Ole Miss Rebels Media Coverage

Subject: Ole Miss Rebels Media Coverage Wed 09 Dec 2009, 12:09 pm

Ole Miss Decides on Coach Macc for the Job

The Ole Miss Rebels were in dire need for a new head coach and none other than Canadian born, Shaun Macc has taken the position. Coach Macc is a heavy recruiter and a college football defensive guru. Macc preaches fundamentals and runs a high powered Pro-Style Offence with tons of trickery and power running that force you to keep extra men in the box. He's not shy in the least bit and tends to "mix things up" when he has authority.

His first move? Putting All-American and SEC 2nd Team AA Jevan Snead as the #2 QB for the program.

"The way I move the football, I need a guy who can move in the pocket and make plays with his feet if coverages break down. Jevan is just, too, slow. He's got an average arm and I couldn't tell you why all the press is surrounding him. Ray Cotton our true freshman will be the starter and it will be a work in progress as we can't really have high expectations for such a young kid to take over an offence. We as a coaching staff have felt more comfortable in spring with Ray calling the numbers and he's proven he throws just as well of a ball as his back-up. We hope Ray finds his stride early and feeds off of the energy our defence will bring,"

Coach Macc has another All-American DE Greg Hardy on his team who plans on wreaking havoc in opposing teams backfields all year. He will be the face of the defence that will also be anchored by linebackers Patrick Trahan and Jonathon Cornell.

"Trahan's our playmaker. He's the big, mean, fast lunatic that you'd hate to see lining up across from you. He is our vocal leader and defensive captain. He's in his senior year and he's told me he wants to go out with a bang,"

The Rebels also have some talented defensive backs with two starting Senior corners in Marshay Green and Cassius Vaughn. With Macc's defensive system on keeping pressure on quarterbacks, he demands big time play out of his safeties as well and he's got two stars in senior FS Kendrick Lewis and junior SS Johnny Brown.

"With the play calls we make we almost need our safeties to be like linebackers, at least have the mentality of one. But at the same time, we need that speed incase we're getting burned. Kenny's got deceptive speed and he's my bet for leading the team in tackles. He's a sure-fire bet for the Thorpe trophy at the end of the year if he continues to play like he's been. Johnny is still rather young but he makes up for his youth in intensity. He isn't scared to go head to head with ANY back in the country and what we love about him is that while he tries to lay the hammer every time he gets to make a play - often guys bounce off of him and are wrapped up by somebody else. If this kids coming flying at you - there's no way you're getting positive yardage,"

Coach Macc spent the entire time talking about the rest of his team but had failed to mention his shining star in Dexter McCluster. When asked about him he had a smile on his face from ear to ear.

"He will be our bread and butter. We're going to get him the ball as much as we possibly can and it will be fun for us as a coaching staff to find new ways to get him the ball. He'll be our Wildcat guy and we think he's going to have tremendous success in that role working alongside starting running back Brandon Bolden who is a PINBALL. We will force teams to respect that we will run that formation any down, any play, any time. You can try to focus in on one of them but you won't stop both of them. That's a guarentee,"

Subject: Re: Ole Miss Rebels Media Coverage Sun 13 Dec 2009, 11:55 am

Macc criticized for big Stanford loss

After the Rebels embarassing loss at home to the Stanford Cardinal the Ole Miss athletic director called an immediate press conference release not to be open to the public. The follow was what was heard behind closed doors.

INTERVIEWER : Coach Macc that is a huge blow to your team, how do you plan to rebound and well... keep your job.

MACC: First of all. I can understand why it is that a first year coach gets criticized when losing an important game. But I can promise you... the media coverage, the hype about the Ole Miss Rebels being a top 25 football team is rediculous. Without pointing any fingers, there's a certain some All-American who was apparently this teams leader at one point. That kid is dead and gone because I can assure you Jevan Snead is nowhere near the quarterback everyone makes him out to be.

INTERVIEWER : You're insulting your starting quarterback, Jevan Snead?

MACC : I'm not insulting him in any way. I'm just stating that I believe it was all of you who pumped this kid up and he's been forced to succeed in the SEC. He isn't having the type of season he would like and frankly, I hope this conference pisses him off because we need to see a little mean streak in him. Since day one when I stepped on campus as the head coach I've yet to see the leadership qualities everybody talked about pre-season. He will get the start against South Carolina but he will certainly need to lead us to victory if he's serious about keeping his starting position.

INTERVIEWER : Coach, you're original starting quarterback true freshman Ray Cotton. Some think he's too young and could've been utilized better as a red-shirt gaining a free year of experience in the long run.

MACC : Personally, true freshman or not - Ray Cotton is our teams best quarterback. Snead may throw a better ball at times, but Ray showed the leadership qualities we want out of our starting guy. Picking him to start over Jevan was a double-edged sword because it lit a fire under Jevan and gave Ray the confidence to be a starting QB - something that four full years with that role could certainly benefit this program. Plus, part of the recruiting process with Ray was that he wouldn't sit on the bench. I'm just following up with what was on my plate when I came here.

