The End of the Houston Nutt Era

Must be nice to be Houston Nutt these days, don't you think? He gets 3.5 million dollars to leave Arkansas after ten years, and then signs a four year/7.4 million dollar deal to become the head coach at Mississippi less than twenty-four hours later. Pretty sweet loot if you can get it. But Nutt didn't even come close to offering the straight story at his "goodbye" press conference on Monday. And it doesn't look like the truth will be surfacing any time soon.

Did Houston actually choose to resign? Was his skin not quite as thick as we all thought it was? Perhaps the constant abuse he and his family took over the last couple of years was the driving force behind his decision. Or maybe it wasn't. Maybe the writing really was on the wall, and Arkansas' athletic hierarchy of Chancellor White, Jeff Long and Frank Broyles realized it was time to turn the page. So many questions with so many answers that Razorback fans will likely never get.

Speculation for a duller day, I guess. For now, we've got a coaching search in full effect at the U of A, and a list of candidates that is pretty thick, some more realistic than others. Want some names? For starters: Tommy Tuberville, Butch Davis, Chris Petersen, Mike Leach, Brent Venables and Bo Pelini are all in the conversation. Names like Jimmy Johnson and Gus Malzahn are a lot farther fetched, for obvious reasons. And then there's the bigger lot of names that most of us aren't even aware of yet. With a search committee aiding in the process, don't expect it to take all that long either. If I had to guess, I'd say a new coach is hired by the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Nutt is already in Oxford, Mississippi, doing his best Rebel performance to secure what was supposed to be a pretty decent recruiting class for the recently-canned Ed Orgeron. And who came blame him for making the move within the SEC, and striking while the iron was still hot? No one. And that proverbial iron doesn't get any hotter for a coach than in the aftermath of a triple overtime road upset of LSU, the #1 team in the country.

So Nutt goes his way and Arkansas heads out in a new direction all its own. Ten years is a long run for any coach these days, let alone in the SEC, and regardless of whether or not you liked Houston Nutt the coach or Houston Nutt the person, it was finally time. Change can be a really good thing---it frequently is---but only sometimes is it absolutely necessary. This was definitely one of those times.

-JAB

Breaking News: Houston Nutt to Resign

The soap opera drama swirling around Razorback football coach Houston Nutt is expected to come to an end tonight. According to multiple newspaper, radio and television sources, Houston Nutt will announce his resignation at a 6:30 PM press conference in Fayetteville.

Nutt has been the head coach at Arkansas since 1997. There has been plenty of speculation about his job security over the last couple of years, and it appears that it's all finally come to a head.

If this is indeed the end of his run, Houston Nutt went out with perhaps his most impressive coaching victory to date, a 50-48 triple overtime triumph at #1 LSU on Friday. No word yet on who will succeed Nutt as head coach.

More details and reaction to come in tomorrow's blog.

-JAB

Razorbacks Get Manhandled in Knoxville

Too many questions to answer, and not nearly enough answers for all those questions. That's the big vibe most Razorback fans will have to take out of Arkansas' worst football performance of 2007. A loss at Tennessee wasn't entirely unexpected for the Hogs---heck, it's essentially a rite of passage for most recruiting classes---but 34-13? And that uncompetitive? There's no pouring sugar on this team's state of affairs. It's all gotten way too sour, way too fast for head coach Houston Nutt.

What stands out: 4th and a yard at UA's own 45 yd line---and Darren McFadden is on the sideline? I don't fault giving the ball to Peyton Hillis there, but DMac has got to be on the field, if only to draw some attention from the defense. Houston Nutt has offered no legitimate answer for that thus far, and none appears forthcoming.

-Passing on first down almost exlusively throughout the first half. I realize that Arkansas was trying to balance things out against Tennessee, but way, way too much emphasis on the air attack.

-Halfway through the third quarter, Nutt turns down a 37 yard field goal by Alex Tejada and instead goes for it on 4th and 12 at the Vols' 20 yard line. Down by 21 points, I understand the urge to go for it there, but on 4th and 12 it's just a bad decision. The fade pass to Hillis in double coverage wasn't even close, and Arkansas came out of that drive with nothing. You have to get points there.

-Late in the third quarter, with Arkansas trailing by three scores but still in the game, Nutt replaces Casey Dick with the almost completely inexperienced Nathan Emert. A move that smelled of desperation, Emert was thrown to the wolves in an impossible spot.

Look, the Felix Jones' thigh injury was a big factor for Arkansas, but it was from the determining aspect of the game. The Razorbacks chose a terrible time to play their worst game of the year on both sides of the ball---12 penalties is far too many---and now they have no one to blame but themselves.

A loss to the seriously-improved Mississippi State Bulldogs in Little Rock on Saturday and you can kiss a bowl bid goodbye. All-Americans Darren McFadden and Felix Jones in the same backfield and you can't even make a bowl? Oh, mama.

The Houston Nutt train is headed for the end of the tracks.

-JAB

Early November's High Notes

Darren McFadden's performance versus South Carolina on Saturday night was one for the ages. Setting an SEC single game rushing record with 321 yards, D-Mac literally rolled over a Gamecock's defense that didn't prove much of a challenge at all. Sprinkle in a TD throw to Robert Johnson, and you have to believe that McFadden has played his way right back to the fringes of the '07 Heisman Trophy race. More importantly for Arkansas is a three game win streak that has reinstalled some hope in the Razorback fan base. A trip to Tennesee looms this Saturday, then it's home for Mississippi State before the finale at Baton Rouge against LSU. It's no stretch to envision Arkansas at 8-3 overall, 4-3 in the SEC by the time of the game with the Tigers. But it will likely take a Razorback road triumph in that contest to springboard the Hogs into a New Year's Day bowl, and McFadden back into serious Heisman contention.... Meanwhile, former Oklahoma Sooner tailback Adrian Petersen set an NFL single game record with a 296 yard rushing performance for the Vikings against the Chargers. Currently on pace for a 2,000 yard season, Petersen is putting together one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time. And when you consider that Minnesota (much like Arkansas) has next to no passing game to speak of, the speedy tailback's numbers are even more impressive. Already one can see that Peterson and McFadden are the likely heir apparent superstar tailbacks at the next level for years to come....

Elsewhere, the story of NFL Week 9 was New England's 24-20 come-from-behind triumph over the Indianapolis Colts. Despite getting besieged by pass interference penalties, the Patriots rallied for two touchdowns in the final nine minutes, with Tom Brady overcoming a rare two interception performance to throw three more TDs (33 on the season now, for those of you keeping track at home). Roosevelt Colvin was a beast in the win at linebacker for New England, a team that now has a realistic shot at running the regular season slate. Tough games still loom against Baltimore, Pittsburgh and the Giants, but it's no stretch to think New England can get it done.

As for the likely AFC Championship game rematch that awaits these two teams, it's going to be another good one to watch, but probably tilted even more so to New England. Sure, I realize that neither WR Marvin Harrison or left tackle Tony Ugoh played in this game for Indy, but going on the road and playing well in bad weather has never been Peyton Manning's forte, and it's all but assured that he'll have to do that now just to get back to the Super Bowl....

The new Ridley Scott-directed film American Gangster is really good, if too violent. It also takes a lot of patience, at over two and a half hours. But it's good stuff, with Denzel Washington knocking them dead (literally) as a drug kingpin. Washington is always a tour de force on the screen and it's no different here, and the same can be said for Russell Crowe, who plays the cop out to get him. An all-time great film? Absolutely not. But it's a fun start to what should be a good holiday film season. My Grade: B+

-JAB