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Dave Hooker's post-game audio
OXFORD, Miss. - This is the way Ole Miss running back/receiver Dexter McCluster describes his football ability:
"I was born with some good vision and quick feet. It happens off instinct 99.9 percent of the time."
Eyes in the back of McCluster's head, dancing feet and knowing when to leave Tennessee tacklers grabbing at air led to the greatest individual rushing performance in Ole Miss history - 282 yards on 25 carries and four touchdowns - as the Rebels pounded the stunned Vols, 42-17, on Saturday afternoon.
McCluster, a 5-foot-9, 170-pound wisp o' wind, embarrassed the Vols, whether it was scoring on a 32-yard keeper from the Wild Rebel formation, or turning an ordinary 4-yard run into a 71-yard TD early in the fourth quarter.
The performance was extraordinary, even by McCluster's standards as of late. He played some running back last season and was effective. But at the start of this year, Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt shifted McCluster to receiver.
"I thought we had the running backs to get the job done, and I didn't want Dexter to get hurt," Nutt said.
But four games ago, with the Rebels' offense lacking a big play punch, Nutt started McCluster at running back and things haven't been the same since.
Discounting last week's game against Northern Arizona in which Nutt rested McCluster and played him just two plays, McCluster now has averaged 197 yards per game in SEC wins over Tennessee and Arkansas, and a conference loss to Auburn.
"He's a special guy," Nutt said of McCluster. "He is so unselfish. If you told him to go play wideout, free safety, right tackle, he would. I wish you could have heard him talk to our team last night."
McCluster, who said he'd rather let his actions speak for his words, rallied the troops at Friday night's team meeting.
"I had to get up and let them know how much I wanted to win this game," McCluster said. "I told them we were in a position to win out. I told them it would everybody on the team. I challenged the offense. Imagine if we have all 11 (players) going 110 percent every play. We can't be stopped."
And once Saturday's game started, McCluster backed up his talk. He said he got some help from Tennessee's chatty defense, who kept reminding McCluster that he was too small.
"They were talking a lot," McCluster said. "Every time I went down they were talking trash. If I got 10 yards, they were talking. Even after that long touchdown, they were still talking. They just keep fueling the fire."
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Comments » 53
Major_Magilicutty writes:
whoops.
SoddyVol writes:
I took my grandson to see UT(Chattanooga)beat Citadel even though I wanted to see the UT game on TV. Now I'm glad I did. The UT game would have made me sick although I would have liked to see how McCluster got so many yards. The Chattanooga game looked like a blowout for Citadel in the first half but BJ Colman looked sharp in the second half and the defense took over too.
volatil writes:
This guy is a clone of Chris Johnson for the Titans.
tfoxi writes:
Why is this junk posted on here. This kid was jawing all game, even on the sidelines with his gestures and fruity dances. What a joke. "Fueled the fire." Haha. Gag Me.
volfan#207874 writes:
A darn good runner and an Offensive (and Defensive) line that man-handled the Vols. Time to re-group and face adversity with wins over the Commodores and the Wildcats. GBO, we are still with you...all the way!
hman writes:
I am a die hard Vols fan and .....good job ole miss!! You got us when we were wounded...in many ways. I hope McCluster gets a job in the pros, he is a special player. I look forward to the a++ whippen that will come in K'ville next year.
JACK8254 writes:
Instead of all the talking- maybe the the VOL D should have saved its breath for the long and futile chasing of this guy. When did our guys forget how to tackle- it looked like last years team was playing the Gators again. DeJa phooh.
DrJCrown_theMagicMan writes:
Exactly.. we should have keyed on him and let them have any play except when it went to him.Don't know why we didn't say ok we are not letting this guy get anything Else give them pass the whatever just stop this fruitcake fiend!
VOLorado writes:
it was crazy that their tailbacks had leprosy.... that was why we were staying so far away from them, right?
IdahoVol writes:
An earlier article said our game plan was to take away the run and try to make Snead beat us through the air. Guess that didn't work. Sounds like the D was taking a cue from Kiffin and talking smack when they should have been playing the game.
all_vols writes:
you are the biggest idiot on the blog...including the lopers...loser
all_vols writes:
robbie never play nothin'....just a plain, narrowminded loser...
vol75 writes:
Trash talking coach. Trash talking players. Makes you not care whether they win or lose. This is a program that is losing its class. Recruit players with integrity. And hire a coach with some class.
newtonrail writes:
Robert Ellison, this board's Black racist. Sad.