INTERVIEWER : Your defence is playing solid, it's the offensive turnovers that turn into points that are killing your team, how do you plan to correct this?

MACC : Well, we're going to focus on keeping things simple, to be honest. It's really time to go back to the drawing board because we are not yet capable of being the explosive type of offence I believed we had at the beginning of the season. We're really trying to get Dexter to help us out more and he played good against Stanford but he really needs to have a big game this week because he is the guy everybody feeds off of. Lionel Breaux is having a terrific year and really becoming a nice target. Our freshman TE Ferbia Allen is also coming up clutch for us big time. If we get Dex going - we can certainly have that spark I know we're capable of.

Subject: Re: Ole Miss Rebels Media Coverage Wed 23 Dec 2009, 7:41 am

Macc and Rebels Get A Shot to Capture SEC and the Last 2009 Walk of Champions Takes Place

Ole Miss Rebels Media Coverage 235608536_e9b61138b4

Dexter McCluster (front center) and Ray Cotton (last far right) do the annual final Walk of Champions through the Grove on Tuesday before leaving for SEC Championship.

24 Hours ago the Ole Miss Rebels knew they'd play at least once more before the season was truly over. Thanks in large part to a tough LSU squad that stuck it to Arkansas, the Rebels will play for the SEC championship as well as a bowl game that will almost defenitely be in January. The Rebels will represent the SEC West Division and while it's not their first time as West Champs, it will be their first trip to the game after LSU won the 2003 tie-breaker that year. The Rebels will take on the Florida Gators.

"It will be a nice challenge for us to really determine what type of team we are and we hope to suceed and carry the momentum into our Bowl Game. The Gators were ranked #1 nearly the entire season and very tight losses to ranked teams were the only reason they're not playing in the NC. Our defence looks forward to taking on Tim Tebow, believe it or not," Macc said.

It was a tough year for Ole Miss, a new coach coming in to take over and tons of pressure to do well with a top 25 pre-season ranked team, since the two losses the Rebels have been playing the best football in recent memory... and it showed as a capacity crowd of over 20,000 attended the final Walk of Champions.

"It was truly a great experience for us to get to see our fans once more before heading to Georgia. I can't believe the turn-out we had especially after only finding out last night that we made it in. 20,000 something people? Great time and a walk I'll never forget," Macc said.

Since the SEC split into two divisions, the Rebels have been rather quiet. They haven't gotten the opportunity to represent the SEC West since and haven't won a National Championship since 1963. The last time that Ole Miss and Florida met in 2008, it was Ole Miss coming out victorious 31-30.

"We've beat them before. Guys like Shay Hodge, Brandon Bolden, Cordera Eason - we were all instrumental in taking such a big opponent down. We know what it takes. It may not have been Coach Macc coaching us but we're a mature group and as the players WE know what it's going to take to prepare for the Gators as well as help our younger guys get the butterflies out. It's our game to win," Dexter McCluster said.

The capacity crowd has ordered ten school busses for student/fan transportation to the game in Atlanta along with the devoted Miss fans that wouldn't miss the drive down for the world. The Rebels are doing whatever they can to get as many people packed into the Georgia Dome as possible.

"My entire families going and I've offered to help pay for a bunch of my friends to make the trip. It will be a great game. We won't be short of fan support. I can't wait to take the Gators down again," Brandon Bolden said.

Subject: Re: Ole Miss Rebels Media Coverage Thu 24 Dec 2009, 8:53 am

2009 Sugar Bowl It Is For The Rebels!

Ole Miss Rebels Media Coverage Sugar_bowl_logo_1_

The Ole Miss Rebels have had a great campaign this year and we're lucky enough to have a conference with some of the key elements to the Rebels success - Coach Macc, Dexter McCluster, Brandon Bolden, Patrick Trahan and Derrick Herman. They've agreed to answer a few questions as they prepare for their big Bowl game against the Pittsburgh Panthers.

"We'll start with Coach Macc, Coach - congradulations on such a great season. It was evident your team would bend but not break all season. Your two losses came early enough to salvage a good season and secure the SEC Championship for the first time in 50 years for the Rebels. It's obvious you've made these kids work hard and improve consistently. What types of work-outs or practice schemes will you run to prepare your team for Pittsburgh,"

COACH MACC - "Well, you can just ask these kids how hard we've been working. We've had some time off since the SEC game and we just want to be in the best shape possible to ensure victory and that our guys will be playing at 110% all four downs. Lots of cardio, high pace run-throughs and just generally improving on the fundamentals. It's obvious that Pittsburgh has a tough running game and they run the triple option, which is in fact one of my favourite offences to try and defend. I've had tons of schemes in the works if say we were to run into a team like Georgia Tech or Pittsburgh. We will need to be faster than they are defensively, no question. They're entire game is to run the ball and we've got to be ball hawks out there and get to the football,"

"Dexter, you as well had a great season and are a key part to your teams success. How does it feel to have finally won the SEC and graduate after this game knowing you played your heart out? And how do you plan to attack the Pittsburgh defence?"

