Ole Miss has nothing to lose.
The Rebels have no Southeastern Conference wins, no shot at a bowl game and no coach for next season.
But with No. 1 LSU (10-0, 6-0 SEC) coming to town, Ole Miss (2-8, 0-6) can still make its mark on the season if it can upend the top-ranked Tigers and shake up their perfectly paved road to the BCS National Championship game.
“Without the view of that bowl game, it’s a difficult piece to motivate,” said LSU coach Les Miles. “Ole Miss is a team that is very dangerous in the fact that they will see us as a great rivalry and as an opportunity to play their best at home. I’m certain that they’ll be prepared and that they’ll do the right things.”
While Ole Miss hasn’t done many things right this season — it ranks No. 113 in the nation in total offense and No. 94 in total defense — recent history against the Tigers tells a different tale.
The Rebels gave then-No. 5 LSU a run for its money in last year’s shootout in Tiger Stadium, coming up just seven points shy of a BCS-busting upset late in the season.
Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt skunked the Tigers the two seasons prior — his first two years in Oxford, Miss. — including the infamous end-game clock blunder that cost LSU a much-needed win in its most recent visit in 2009.
Between his four years at Ole Miss and his nine seasons at Arkansas, Nutt has compiled a 6-7 record against LSU. Despite already announcing his resignation after this season, Nutt will be pulling out all the stops in hopes of adding one last trademark win to his resume.
“[Nutt] is a great coach, and he still has a sense of pride,” senior safety Brandon Taylor said. “It’s always been a close game between us. He still wants to go out on top against LSU. We’ve just got to go out and play like Tigers play.”
If LSU continues to play like it has all season, it’s going to be an uphill battle for the Rebels.
Ole Miss enters the contest averaging 166.3 passing yards per game, ranking No. 104 in the nation, and 131.5 rushing yards per game — No. 85 nationally.
The Tigers rank No. 2 in the nation in both total defense, allowing 253.2 yards per game, and turnover margin, with a +15 mark.
“LSU looks so good, so fast and so quick at every spot,” Nutt said at his weekly news conference. “Their defensive line, linebackers and secondary are all good.”
Adding to their troubles, Ole Miss will be without the services of junior quarterback Randall Mackey, who has started the past six games and has thrown for 1,112 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions this season.
Nutt announced Tuesday that Mackey and sophomore running back Jeff Scott have been suspended for Saturday’s game for violating team rules.
The Rebels aren’t the only team with quarterback questions.
With senior quarterback Jordan Jefferson stealing more and more snaps from fellow senior Jarrett Lee each week, it’s become a guessing game as to which signal-caller will take the field each drive.
“We recognize that both quarterbacks are guys that this team counts on and that both will contribute in similar fashions as they have in the past,” Miles said. “I think there is enjoyment with both guys taking snaps.”
While there may be questions as to who will be under center for the Tigers, one thing is certain — Ole Miss fans won’t be too fond of him.
“I don’t think they like anybody that comes in in a different jersey going in their stadium, especially with us being No. 1,” sophomore defensive tackle Michael Brockers said. “It’s going to be really rowdy.”
 
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Contact Mark Clements at [email protected]