Skullz_VOL writes:
how is this kid not in the heistman race? I dont know what his season stats are, but our D sure made him look like a super star today
Skullz_VOL writes:
Amen. We just got beat. The team will pick themselves up and beat the phooey out of Vandy. We are on the way back
BigVolFaninSC writes:
Sounds to me as if the D needed to just shut-up and play rather than add fuel to someone's single-game Heisman race! Let your play do the talking and when you're getting it handed to you as McCluster did today, it's time to be quiet and get back in the huddle! Live and learn from this one boys! Adversity CAN make you stronger!
Orangeblood13 writes:
we got beat, plain and simple
all of you that are questioning Monte's D, remember you are the same ones saying he was the best ever
players still have to make the plays, we didn't today
69vol08 writes:
That is why we fired the last staff and hired this one. It will take time to change the habits that have been in place for the last 18 years.
harleycat32 writes:
Tennessee did not get off the bus. No effort. I hate to say it, but the Vols quit from the get go. Inexcuseable on all fronts, even the coaches. They flat out were not ready to play.
volfaninutah writes:
Percy who?
tonyvick#213307 writes:
Simply they kicked us when we were down, it's no way that happens with a focused team. The incident this week had to weigh heavy on there minds because I don't play nor know those guys and it sure weighed heavy on mine. I just didn't have any fight and those guys didn't either. Also I'm not superstitious but I have never seen a win in those orange pants ( without black to cancel out).
cloudodust writes:
Guy had a great day. Our D didn't.
SouthDakotaBob writes:
Reminded me of the way McFadden had his way with us a few years ago, pretty sure Houston Nutt remembers that one too. This was just ugly, kept waiting for EB to put a big hit on him but it just never happened. GBO!!!
VolVolFan writes:
Maybe we need to pay the coaches more, ha, ha, ha. The highest paid coaching staff in the country, and the loudest mouths in the country. Coaches talk trash, players talk trash, lose concentration. Give Kiffin and Hamilton a raise, I say. Anyone out there want to ante up!
NashvilleVolsincebirth writes:
I saw no effort out of the defensive backfield. Often the tackle being just feet away the DB stopped and watched. They were flat as a pancake emotionally and that has NEVER been a winning situation. Soon as they scored on the first drive I was noticing the lack of effort and hoped they would step it up and it never happened. The offense did make a good effort but came up short with Hardesty dropping an easy pass for good yardage and the holding call on a good run we needed to get in the game. Can't play your best if your hearts not into it.
Vol737 writes:
Kind of like Steve Spurrier back in his younger days at FLA....right?
Not condoning trash talking, but Spurrier had plenty to say when he got to FLA. Careful where you throw those stones....and who just got fined $30K for running their mouth??? Urbama (cause the media says he can do no wrong) Crier.
mtnsvol44 writes:
So thats what happened to the Vols wuss defense-all talk and no action! Trash talking morons!!!!
I am TOTALLY disgusted with the defense today!!!
CoachFulmer writes:
Have fun while it lasts little smurf, your future in the NFL is going to amount to zilch.
Fall_Creek_Vols writes:
The defense wasn't the problem. I was sad to see John Chavis go.
So...Monte's D got spanked. Fullmer/Chavis' D could get spanked, too.
We will recover. We will get better. We are finding out what needs to be done to make that happen. I DO believe in showing them what you can do, NOT telling them.
BuckFama writes:
Most of the posters here take this too personally. The Vols have played well for the past few games leading up to yesterday. But in facing Ole Miss, they played a talent-laden team that has a coach who made a great adjustment a few games ago: moved McCluster back to RB, where he gets many more touches than he did at receiver. The guy played one or two steps faster than any of our players and was obviously, as the adage says, "a man among boys". Honestly, there was not much Monte and his staff could have done.
This staff has shown the ability to prepare the young men well, and having to deal with the arrest of several teammates is something that is "worse" rather than "better". But both the staff and players deserve more credit than many fans want to give when those fans say that the Pilot incident was the cause of this loss.
