Rebels report: Inside slant
 

The Sports Xchange
 
 
Inside slant · Strategy and personnel · Notes, quotes
 

Ole Miss (3-3, 1-2) has alternated wins and losses all season. While the Rebels have shown tremendous potential, especially in a win at Florida, they've also shown a capacity for self-destruction.

With Ole Miss off until an Oct. 18 trip to Alabama, coach Houston Nutt wants to work on his team's psyche.

"That's where the biggest job comes in, changing the mind-set," he said. "When something bad happens, that's what you are trying to change for four straight years. And it's hard. It's harder than I thought."

It will be a long two weeks for speedster Dexter McCluster, who had a game-changing fumble inside the South Carolina 10. The Rebels lost the lead shortly thereafter and never recovered in a 31-24 defeat.

"You love his competitiveness and he always grades out high," Nutt said. "You have to tell him, as fearless as he is, when he is in that crowd, especially when he's in a crowd and already has the first down, to go down on that ball with both hands on it.

"With a small guy like that in this league, he is fighting for every inch he gets, and he leaves the ball in a vulnerable position and we can't have that."

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