Tulsa World: Arkansas, Ole Miss game will reunite QB, coach

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Arkansas, Ole Miss game will reunite QB, coach
Ole Miss' Nutt recruited Mallett before leaving Hogs for Mississippi.

Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett attended Mississippi coach Houston Nutt's camps when Nutt was coach at Arkansas. Danny Johnston/AP

By NOAH TRISTER Associated Press
Published: 10/24/2009 2:24 AM
Last Modified: 10/24/2009 5:44 AM

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — When Ryan Mallett was growing up, he would go to Houston Nutt's football camps and no matter who was on his team, the youngster always seemed to win.

Now Mallett is the quarterback at Arkansas, and his determined attitude hasn't gone away — even as he prepares to face Nutt and Mississippi this weekend.

"I go back with coach Nutt a long ways, but he knows I'm like him. We're both competitive," Mallett said. "So on Saturday it's going to be no holds barred. Let's go."

Mallett went to high school in Texarkana, Texas, just across the Arkansas state line. He was a Razorbacks fan growing up, but Arkansas appeared set at quarterback when Mallett was a senior in high school. It was no big surprise when he signed with Michigan.

After a season with the Wolverines, Mallett transferred to Arkansas. By then, Bobby Petrino was the Razorbacks' coach. Nutt left to take over at Ole Miss, so his former camper was now a Southeastern Conference rival.

Since Mallett had to sit out last season, this will be his first matchup against Nutt.

He comes into this weekend throwing for an SEC-best 274 yards per game.

"Mallett is probably playing as well as anyone in the league right now," Nutt said. "He can really throw it, probably better than (Sam) Bradford and (Colt) McCoy as far as just throwing the ball. He's so accurate and he has some good receivers that we signed when we were there. We know how good those players are."

Arkansas recruited Mallett, but in 2006 the Razorbacks signed Mitch Mustain, one of the nation's top quarterback prospects. Mallett signed with Michigan.

Mustain transferred to Southern California after one season, and Nutt never really regained the support of the Arkansas fan base. Nutt left the Razorbacks after the 2007 regular season and took over at Ole Miss. Less than two months later, Petrino was at Arkansas and Mallett was a Razorback.

The Razorbacks are eager to take out their frustrations after nearly upsetting Florida last weekend. Mallett gave Arkansas a 20-13 lead in that game in the fourth quarter with a spectacular 75-yard touchdown pass to Greg Childs. It would have gone down as one of Arkansas' greatest plays if the Gators hadn't rallied for a 23-20 win. Mallett finished 12 of 27 for 224 yards and has been hard on himself since.

Nutt, meanwhile, is hoping for a late surge that would enable his Rebels to come close to some of their preseason expectations. Ole Miss was ranked No. 4 in the country before a September loss to South Carolina. The Rebels later lost to Alabama and are now unranked.

It was a win at Arkansas last year that started Ole Miss' six-game winning streak to end the season. That was different, though. The Razorbacks didn't have Mallett. By NOAH TRISTER Associated Press

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