So yesterday was a snoozefest compared to the final day of Media Days. The Wynfrey Lobby was crawling with Crimson-clad zombies (Spencer Hall's wording, not mine) eager for a passing glimpse of their slick-haired, pennyloafered savior. Writers were giddy with anticipation for the one-two punch of absurdity from Les Miles and Houston Nutt, and both were, at times, happy to oblige. The Twitters were also full of chatter, addressing Nutt's response to questions about MSU's aggressive marketing, and his indication that Barry Brunetti might be leading the QB race. Click the jump for more details.
JUCO and I had been talking about questions for Nutt and the players all week, and I decided to ask how the offense might look different, after moments of explosiveness, coupled with inconsistencies last year. With changes to the offensive staff, and three new quarterbacks in the mix, I figured Nutt might have some insight on how we'd look on offense. Apparently, I got under his skin with the "inconsistant" part of that question, and he went on an unrelated rant about Jeremiah Masoli, a guy that I was always a big fan of. Really, it seemed like Nutt had been waiting to pounce on a question about Masoli, and it caused him to brush over any real answers to my question.
In the "coaches not taking shit" department, Nutt was asked three different questions about Mississippi State's approach to the Egg Bowl rivalry, and each time, he seemed increasingly reluctant to re-hash his contributions to the program, his refusal to define his team's progress by what's going on in Starkville. I wonder: surely, most of these reporters realize the coaches' general desire to talk about football, and general disinterest in creating soap opera style drama between programs. Why do they continue to ask these questions? Is it because they don't know enough about football to ask anything interesting? Do they get bored with coachspeak, and want to force something awkward? I dunno, but it got old, fast.
As far as funny/weird stuff that Houston said, we did elicit one "Gotta buckle both chinstraps!!!", forcing some chuckles from the bloggers. Also, when talking about the elite SEC West, Nutt quipped "Every time I look at Alabama during warmups, they always look the same to me. LSU, they always look... beautiful in their uniform." T-Bob Hebert reportedly offered a coquettish wave of his little finger from the corner of the conference room.
Nutt also made some waves by indicating that Barry Brunetti had a leg-up in the quarterback race. This seems like an unpopular decision for Ole Miss fans; we've been excited about Mackey since he signed out of high school, tore up record books in JUCO, and showed promise as a redshirt last year. Most of us would prefer that Brunetti take a redshirt, giving him an extra year of eligibility after Mackey leaves. Still, this has the feel of a make-or-break year, and I'm sure Nutt will go with whomever gives us the best chance on September 3rd against BYU.
Player interviews were kinda boring, as I wasn't able to grab Kentrell Lockett's attention for a question. Boo. Sorry. I now know more than I ever wanted to about the timeline of Lockett's knee injury, and very little about his favorite TV shows, Twitter antics, locker room shenanigans, etc.
The Miles interview was pretty tame. Grass-eating jokes, talk about how Miles will seamlessly replace Patrick Peterson and Drake Nevis that is, unfortunately, almost certainly accurate...
That just about wraps up Red Cup's SEC Media Days coverage. I hope you've enjoyed this week half as much as I have, because I had a damn blast. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for updates when Fall practice rolls around.