DEXTER - "I appreciate the compliments. It feels great, you know? I've been on this team for four years now and we'd came so close to an SEC title almost every year. But I've never been apart of a team that's gelled so well and just communicated like us. We spend nearly every minute of the day together whether it's at practice or in the film room or for the guys like me who live in the dorm it's studying our play book, it's all done together. I think it's really helped us come together as a team and have the successful season that we did. As for the Pittsburgh game, you can expect me to be out there gunning 110% every time they call my number. It's my last game as a Rebel - I'll be putting the #22 to good use, let me say that,"

"Brandon, you've allready had an amazing career here at Ole Miss last year you guys rallied to beat Florida and you had an instrumental role in that game and this year you guys claw back, don't know if you'll make it into the SEC Championship, win out and then defeat Florida for the second straight year. Congradulations, how does it feel and has there ever been a game so important to you?"

BRANDON - "Every next game is the most important for me. It's in my blood to win so I treat every game like it'll be my last. Winning this game is huge for me and my team and I'm going to put them on as hard as I can to make sure we win. They've got a good running game at Pitt well, we've got a good running game here at Miss. I won't have the opportunity to stop Heisman winner Dion Lewis, but I'll be doing everything that I can to out run him in the Sugar Bowl,"

"Speaking of Dion Lewis, Patrick how is it that your defensive core plans to attack Pittsburgh and slow down the near 2000 yard rusher?"

PATRICK - "Don't get me wrong I've got nothing but respect that Dion set the record for the youngest Heisman ever but, our defence just shut down a much better offence in Florida. It was our defence that made argueably the best college QB of ALL time and FORMER Heisman winner Tim Tebow down. Tebow's game is so multi-dimensional and he can hurt you in so many ways but... we didn't let him. Dion's the option run guy who pounds it out on the ground. Pitt hasn't proven they can do anything but run the ball. Having that in mind I'm going to pick a lick on Dion any chance I get,"

"Derrick you must be enjoying every moment of this... how does it feel?"

DERRICK - "You're right I can't believe I'm even sitting here. Representing my team as a defensive player is just unreal. It feels great, though. To have come from a back-up to now play a big role in stopping the run all season and last game in the passing game - this is the perfect match-up for me. I've been behind the line making tackles all year and I plan to get some more against Pitt. I've watched film on them the entire year and I can't wait to stop their triple option. I just hope we can set the tone for the game early and force them to do something their uncomfortable with - passing. When we see that they're going to try and air it out, well... just ask Tebow a FORMER Heisman what happened,"

Subject: Re: Ole Miss Rebels Media Coverage Mon 28 Dec 2009, 3:41 am

Coach Macc was asked by ESPN to have a press-conference discussing some of the things to look for in the up-coming Mississippi season. It's no question he's really building the program here and the ammount of recruits interested in the Ole Miss program has increased ten-fold since last year. The school has been awarded an extra star for school prestige, making them a better program and Coach Macc insists that Mississippi football heritage is going to be reinvented.

Coach Macc - "Thank you all for having me here and attending this afternoon. It's a big time for the Mississippi football program our boys are working hard in spring for this season as we aim to capture our second straight SEC title. The position battles are heating up and it's really nice to see some of our guys from last year stepping up and becoming leaders for us, helping replace key members of our team from last year as some of our seniors played a huge role. Guys like Trahan and Lewis on defence were really big motivators and inspirational guys just by the way they played and while it would be impossible to replace them, it's certainly nice to see guys like Cornell and Herman really coming into their own as defensive leaders for us,"

"We'll start with recruiting, how was it that your school landed 5 star recruit Trey Talbot, coach?"

Coach Macc - "What really helped us in the recruiting process with Trey was that he sort of flew under the radar all season. He didn't have a single offer until the offseason and I believe it was us who offered him a scholarship first. We hadn't noticed Trey until we went to scout another Minor High commit - Ryan Whittaker. Our offensive line coach called us on a cell phone and told us that we may be able to kill two birds with one stone here and although he doesn't have the best eye for receiving talent - he hit the nail on the head. Ryan was no question, no doubt going to be a Rebel and I think he played a major role in advocating for our program and how we treated him. I think Trey saw in us a program that uses their receivers many different ways and a legit starting candidate on a team that won argueably college football's toughest conference championship,"

"How is Trey progressing? There's talk he's worked his way to a starting position for the Rebels,"

Coach Macc - "We would love to have Trey as a five-year player for us having plenty of options at WR this year but realistically this kid has the size, speed and skills that we just can't keep him on the bench. When he came into spring, just how hard he worked and how many plays he made - he earned his spot as our starting flanker. His skills give us the ability to use him all over the field and allows our playmaker Lionel Breaux to play his natural, slot position,"

"You seem to have a good relationship with Alabama-Minor High coach Tony Lunceford having recruited two of his big players last year. Are there any other players you will be recruiting off of his team for next season?"

