FAYETTEVILLE -- When Houston Nutt led Ole Miss onto Frank Broyles Field before Saturday’s game against Arkansas, many Razorbacks fans stood up and booed as loud as they could.
Fans booed Nutt, who led the Razorbacks for 10 years and never quite met a majority of the fans’ expectations.
“It was time for a change,” said Josh Bowden, who’s from Benton. “All the off-the-field turmoil from last year was kind of the last straw. He brought a lot of that upon himself, so him leaving Arkansas was the best move.”
Outside Razorback Stadium, various tailgaters posted signs that made fun of Nutt. Inside the stadium, several fans wore black clothing, although it was never clear whether it was to show displeasure toward Nutt.
Either way, Nutt’s return to Arkansas went pretty much as expected.
“I figured a lot of people would boo him, but that’s not what I wanted,” said Kay Williams of Paragould. “I was hoping fans would applaud him and show appreciation for the good things he did.”
Ole Miss fan Jody Neyman, from Hernando, Miss., said Rebels fans have been ecstatic about Nutt.
“With Nutt, we’ve been in a position to win in every game, and in the last three years, we’ve never done that,” Neyman said. “And I promise you, he runs more than five or six plays a game. Offensively, he’s shown so much innovation, stuff we’ve never seen before.”
Kevin Lynne of Flora, Miss., said players enjoy playing for Nutt because of his always-positive attitude.
“He’s a great motivator,” Lynne said. “They love him and all the fans love him. Minus a few turnovers this season, we’re sitting at 7-0 and ranked in the top 15.”
Supporting His Brother
Dickey Nutt thought about giving his brother some advice this week, but decided it wasn’t the best thing to do.
“He’s an Arkansas boy and he hated to leave,” said Dickey, Houston’s brother and former men’s basketball coach at Arkansas State. “So I think he had a tough week with everything. He had some anxiety about (Saturday’s) game, but I know he’s really happy with where he’s at.
“The people there really love him and he’s got some great players.”
Despite the criticism Houston received during his last couple years at Arkansas, Dickey said he thought his brother was the “luckiest guy in the world.”
Dickey attended Saturday’s game wearing a navy blue Ole Miss sweater vest.
“He’s lucky because he got fired and (Arkansas) paid him $3 million to leave,” Dickey said. “I got fired (from Arkansas State), and I owe money at the cashier window.”
Dickey, who resigned from ASU in February, said he misses coaching and is still looking for any job opportunities.
“I don’t know anything but coaching,” Dickey said. “I miss it a lot and I hope I’ll have another opportunity to coach somewhere.”
Supporting A Cure
Coaches for both Ole Miss and Arkansas wore arm patches during Saturday’s game in support of people with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), one of the nine different kinds of muscular dystrophy.
In fact, the patch — a small square with a football colored lime green and blue — was worn by collegiate coaches nationwide, including Tennessee’s Phillip Fulmer and Washington’s Tyrone Willingham.
“Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is the leading genetic killer of boys and young men,” a news release said about the patch. “It robs them of their ability to walk by their early teens and their ability to breathe in their twenties. There is no cure — yet.”
Russell Honored Before Game
Former Razorback Derek Russell was honored as Arkansas’ honorary captain before the game.
Russell, a four-year letterman from 1987-90, totaled more than 2,000 yards of total offense with 19 touchdowns. He’s also tied for the third-most touchdown passes caught in a season (eight in 1990) and tied for the fourth-most in a career (16).
Russell was drafted in the fourth round by the Denver Broncos in the 1991 NFL Draft, where he played four years. He finished his career with the Houston/Tennessee Oilers.
HARRY KING
ROBBIE NEISWANGER