Many of us Tennessee fans need to acknowledge that sometimes, the other team is just better.
gwbask writes:
We didn't make any defensive adjustments ( at least it appearred that way) just like the second half of the Memphis game..McCluster is a good running back, we just made him a great one, Many times he wasn't touched or just a hand was put on him, we were constantly out of position. Total breakdown on defense.
nk_sharpe#652621 writes:
Trash talk all you want if you can back it up on the field...Kiffin has a .33 winning % as a head coach (10-20) and has never had a winning season/EVER...hardly a young Spurrier...glad to see Coack Nutt give that spoiled brat the spanking his daddy should have given him years ago
Psychovol writes:
He made you look like you were standing still. So shutup and do your talking on the field. You haven't earned the right to talk yet. Leave the talking to your coach because he can back it up.
Psychovol writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
orangeblood8456 writes:
the defensive guru better start guruing!
mm29680#645909 writes:
We are still in a rebuilding year that was better than coach Satan. Remember, we have already matched last year's wins when some people said we'd go 3 and 9.
Saban_Palin writes:
Alabama stuffed #22 McCluster
pammyvol1000 writes:
This guy was in 5th gear while our D was still in 2nd.
FEARinSEC writes:
This was the game I had circled all year as being the possible "let down" game... Expected FU and Bama to blow us out, again, and that didn't happen... I can see a difference the coaching change alone has given our guys. This Ole Miss team is the only team that beat FU last year and ended the season pretty damm good...
I do get some satisfaction knowing that Orgeron recruited 95% of those guys and now he's on our side... As ugly as it was, it was just a minor set-back...
We will still win out, go to a bowl game, and get a top 10 (possible top 5) recruiting class...
I think now I know how Satan, uh Saban, felt when he lost to LA Lafayette his first year...
No Vols fan should have expected too much from a 5-7 team with a new coach and not a lot of depth...
Give it some time, it will come...
GO VOLS!!!!
steamboatticket#484773 writes:
Coach Nutt should have encouraged the Duster to transfer, instead of adjusting the system to the talent. McCluster really should not have been playing in the game. So that sort of means that we should have won. It's the system! The system!
Vol737 writes:
Puhleeeeeze! How did that first year go for Spurrier anyway? Not too great either. Kiffin will walk the walk just as well. It's his first season too ya know. Hmmm, yeah, right, I would strategically plan to lose $30K out of my pocket too. Whatever...
seventysevenvol writes:
I sat in the stands yesterday and watched it from start to finish. The game was in the balance in the third quarter after UT intercepted Ole Miss at the 41 yard line trailing by 4 points. UT went for it on 4th down and Ole Miss stuffed us...then scored on the next drive. That swung the game momentum, plain and simple. UT was beaten by the better team yesterday. End of story, no smack, no "fear the Kiffin"...just plain ol' "we got whipped".
Ringside writes:
Defense had the FLU
Orangeblood13 writes:
yup, thats what I saw, we just got beat all day long
unispired
Orangeblood13 writes:
uninspired*
dowhatsright writes:
I was thinking the same thing. He's so fast he blew by "fast" UT players. Tough too and good balance. A hard guy to bring down. I didn't realize he hadn't been a running back until 3 games ago. Averaging 200 yards a game in the past 3 games. He was named National Player of the Week. My guess is that he is just hitting his stride since he has only played 3 games as a running back and was a wide receiver before that. He catches the ball well too. If he had been the running back all season Ole Miss might only have one loss (to Bama) and be a top 10 ranked team.
jclvol writes:
Please, if I broke a 100+ yr old record every time somebody talked trash to me on the field or court, they would rename the NBA hall of fame after me. This was his day, a Jodie Meeks moment. It wasn't Nutt's coaching or trash talking. Days like that don't happen because of good/bad coaching. They happen when a great player has a one in a lifetime performance.
jclvol writes:
As for the people blaming CLK talking trash... if you think our guy's are the only ones out there talking, you are exactly the people FHCPF were talking to "that never played the game." It's everywhere and from everybody. This isn't some gentleman's game that some of you want it to be. It's freakin football. Anything goes (within the rules -- Brandon Spikes). If you don't like it, go knit a sweater.
AFVol423 writes:
Maybe the D should have switched stratagies. instead of telling him he was small, they should have told him how great he is. Maybe that would have doused the fire. What ever the UT defense was doing against him, they needed to do something else. Personnally, I thought he was amazing on the outside. Kind of weak between the tackles but why would he ever need to run in there?
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