OXFORD, Miss. — It’s not often that a college football player — let alone a freshman — will give his coach advice.
Mississippi wide receiver Nickolas Brassell couldn’t help himself. He had to let Coach Houston Nutt know what was on his mind.
“I know I can make more plays by just being on the field more,” Brassell said. “I know what I can do when I have the ball in my hands.”
Nutt listened.
And the result was an Ole Miss offense that was more dynamic last weekend despite a 29-24 loss to Arkansas.
Brassell will likely be at the lead again when the Rebels (2-5, 0-4 SEC) travel to face Auburn (5-3, 3-2) on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The 6-0, 175-pounder led the Rebels with eight catches for 70 yards and rushed for 23 yards on five carries against the Razorbacks. He’s been used occasionally on defense as a cornerback in passing situations.
Nutt spent the first half of the season inserting Brassell and several other talented freshmen onto the college field. As Ole Miss continues its search for conference victories, it’s become clear that Brassell and fellow freshman Donte Moncrief give the Rebels the best chance at being competitive.
“There are no limitations,” Nutt said. “We’re throwing them out there. Throwing the gameplan to them. They’re accepting it and learning and playing extremely hard with a competitive spirit. That’s what we appreciate.”
Brassell and Moncrief are the top two of a freshman class that’s playing a big role this season. Aaron Morris has pushed his way into the starting lineup at left guard while linebackers Serderius Bryant and Keith Lewis, along with cornerback Senquez Golson, are on the field more and more each Saturday.
It’s not necessarily by design. Though they are talented, there have also been injuries and the realization that some of the older players simply aren’t good enough.
The freshmen certainly haven’t been perfect. But they’ve been competitive.
“The one thing you love about them is whether we play Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn — they’re ready to compete,” Nutt said.
Moncrief caught two touchdown passes against Arkansas and has a team-leading 304 receiving yards and four touchdowns this season. At 6-2 and 200 pounds, he has the strength and speed to beat opponents downfield for big gains. But consistency can be an issue. Moncrief dropped a deep pass for what would have been huge gain against Arkansas in the second half, and the Rebels’ offense never really recovered. It was also one of many reasons Ole Miss blew an early 17-0 lead.
“It shows you what our conference is about,” Nutt said. “It doesn’t matter if the team is ranked in the country or whoever it is. This is the toughest league in America. Everyone’s got to be ready to play.”
Sports, Pages 18 on 10/25/2011