2008 Mississippi Rebels Football Preview

2008 Mississippi Rebels season preview from Maddux Sports. Below you can find our official Mississippi Rebels football preview as well as the 2008 Mississippi Rebels Football Schedule. We also offer a free odds comparison service of lines and totals on the NCAA football odds page.

Coach: Houston Nutt (1st year at Mississippi)
Team Name: Rebels
2007 Overall Record: 3-9
Returning Starters: 16

This season the Ole Miss Rebels (3-9 overall, 0-8 SEC), after finishing last in the SEC West, welcome new head coach Houston Nutt. In 15 years as a head coach, Nutt has an impressive 115-70-0 record and has coached at Murray State, Boise State and Arkansas. Nutt replaces Ed Orgeron, who was at Ole Miss three years. Orgeron was fired after going 0-8 in conference play last season.

Texas transfer Jevan Snead, who was redshirted last year, will start at quarterback. Nutt acknowledges that the kid can make big throws. He’ll have some fine receivers ready to catch his passes, including senior Shay Hodge (43 REC, 593 YDS, 6 TDs). The wideouts on this team are talented and deep. At running back, freshman Enrique Davis, who was a top prep school recruit this season, will play a lot if junior Cordera Eason does not come through. Left tackle Michael Oher, who was All-SEC last season, serves as the leader on a veteran offensive line.

On defense, the frontline features All-SEC tackle Peria Jerry. Jerry had 58 tackles in 2007, with 3.5 sacks and 14 stops for loses. Junior Greg Hardy, who notched 10 sacks in 10 games last season, needs to be more committed if he expects Nutt to commit to him. The secondary has talent but lacks depth, while the linebacking squad is missing strength and speed. Junior LB Patrick Trahan, a transfer, is noted for being aggressive and quick. Senior SLB Ashlee Palmer returns as the team’s leading tackler.

Three conference wins are certainly a possibility, but they are not guaranteed. Swing games include two at home—against Vanderbilt on September 20 and Mississippi State on November 28. The October 25 contest at Arkansas should be a close one.

Six and six overall is certainly a possibility and 3-5 in conference can happen. Nutt starts his tenure with some fine returning talent. Ole Miss could be bowl bound for the first time since 2003. That was the year that Eli Manning quarterbacked the team in the Cotton Bowl, beating Oklahoma State 31-28.

Mississippi Rebels Football Schedule

Date	Opponent	Home/Away
Aug 30	Memphis	Home
Sep 6	Wake Forest	Away
Sep 13	Samford	Home
Sep 20	Vanderbilt	Home
Sep 27	Florida	Away
Oct 4	South Carolina	Home
Oct 18	Alabama	Away
Oct 25	Arkansas	Away
Nov 1	Auburn	Home
Nov 15	ULM	Home
Nov 22	LSU	Away
Nov 28	Mississippi State	Home

 

For more info on the 2008 Mississippi Rebels football program, view the Rebels official website or scroll down below to read up on the rest of the SEC competition.