Houston Nutt running Ole Miss show on offense

When new co-offensive coordinator Dave Rader met with the media for the first time on Friday afternoon, the veteran coach was blunt: This is Houston Nutt’s offense and he’s just happy to play a part. “I’d be foolish to try and talk him out of it,” said the 52-year-old Rader. “So I’ll learn their system - our system. And go from there.” Rader replaces Austin, who took the head coaching job at Cornell last week. It’s his first job in football since spending four years as the offensive coordinator at Alabama under Mike Shula from 2003-06. Since then, he’s been involved in private business in Tulsa, Okla., and was even considering a run at public office before taking the job at Ole Miss. His career includes a 12-year stint as head coach at Tulsa from 1988-99. He finished with a 49-80-1 record. Rader said he had turned down three different football jobs over the past three years, waiting for the right opportunity to get back into football. At Ole Miss, he believes he’s found it. – Clarion-Ledger