Coach Macc - laughingly. "Tony and I have developed a good relationship and we're certainly on talking terms with eachother. I must receive 100 text messages from him a week. He runs a great program and we're lucky as Miss to be a pipeline state for his program. While we may lose a lot of the talent to the powerhouse Alabama program - he understands what we're doing here at Miss and he's very involved in making sure his players know what they're getting when they receive an offer from us. There are five prospects that attend Minor that we expect to offer scholarships for, early in the season,"

"Who would you define as your teams best players both offensively and defensively - all classes and freshmen, so far?"

Coach Macc - "Brandon Bolden has really improved over the off-season. The kid continues to work and work and work. I don't know how he finds time to sleep. He's really worked on many aspects of his game. He's become much faster and I can't wait to see him run the ball this year. Lawon Scott is going to be a monster for us this year. He's worked his tail off and is by far our off-seasons most improved player. He's a really vocal kind of guy and he's great for our younger guys and getting the team pumped. In terms of freshmen - Trey is by far our most talented player so far. He's going up and making plays against our starting corners who are pretty solid so he should have a good year. On defense, OLB Joel Kight has exploded onto the season and he really made the best of his redshirt year and it shows. He is our starting OLB and having him for potentially four years is a dream come true for a coach in my position,"

"Coach your offense was heavily dependant on your star player, Dexter McCluster last year. With his injury problems, your offence looked... less dimensional. Do you intend on using one player exclusively this year and who will run your Wild Rebel package for you?"

Coach Macc - "Part of the reason for Dexter getting so many touches last year was because he is a sure-fire bet to get the first down when we needed him. He got a lot of touches on the ground due in large part to his speed and size making it so hard for him to tackle. We may not be running the Wild Rebel as much as we did last year but if we do bring the package out right no we're having success with our double-back package with our back-up RB Enrique Davis at the helm. It gives us a lot of options as Brandon comes in for the hand-off every-time and it's never a bad play when #34 has the ball in his hands. I expect this year we really use all of our weapons on offence and spread the ball out because we don't have that dynamic do-it-all player like we did with Dexter,"

"Have you decided on team captains?"

Coach Macc - "On defence Jonathan Cornell will be our lead guy and Lawon Scott is our motivational leader. On the offence we've given the captains to Brandon Bolden and Lionel Breaux. That's all the questions for today guys, thanks for coming out,"

Subject: Re: Ole Miss Rebels Media Coverage Wed 30 Dec 2009, 6:58 am

Coach Macc takes time to talk Playmakers and future of the Ole Miss Football Org.

Coach Macc took a press conference after the Vanderbilt game, putting the Rebels 3-0 on the season. He's been asked to highlight some of the playmakers on the team and inform the Rebel faithful about players to look out for.

"Coach Macc, congradulations on opening the season 3-0 going into your first bye week. It was a big win over Oregon State, how do you feel about the team so far this year?"

Coach Macc - "I think we've started off strong. The win in Corvallis certainly gave us some momentum and made our guys realize that this is a quality program that's in the business of winning. Having shut down two All American playmakers and escaping with a narrow victory due to strong defensive play is a great game to build off of and we're really excited about the prospect of capturing our second straight SEC title. As far as Bowl Games go - those are out of our hands. We just need to win games and the numbers will work themselves out,"

"Your team looks to be very sound defensively. Highlight some of the big plays thus far and some of the guys you as a coach rely on to make plays,"

Coach Macc - "I think our defensive has played outstanding thus far. It's no question that we've got some solid defensive backs and their play just elevates the rest of the aspects of our game. Our team is a defensive first, strong run defence team that has the potential to be one of the countries best by year end. If we have guys stepping up on defence like we did against Oregon State we'll have no worries throughout the remainder of the year. On defence, we've had monster games out of FS Derrick Herman and CB Marcus Temple. These guys are very important to our team and the fact that they're only juniors is a real treat for us. Jonathan Cornell is a very important part of our team, he's asked to do so many things - cover running backs in pass coverage, create pressure and just really lead our defense by example. RE Kentrell Lockett may be the biggest playmaker we've got on D. He's allready recorded 15 tackles, 5 going for loss and 2 sacks. He really helps us in making opposing offences uncomfortable and forcing teams to pay close attention to him,"

"Ray Cotton has improved tremendously. He's allready thrown 9 touchdown passes through three games, what is it that has helped Raymond develop so well as a quarterback,"

