Spring brought a season of change for the Ole Miss football team. Some of it was tough. Some was encouraging. How well the Rebels handle it over the summer will go a long way toward determining their fate this fall.

The first big change came when new coach Houston Nutt and his coaching staff turned up the heat under the Rebels and demanded more accountability.

"Change is hard for some. It's something new whether it is a new coach, a new system, or the new terminology," said Nutt, who agreed to resign at Arkansas on Nov. 25 after a tumultuous past two years and took the Ole Miss job the next day.

"We had to change their attitude, and to me that is changing the little things. It is about winning in everything you do. Some of the guys are used to losing on the field and in life, and I want to change that. Going to class, sitting up in your seat, being on time -- those are the little things we will work on. We are getting there."

The second big change came on offense when the Rebels found a starting quarterback in Texas transfer Jevan Snead. The Rebels have struggled to pass consistently and score points since Eli Manning completed his Ole Miss career in 2003 but Snead's first spring under the new coaching regime turned out to be a success.

"Jevan is special," Nutt said. "All he needs is repetitions and game time. He has a quick release and throws a pretty ball. This is a guy where everything is in front of him."

If junior tailback Cordero Eason and incoming freshman tailback Enrique Davis come anywhere close to meeting expectations this fall, the Rebels might actually be able to score some points this fall. In 35 games under former coach Ed Orgeron, Ole Miss scored fewer than 20 points 21 times and won just three of those games.

Copyright (C) 2008 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.