all."

Nutt thrives in this sort of situation, but at least some of the energy in the room had nothing to do with him. It was more about change, about this new, post-Ed Orgeron era. Almost a year to the day -- June 19, 2007 -- Orgeron strode into this same room wearing a big, bright smile. He was coming off two straight losing seasons, and he assured his audience that his players were ready to succeed, prepared to win. He talked about the message he would relay throughout the preseason: Finish. Finish plays. Finish quarters. Finish with victories.

Ultimately, the powers-that-be at Ole Miss finished his tenure, firing him after three seasons.

Memphis Botanic Garden was host to 182 weddings and receptions last year, and Nutt is very much in the honeymoon stage. He can do no wrong, and any baggage that might weigh on him from his days at Arkansas could not be farther from the minds of Ole Miss fans who appreciate his polish, something his predecessor lacked.

Ole Miss athletics director Pete Boone said he has seen Nutt's influence with the players. He recalled how he bumped into four young men whom he did not recognize at the Indoor Practice Facility earlier this summer.

"And they came up to me and introduced themselves," Boone said. "They were freshmen football players. Introducing themselves? That hasn't happened in eras. And the next thing they said was, 'We're going to win some championships.' Coach Nutt has already instilled in them what it means to be an Ole Miss football player."

That idea of "change" was one of the themes Nutt wanted to address, and he mentioned Jerrell Powe -- the talented defensive lineman who has been trying for over three years to gain athletic eligibility to play at Ole Miss -- as a sort of a metaphor.

"When I met this guy, he was one biscuit away from 385 pounds," Nutt said. "He couldn't get through stretching."

But thanks to his teammates, who pushed him through offseason drills, Powe lost 44 pounds.

"That's some pretty good pushaways from the table, y'all," Nutt said. "Because he's always done a lot of chewing."

The only question that lingers is whether the Southeastern Conference will let Powe play.

"I don't know what's going to happen on that," said Nutt, who for the first and only time all night failed with his delivery.