Coach Macc - "I took a lot of heat sitting Jevan Snead. Unfortunately for Jevan he's caught in the crossfire of a new coach coming in and installing a different offence than former coach Houston Nutt. I'm not sure if he understands why he is on the depth chart where he is but it's really Raymond's ability to escape from pressure and make plays with his feet that sets him apart from Jevan. We're very lucky to have a playmaker at backup QB if anything happens to Ray but really what it boils down to is the fact that we feel that Ray is a stronger athlete and his leadership qualities are a better fit for our team. He's worked very hard to keep his position and he's done a great job managing games for us and making good decisions when called upon. I think what's also elevated his game is that our wide receiving/tight end corps has improved so much that and we think a lot of the reason for lack of success in his regard last year was because he really depended on Dexter. Dexter played a vital role for us in the running, passing and return game and we feel this year that we've for three or four candidates in that corps that are sure-fire bets to make plays. We've began to trust the other guys more and I think Ray's developed a great connection with his receivers. He and Tray are defenitely on the same page and Tray's very fond of Ray throwing the ball. He and Ray work hard together in practice and Tray does an excellent job of listening to Ray and what he needs him as a receiver to do to get the ball. Because trust me, Tray's very interested in getting the ball,"

"You must've named team MVPs last year after such a successful season and run. They didn't make it to the media, care to share who they were?"

Coach Macc - "Absolutely. I can't believe it didn't make it out but basically what we did as a coaching staff was name four team MVPs. We had big years from some of our underclasmen so we named four MVPs, two defensive/offensive upperclassmen and two defensive/offensive underclassmen. Our teams offensive upperclass MVP last year without a doubt was Dexter McCluster. The kid had a monster year and scored the most touchdowns on our team. Our upperclass defensive MVP was Patrick Trahan. Tra was a great force and an excellent player to have on a first year coaches team. We called him our "onfield defensive coordinator" the way he understood what we were trying to do and adapting to our pressure defensive style. TE Ferbia Allen was last years underclass offensive MVP with 947 receiving yards and 9TDs. He really came out of nowhere and lit it up in the second half of the season. He became one of Ray's favourite targets and I can't remember a single time he dropped a catchable pass. Defensively we had to give it to FS Derrick Herman. SS Johnny Brown went down with an injury and Herman took the opportunity and ran with it. In only 7 games he recorded 61 tackles, 12 going for a loss, 5 QB sacks and 3 INTs not to mention the MVP game he had against Florida clinching the SEC where he had 2 of his interceptions. This kid is amazing and tremendously coachable. He's a gift to have as a coach,"

"You've structured a great receiving corps at Ole Miss, are there any guys you'd suggest to look out for or you've been impressed in practice with that haven't got a chance to hit the field?"

Coach Macc - "Oh man. Redshirt freshman Pat Patterson is a great playmaker and if he continues to consistently improve like he has been - he will be dangerous and tough for any team to cover. He's in a great class of receivers along with Ja Mes Logan and Jesse Grandy. The only reason these kids aren't starting and exclusively receiving the ball is due to the fact that we've got two solid senior receivers that have earned their spots on the field. I've got tons of faith in our receiving corps and the future looks bright for us. These kids will all be starters for us next year and we've got high hopes they'll be very succesful,"

Subject: Re: Ole Miss Rebels Media Coverage Mon 11 Jan 2010, 1:29 am

Coach Macc On the Future of the Ole Miss Football Org

With the season coming to an end and the Miss Rebels remain #1 in the nation, still undefeated Coach Macc took some time to discuss the future of the program especially throughout the remainder of the season.

"Coach, thanks for being here today. I'll go ahead and ask the question that's allready on most people's minds. When Ray Cotton comes back from injury will Jevan Snead go back on the bench?"

Coach Macc - "Almost any Rebel fan will ask me that question whether they see me away from the practice field, in the media here with all of you guys and even some of the guys on our team are wondering. I don't have a clear cut answer to that question right now and thankfully Jevan has two more weeks to prove to us he's our #1. That's where it stands right now, Jevan will have to have some big games for us to take Ray's spot. With that being said, we feel that Jevan gives us a different edge in the passing game. He's got one of the best arms in the country and his ability to get the ball into the hands of our playmakers hasn't gone unnoticed. The Mississippi State game was a huge rivalry win for us so we could only expect Jevan to limit his mistakes so much, but the mistakes were still there. Forced balls, not looking off reads, interceptions - all things that we'd really like Jevan to have a bitter taste in his mouth about going into next week against Illinois. When Ray comes back we'll have to sit down, watch him work and decide whose the more efficient passer because we'd really like Jevan to finish out the season. We thinks he's NFL ready and we want to take advantage of his final year as a Rebel while also giving the kid a shot to show what he can do at the next level,"

"Coach do you think that benching Jevan last year sent a message to all your future recruits that, even if you're one of the best players in the country you're not guarenteed playing time?"

Coach Macc - "I think our players understand the philosophy of competition here at Miss. I have spent an extra ammount of time with our QB prospects explaining to them that the only reason Jevan wasn't our #1 is because with coaching changes come different gameplans and expectations. Any of the guys we've recruited fit the profile of a Miss QB so it really will be up to them how they decide to take advantage of their time spent here. So no, I don't think it will be an issue,"

MORE TO COME!!

