Hogs on mind, but far away HOOVER, Ala. — Former Arkansas Coach Houston Nutt acted like he wanted to dodge the question.

It was a simple query: How would Nutt feel upon returning to Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Oct. 25, when his Ole Miss Rebels play at Arkansas ?

“You know, October 25 th is a long ways away,” Nutt said. “We have a lot of work before we get to that point.” When a reporter followed with, “You don’t have any thoughts about going back and playing where you were the coach for 10 years ?” Nutt finally responded.

“You can’t help but think about it,” he said. “You grew up in Arkansas. You thought at one time you’d be there for life. I had 10 great years of experience there working with some great people. We won three titles. Two of them went to Atlanta. Very close against Florida, winning that [2006 SEC championship ] ballgame.

“ So we had some great days, great times there. You can’t help but think what it’s going to be like coming in from the visitors’ side.” Nutt was asked if he thought the “coach for life” was a dying breed, to which he responded yes.

“The reason why... is because a lot more pressure,” Nutt said. “Salaries are higher. More talk show radios, more Internet blogs, more people can say anything without any accountability. Sometimes things are written that really puts a lot of pressure on the athletic director. It makes it very, very tough for a coach.

“ I think it won’t go the other way for sure. I think that part of it’s here to stay.” Celebration mix-up Georgia’s end zone whoop-de-do against Florida has turned into the most examined, most harped excessive celebration penalty in college football history.

The Bulldogs — ordered by Coach Mark Richt to get spunky after their first touchdown in that game — were hit with two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for the wild scene, which has sparked a long-running controversy.

In a forthcoming book, Florida Coach Urban Meyer is quoted about the incident: “It was a bad deal. And it will forever be in the mind of Urban Meyer and our football team.” Asked about Meyer’s quotes Thursday, Richt said he had no intention of having his team leave the sideline, and he launched into a detailed explanation of how it happened.

Included among his remarks was something he told his team during an open week before the Florida game: “I said, ‘Even if we’ve got to fake it, we’re gonna have more energy.... As a matter of fact, after the first score against Florida, I want you guys to celebrate so hard that the referees throw the flag.’” Richt insisted he thought the command applied to the 11 offensive players on the field. Of course, nearly every player on the Georgia team rushed onto the field to celebrate the score.

“I was in shock as much as anybody else,” Richt said. “Then, I’ll say this: When I saw the exuberance, when I saw the energy, when I saw the passion and the fire get unleashed that had been dormant in this football team, I got excited. I was fired up.” Georgia won the game 42-30.

Fulmer served Apparently, Tennessee Coach Phillip Fulmer was served a subpoena Thursday at SEC media days. Jeff Hagood, an attorney for Fulmer, told the Chattanooga (Tenn. ) Times Free Press on Thursday night that the Volunteers coach had found a subpoena issued to Fulmer earlier in the day by lawyers representing former Alabama booster Wendell Smith in a lawsuit against the NCAA and others. The Tuscaloosa (Ala. ) News reported Thursday that Fulmer had been subpeoned, but Fulmer repeatedly denied seeing a subpoena while speaking to reporters at media days.

“I have not seen a subpoena,” Fulmer said. “As I said to all the other groups, this is not the place for that kind of thing. There are great fans that have great passion about the Southeastern Conference that are not interested in that kind of BS. And I’d have some other choice words if there weren’t so many cameras in here.” In a statement released later in the day, Fulmer acknowledged receiving “a piece of paper” but said he didn’t realize what it was.

“I was getting out of the car and was tossed a piece of paper that I picked up, stuck it in with a whole bunch of things that I had been reading on my way in from the airport and handed it to [media relations official ] Bud Ford to put in his briefcase and forgot about it,” the statement said.

Fulmer said he will let his lawyers handle the subpoena. Fulmer’s reported appearance date of Sept. 25 is two days before the Volunteers play at Auburn.

Smith is suing the NCAA for defamation, claiming the organization and several members of the infractions committee slandered him in accusing him of violating NCAA rules.

Acting on the advice of his attorneys, Fulmer did not appear at the 2004 SEC media days when attorney Tommy Gallion vowed Fulmer would be served a subpoena when he showed up. Fulmer was fined $ 10, 000 by the SEC office for not appearing. Fulmer has not testified under oath regarding his involvement with the NCAA’s investigation of Alabama football, which led to scholarship losses, probation and a two-year bowl ban in 2002.

Telling the truth Alabama Coach Nick Saban didn’t sound is if he took offense to LSU Coach Les Miles’ zinger in reference to the Crimson Tide’s 21-14 loss to Louisiana-Monroe last season. The Tide also lost to LSU 41-34, and Miles told a booster meeting in New Orleans recently “not to make too much of that game as it seems like a lot of teams in Louisiana beat that team.” Saban’s reaction ? “He told the truth,” Saban said Thursday. “He told it like it was.” Saban added that Alabama has to “earn” respect with its play on the field. The Tide faces two teams from Louisiana this season: Tulane at home on Sept. 6 and at LSU on Nov. 8.

Cover story Arkansas featured new Coach Bobby Petrino on the front cover of its media guide, along with Rimington Trophywinning center Jonathan Luigs and senior linebacker Elston Forte, each in a long vertical panel. That layout contrasted drastically to the 2007 Alabama media guide, which showed Coach Nick Saban by himself, walking on a reflective surface that some compared to walking on water. Saban was also the only person depicted on the back cover. Ole Miss’ guide depicted new Coach Houston Nutt, the boss for 10 years at Arkansas, by himself, kneeling with his right hand on an Ole Miss helmet.

S is for ? A bumper sticker spotted Thursday in the parking lot of the Wynfrey Hotel and Riverchase Galleria, site of SEC media days: “S: The Coach.” It’s a play on the “W” bumper stickers for President George W. Bush, the ones in Alabama apparently refer to Alabama Coach Nick Saban.

Nice payday Arkansas State will receive a guarantee of $ 750, 000 for playing at Alabama on Nov. 1 according to a report in the Birmingham (Ala. ) News. The Crimson Tide opens the season against Clemson in Atlanta on Aug. 30 and each school will receive about $ 1. 9 million for that neutral site game at the Georgia Dome, the News reported. Wait for the movie Ole Miss senior offensive tackle Michael Oher’s rise to becoming one of the nation’s top recruits at Memphis Briarcrest Christian High School is examined in the book The Blind Side: The Evolution of a Game, that was released in 2006.

Oher said he still hasn’t read the book, but his guardians have and gave it a good review.

“If they make a movie about it, I’ll watch it,” Oher said with a smile.

Why hasn’t he read the book, which was written by Michael Lewis ?

“I lived it,” Oher said. “The guy asked me a lot of questions, so I feel like I know everything in it.”