OXFORD, Miss. -- No way Dexter McCluster was going to get past Chris Walker again. Not when McCluster stands 5-foot-9 and checks in at 170 pounds after a buffet binge while Tennessee's Walker stands 6-3 and weighs 232.
No, the UT defensive end had seen quite enough of McCluster on Saturday afternoon long before Ole Miss humbled the Volunteers 42-17.
"You think you've got him corralled, got him down, then he takes it to the house," said Walker, shaking his head after McCluster ran for 282 yards and four touchdowns.
"He's the fastest player I've ever played against. He's faster than (former Florida star) Percy Harvin. He's just something else. Sometimes your best just isn't good enough."
It's arguable whether any defense was good enough to corral McCluster on Saturday. Despite carrying the ball not a single time in last week's win over Northern Arizona, he looked like the best running back in the country against the Vols. He was zigging and zagging through would-be tacklers like a pinball.
"I've never seen a player that plays tailback, does the 'wildcat' stuff he does and can still go out and run receiver routes," UT coach Lane Kiffin said. "He's a really unique talent. We were nervous all week."
Even Vols running back Montario Hardesty, who is currently fourth in the SEC in rushing, far ahead of McCluster, said, "He's just a great back. He's got a lot of moves, a lot of speed."
What he doesn't have, of course, is a lot of size, which is why Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt has tried to save him for the stretch run, limiting him to no rushes against Southeast Louisiana and Northern Arizona and just one carry against UAB.
But McCluster torched Arkansas for 123 yards and Auburn for 186. Then came the Vols.
"He's a special guy," Nutt said. "If we told him to play free safety, he would. If we told him to go line up at right tackle -- which we wouldn't -- he would. What makes him special, number one, is his heart."
The Vols would surely argue that. As defensive end Wes Brown noted, "He's hard to catch. I don't know that I've ever seen a guy that fast."
And having not seen anyone that fast, the Vols apparently had no way to stop him.
"Guys had angles on him," Kiffin said, "and guys never even touched him."
Now the question becomes whether LSU or Mississippi State can touch him the next two Saturdays as the Rebels attempt to go from bowl-eligible to big-bowl-bound.
"I feel good," McCluster said. "I just need a little sleep and I'm good."
It was all enough for Kiffin to take a little more sleep away from former Ole Miss coach and current UT recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron.
"I can't tell you how many times I looked at Orgeron," Kiffin said, "and said, 'Get me one of those.'"
Text Size:
Post a comment
Commenting requires registration.