Subject: Re: Ole Miss Rebels Media Coverage Fri 15 Jan 2010, 1:09 pm

RebelsMedia.net caught up with Coach Macc on the Rebels first bye week and asked if he had any comments about the season thus far...

"Sure, we're playing great football. We've went into some of the most hostile environments in college football and after week two, we've come away with two wins. The Illinois game was a real chess match and I'm sure an extremely entertaining one to watch. Our offence is taking a bit of a new approach this season, encorporating two of our junior QBs and using their two very talented yet different skill sets to move the ball. Our defence has taken the same approach we have since day one here. Hardnosed, run stopping, hard hitting secondary that force offences into mistakes. We had two terrific intercpetions against Illinois and our secondary is terrific at running those plays back for six,"

"Brandon's having a great season so far and we hope his hardwork pays off for him at the end of the season, he was pretty bummed about not winning any awards yet being invited to the Heisman ceremony and that... I think 2011 is his year. It's a great time for development of the team, with Jamie having come in and giving us a terrific signal caller and he's really taught the younger guys like Frank Larsen and Shaun Chambers quite a bit. Shaun's specifically had a great time really trying to improve the playcalling and throwing aspect of his game so working with Jamie has really helped him improve. We've got high hopes we'll have another twin set of QBs in the years to come in Frank and Shaun. The teams really coming well together and our defence is very tough. We're VERY young this year but that only helps the future of our organization. Thanks guys,"

Subject: Re: Ole Miss Rebels Media Coverage Tue 26 Jan 2010, 2:16 am

Coach Macc called a press conference to discuss the Ole Miss Football Program and it's direction...

IN REGARDS TO LOSSES / BOWL PICTURE

"As the Rebel faithful have seen all season - we've been without our starting QB Ray Cotton for the better part of the season. Since Ray's injury - we've caught two big conference losses to Bama and Auburn. That means we won't be playing in the SEC Championship this season and almost certainly not in the Sugar Bowl. It's an unfortunate scene of events but Rebel Nation has never been stronger and we're a pretty young team this year,"

IN REGARDS TO GRADUATES

"Our receiving corps is made up of nearly all sophmores and we won't have any graduating seniors there. Our linebacking corps, also all sophmores - no graduating seniors there. We have a total of 9 starters this season who are seniors so we will be returning a TON of guys who have had starting experience for a year or two now,"

IN REGARDS TO RUNNING BACKS

"Our feature back, Brandon Bolden will probably be the toughest position to fill. We've had tons of success with his ability to bounce of tacklers like a pinball and wear defences down. We have great guys who can run the ball for us - Enrique Davis who will be a senior and Rodney Scott and Darius Barksdale future Juniors who are waiting patiently for their time to shine. Our running back recruit from this season, Matt Payne is the fastest player in high school right now and our coaching staff has been talking seriously about getting Matt some touches next season. He will most likely serve as a kick returner and the back-up in our two-back set. If we feel that Matt is much faster than the rest of our backs he could very well be our starter,"

IN REGARDS TO RECEIVING CORPS

"At Ole Miss we have argueably the most dynamic, elusive wide receivers in the nation. The best part? Our top 4 receivers are just sophmores. We will be returning every receiver next season so the need to replace and shuffle guys won't be neccesary. Trey and Pat are having great seasons on the wide sides and Jesse Grandy is proving to be a big threat in the slot. We've got great athletes at this position and we feel we've recruited very well. We've got projects like Brian Brown the 6 foot 6, 4.5 40 speed giant with solid hands who are in their redshirt process and are really coming along. Brian will be a great receiver as he improves and earns his spot on the field. We're really excited about the prospect of these kids being so talented allready yet STILL progressing,"

IN REGARDS TO TIGHT ENDS

"Ferbia Allen and EJ Epperson are argueably the best tight end tandem in the country. Ferbia is so talented and clutch, he makes the catch for us whenever he's asked. EJ's had a slow year but we're nothing but faithful he will turn it up throughout the remainder and through the rest. We've also got our last year 4* product Mike Ross waiting patiently with his redshirt status. He's developed a nice connection in practices with our 2nd team offence and especially Shaun Chambers which will be important because he and Shaun will be in the same class and they will have their four years of eligibility together. Mike reminds us a lot of Ferbia with his athletic basketball player build and his desire to go up and make plays. He will be a steady, dependable tight end who will make catches and break tackles.

