With the season opener against Jacksonville State a little less than a month away, the Ole Miss football team has wasted no time hitting the practice field and slowly but surely the Rebels are getting their newcomers onto the field. The latest addition was freshman receiver Vincent Sanders.
Because of being officially admitted today, Sanders didn’t actually hit the practice field until just before 6:30 p.m. But the former Noxubee County standout, who wore No. 11 today at practice, wasted no time getting right into drills and the end-of-practice scrimmage.
“It was good to get Vincent Sanders and get him out on the field today,” Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt said following the team’s practice at the Indoor Practice Facility. “He made some plays and got him in the mix fairly quickly today. He’s a little lost, but there’s a lot of freshmen that are lost right now.”
With the dismissal of fellow Noxubee County star Pat Patterson, in addition to the graduation of Shay Hodge and Dexter McCluster, the Rebels will be looking for Sanders to at least add some quality depth to what’s perceived to be a fairly thin position this season.
Other freshmen that stood out to Nutt were defensive linemen Carlton Martin and Carlos Thompson, linebacker Ralph Williams, running backs Jeff Scott and Martez Eastland and offensive linemen Jared Duke and Chase Hughes.
“They’re working hard and I just appreciate the way they’re going about things,” Nutt said.
OBSERVATIONS AND NOTES:
—After what looked to be an inconsistent first practice from the trio of quarterbacks, all three looked much improved today. Each of Randall Mackey, Nathan Stanley and Jeremiah Masoli made several nice touchdown passes during the end-of-practice scrimmage.
—Redshirt freshman Frank Crawford made several interceptions during the scrimmage today and was impressive, especially considering he was just moved from safety to corner back.
“He has great ball skills, that’s one thing we know,” Nutt said. “We’ll see how it goes when we press and you’re pressing against great receivers in this league. So far, he plays the ball with his eyes very well and if the quarterback stares (a receiver) down, he’s got a chance to go get it.”
—Because of a heavy rain that hit the Oxford area at approximately 5 p.m., the Rebels practiced inside for the first time.
—Freshman defensive back Cliff Coleman was the lone injury in practice, spraining an ankle. Nutt didn’t seem too concerned with the injury following practice.
“He did it in the pursuit drill and rolled it up pretty good,” Nutt said. “It’s swollen up and he can’t put weight on it.”
—Ole Miss will hit the practice field on Tuesday at 5:20 p.m. and will don pads for the first time. Practices the first week are open to the public. (August 9, 2010)
