OXFORD – Part of what made Dexter McCluster such a visible part of the Ole Miss offense last year was his ability to become invisible.

At 5-foot-9, McCluster, the Rebels’ multi-use offensive player, could get lost among massive offensive linemen, then appear in open space like a prairie dog on a desert reconnaissance mission. When McCluster popped up, Ole Miss fans could sense the beginning of something big.

These days McCluster pops up, and there are two defenders waiting on him. Defenses have a greater awareness for him. Invisibility is more difficult.

“It’s very different from what I was seeing last year,” McCluster said. “I caught a lot of people off guard. They were prepared for me this year. They’re double-covering me. They’ll have a man inside of me and a man over the top of me, so if I run the dig, he’s right there, so there’s really no throw.

But I know coach Nutt hasn’t forgotten about me. He’ll find a way.”

Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt urges patience from a fan base that considers an offense that has been inconsistent against SEC opponents and is eager to see from McCluster something closer to the numbers he posted last year.

“His time is coming. There’s no doubt in my mind,” Nutt says.

McCluster finished the 2008 season in the top 10 in rushing yards, receptions, receiving yards and all-purpose yardage. Only one other SEC player, Florida’s Percy Harvin, joined him in that status.

McCluster was named AP All-SEC second team.

At the mid-way point of his senior season the Largo, Fla., native is 24th in all-purpose yardage, 22nd in receiving and 25th in rushing.

Early in his career McCluster, when healthy, showed dependable hands as a receiver with a knack for making tough catches in traffic.

It was the rushing game, though, in which he made his name in the SEC. The arrival Nutt at Ole Miss gave McCluster another personality.

He became the Wild Rebel.

McCluster rushed for 50.38 yards a game last year, tops on the team and ninth in the league. Though he became much more a tailback than a wide receiver in the Rebels’ six-game season-ending win streak, he continued to make plays as the Wild Rebel: by taking a shotgun snap, surveying the landscape and picking a hole.

The Wild Rebel formation, whether with McCluster or tailback Brandon Bolden taking the snap, has had much less impact this season. Ole Miss has used it much less, although the staff doesn’t chart exactly how many times it runs a play from the formation.

“The South Carolina and Alabama games stick out in my mind as games when we planned on using it much more,” said Nutt, who calls the plays. “It’s about the flow of the game. There have also been times when the other team has stopped us, and we’ve gotten away from it.”

McCluster thinks the play-calling might be getting away from the Wild Rebel too soon.

“We haven’t run it a lot. That may be why it hasn’t been as effective, but I’ll say that the Wild Rebel is a formation that is going to help us out a lot this year once we start doing it,” McCluster said.

There’s generally a shelf life to any type of offensive wrinkle. Decreased emphasis on the Wild Rebel could be a product of the attention it attracted last season.

“Any time some form of offense, some scheme, becomes in vogue, coordinators have to adjust and spend time on it,” offensive coordinator Kent Austin said. “And any time coordinators on the other time of the ball spend time on something, usually, they’re more effective in stopping it. That’s no different than any other area, whether it’s the spread or the wishbone. It’s the nature of the beast.”

McCluster has scored just two touchdowns this year, one rushing and one receiving. He’s averaging 27.3 yards rushing and 33 yards receiving.

The numbers aren’t a reflection on anything McCluster is doing differently, his coaches say.

“He’s our most dependable guy. He’s one of the brightest guys on the field,” Austin said.

“He did so much for us last year that when we snap the ball, everyone knows where No. 22 is located,” Nutt said.

Taking advantage of McCluster’s skill and intellect, and putting the “wild” back in the Wild Rebel, may rest with new ways to get him the football.

That might seem difficult for a player who has already played quarterback, running back and wide receiver.

“There are still things we can do,” Austin said. “We’ll continue to look at him at running back, as well as the other positions he plays. We’ll game plan him specifically to the type of defense we’re facing to get the most production out of him. That’s not an easy task.”

Contact Parrish Alford at 678-1600 or parrish.alford@djournal.com.