IN REGARDS TO O-LINE

"We've got three seniors starting on O Line for us so while we're not excited for the prospect of having to replace four key guys like Sowell, Rishaw and Washington - AJ Hawkins is just a sophmore this season and argueably the best LG in the country. After the spring progresses and he improves this kid will be an All American beginning next season. To replace Bradley Sowell there will be a position battle we can't wait to see in spring first a kid we went after hard in my first season here, Ryan Whitaker will have three years of eligiblity left. He will be a terrific tackle for us very steady and sound. Last season we recruited Eric Brown, one of the countries best high school prospects to have came out. Eric right now looks like he's the best best for us with his ability to do everything so well. We have our LT Bobby Massie for one more season and after that Whitaker and Brown will be our starting tackles. To replace Alex Washington our RG it will most likely be Chris Sims. Chris is built like a bear and is a terrific blocker who can really open up holes,"

IN REGARDS TO D-LINE

"Our All American LE Gerald Rivers will most likely be back for another season unless something changes in the immediate future and he feels his draft status couldn't be improved any further. He's had the type of season that it will be tough to convince him to stay but we're confident we'll have him back. Jason Jones is our other DE who has made 15 big plays behind the line for us this season and is a ball hawk on loose footballs. He'll be a terrific underrated End who will get lots of opportunity to make plays as offences focus on the other end. With DT Ted Laurent graduating, Justin Smith is patiently waiting and he'll have his entire senior season to shine as our Nose Tackle. He gets off his blocks well and punishes teams for letting him hit their running backs or quarterbacks. Behind him we'll have Todd Tyson a recruit from this season from Minnesota who loves contact, can beat blockers with power or finesse, and hits like a ton of bricks. Todd will be a red shirt next season so he'll have four solid years as our Nose Guard,"

IN REGARDS TO LINEBACKING CORPS

"We don't have any seniors from our linebackers, in fact we won't have any seniors from our starters NEXT year. If we can keep Phillip Ervin healthy, he is a force that will be tough to matchup against. He is a natural defensive back so he has the speed, the tackling ability and the pass defence to be a key member of our D. DT Shackelford has blossomed into a terrific MLB for us. He isn't the highlight reel guy who will be on a list to win the Lombardi but any tackle he has the opportunity to make - he'll make. He's our steady, leader in the middle. Joel Kight is really taking advantage of his two years of starting experience and he is a little pitbull. Only 5'8 he's smaller than almost every running back so his level of attack is very positive. Kight makes plays,"

IN REGARDS TO CORNERBACKS

"We've had to use our safety prospect, Jeremy Thompson in the dime spot because of his terrific ability to cover. Jeremy has argueably been the special teams player of the year for us with his ability to be our side containment guy on punts laying the HAMMMER on return men. He strikes fear in the eyes of any return man and we always kick it to his side. Next season with Marcus Temple gone we'll probably put Daniel Breedlove in the 1 spot if he gets his speed up enough. Our recruits at this position, Dan McGill is a terrific cover guy who plays the man just as well as the zone and recognizes coverages about as well as any corner we have. Johnny Clark poses a threat to play 1 or 2 because he'll probably be about as fast as any corner we have right now and he can lock receivers down. Mike Bennett will be a ticking time bomb because of his transfer status but we're not worried about finding him time on the field. He'll probably be our 4th/5th best CB beginning next season,"

IN REGARDS TO SAFETIES

"Losing Derrick Herman will be a big blow for us. Last years Thorpe winner and argueably our best defensive player. He's lead our team in tackles the past two years and he is an absolute ball hawk. Right now, Cory Weatherford is our backup who is built like a corner and defends the pass well. We really want a high-profile guy like Derrick who will make offences tremble. We need to go at a safety product we feel could start immediately for us. We will need to find a spot for Jeremy Thompson because he's a natural SS who we asked to play corner this season. He's done nothing but impress us so we feel that he may be moved to FS or we may ask TJ Joseph to switch to FS depending on who we feel is most comfortable in that role,"

Subject: Re: Ole Miss Rebels Media Coverage Wed 17 Feb 2010, 9:59 pm

2013 Pre Season Ole Miss Expectations / Roster Talk

"Thanks everybody for coming out, we've got tons of news here in Oxford about our up coming football season and quest for our fourth SEC championship! I think right our team, right now is probably the finest group of players and athletes to enter spring camp and pre season since I've been here. We had a terrific front offensive line, a linebacking corps of all seniors, THREE All American running backs not to mention sophmore Marc Payne the 2012 Heisman Award winner, a very experienced secondary and a gritty young defensive line that have been making progress in leaps and bounds this season. We have ELEVEN pre season All Americans, by far the most in Rebels history so it should be a GREAT year and we should be a tough match-up for ANY team,"

QUARTERBACK DEPTH

QB Shaun Chambers - 6'2 212lbs SO
The battle of the QB position in spring camp was tremendously entertaining. Frank Larsen put up a great fight but in the end, we decided to stick with the youth and Chambers. When we recruited him we knew he would be our starter early and he's certainly showed enough poise and moxy to be named our #1.

QB Frank Larsen - 5'11 196lbs SR
Frank Larsen has been a very steady, reliable QB for us in years past having taken the starting duties in just his freshman year to lead us to victories and really do whatever it was he was asked. Unfortunately, we feel that while Frank has terrific accuracy with his throws, we need the ability to stretch defences out and that's a big part of his game that's been lacking. Frank is our very close #2 and will certainly be asked to play meaningful minutes if and when Shaun is injured.

RUNNING BACK DEPTH

RB Marc Payne 5'11 217lbs SO
Marc Payne is in a class of his own with young, talented running backs. He pulled away with the Heisman late last season in our conference championship game with Tennessee and he's the type of back that seems to get better as the game progresses. He wears defences down and now he has another Wildcat threat that we like to see as "Ronnie Brown/Ricky Williams" for the Dolphins.

RB Leonard James 6'2 179lbs FR
Leonard James is expected right now to take about 5-10 carries per game, keeping teams off guard and allowing Marc to really be effective. He's the gritty, hard running back who will punish you if you over pursue Marc or expect a defensive back to make a tackle on him. He will be a great addition to our running game.

WIDE RECEIVER DEPTH

WR Pat Patterson 6'2 226lbs SR
We expect big things from Pat this season. He's our exclusive return man and a terrific possession receiver who loves to have the ball in his hands. Pat showed signs of the ability to stretch defences out long in the Sugar Bowl against Kansas and we hope to continue that against future opponents.

WR Trey Talbot 6'3 191lbs SR
Trey has been a 1000 yard receiver for us every year and we don't expect him to slow down one bit. He's caught 12 touchdown passes for us every year and he wants to break that record. Trey has shattered every receiving record for us and he is a great player who never quits and always wants the ball.

TIGHT END DEPTH

TE Tez Bradley 6'4 219lbs FR
Tez Bradley came in as our #1 TE after a high profile HS career and season, and he became a playmaker the minute he stepped on the field. Bradley flashes signs of brilliance in the passing game and will remind fans of a former Rebel, Ferbia Allen.

TE Mike Ross 6'5 229lbs SO
Mike Ross has the ability to be a threat in the passing game and if he continues to play like he did in our Bowl Game last season, he'll be asked to contribute immediately and be the type of receiver we design plays for.

O-LINE DEPTH

LG AJ Hawkins 6'4 320lbs SR
AJ Hawkins is by far one of the best offensive linemen in college football. A pre-season NFL ready pulling guard gives us a lot of options when running and passing. He'll almost never let a DT through their gaps and he's very steady. He loves being the pull guard who creates havoc while paving a way for our young backs.

RT Ryan Whittaker 6'4 292lbs JR
Our offensive captain, Whittaker is the center peice to this offensive line. He's very steady and he protects a good young quarterback who will need extra time to find his reads and complete passes. Whittaker is our unspoken team captain AND leader and is the emotional guy that gets the team fired up.

D-LINE DEPTH

DT Warren Martin 6'4 283lbs SO
Warren Martin has made a tremendous impact on our team the minute he steped in this program. Now, he's among the best DTs in the country taking a spot on EVERYBODIES 2nd Team All America roster. If he can produce another 51 tackle, 27TFL, 8Sack season - we should have no trouble defensively.

LINEBACKER DEPTH

LOLB Phillip Ervin 6'4 221lbs SR
Phillip Ervin is a very athletic, agile linebacker who runs like a defensive back (naturally had his position changed to linebacker to better fit our system). He hits as hard as any linebacker in the country and he will be a force in our run and pass defence this season. Early candidate for the Bednarik.

MLB Craig Bryant 6'2 233lbs FR
The freshman has come in and made an impact early. He hits hard and often. He's the ball hawk type of linebacker whose always around the ball.

ROLB Joel Kight 5'8 229lbs SR
Joel Kight enters the season in his fourth year of starting experience and the guy has made a name for himself each and every year. Our defensive captain and leader, this kid runs well, moves his hips like a DB and hits like a ton of bricks. Kight is a terrific player who provides that spark for us on and off the field. He gets the defence amped and is our most experienced player.

DEFENSIVE BACK DEPTH

CB Daniel Breedlove 6'1 188lbs JR
Daniel Breedlove can man-up on any receiver in the country and has the wheels to keep up with them. He enters his third year of starting experience and accounted for 52 tackles for us last seaosn, we can only hope his numbers inflate and he can have another 6INT season.

CB Johnny Clark 6'2 196lbs SO
Argueably one of our most important freshman defensive players, Clark showed the ability to lock slot receivers down all year. He now has the chance to play outside where he'll be asked to contain some of the finest WRs the SEC has to offer.

FS Jeremy Thompson 5'11 208lbs SR
You wanna talk about a character player? Look no farther. Thompson leads with his head on every tackle, won't miss and comes with the aggression of a linebacker for us in safety. He gets a ton of sacks because he understands the delay blitz better than any kid I've seen at this level. Jeremy looks to HURT quarterbacks and he's often successful at it.

» PAC 10 Media Day-Stanford Jim Harbaugh
» GoPittPanthers.com: Pittsburgh Media Day...
» Q4TB Media Days(everyone feel free to chime in)
» Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets-Press and Media Outlet
» Old Miss Vs Illinois III