Louisiana @ Ole Miss preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 13, 2014 ) UL Lafayette 15, Mississippi 56

Coming off its first road win in nearly a year, Ole Miss will look to build on the momentum of last week's thrilling win over Kentucky as it hosts Louisiana Lafayette on Saturday afternoon. The Rebels scored the go-ahead touchdown with five seconds remaining in a 37-34 win over the Wildcats, and would love nothing more than to repeat the feat against Louisiana before closing out the season with two difficult games.

Ole Miss is ineligible for a bowl game this season due to a self-imposed ban, but it's clear the Rebels still want to finish on a high note in what has been an up-and-down season. Quarterback Jordan Ta'amu was sensational for the second straight game in place of injured starter Shea Patterson, throwing for 382 yards and four touchdowns - including the game-winning strike to D.K. Metcalf in the corner of the end zone with time winding down. Ole Miss returns home to face a Louisiana team that kept its flickering Sun Belt title hopes alive with a 17-14 triumph over South Alabama. The Ragin' Cajuns have won three of four following a three-game losing streak.

TV: Noon ET, SEC Network. LINE: Ole Miss -20

ABOUT LOUISIANA (4-4): The Ragin' Cajuns handed the offense to freshman quarterback Levi Lewis last week, and he responded by passing for 110 yards and two touchdowns and adding 129 yards on the ground in the pivotal victory over the Jaguars. His rushing contributions bolster a solid Louisiana rush attack that has produced 18 touchdowns and averages 4.3 yards per carry this season. The passing game hasn't been quite as prolific, with eight receivers accounting for the Cajuns' 11 scores through the air.

ABOUT OLE MISS (4-5): The Rebels put themselves in position to win with four consecutive defensive second-half stops after struggling to rein in the Kentucky offense in the early going. “One of the biggest adjustments is that we had a pressure package dialed up, and I felt like for some reason we weren’t blitzing with a lot of speed,” defensive coordinator Wesley McGriff told reporters afterward. “We decided at halftime, based on the roster they were giving in the run game, that we were going to go with a certain front in coverage.” Ole Miss finishes its schedule with games against Texas A&M and Mississippi State.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Ta'amu has passed for 750 yards while accounting for six touchdowns in his past two games.

2. Ole Miss has scored points on 94.4 percent of its red-zone visits, the 10th-best rate in Division I.

3. Louisiana ranks 10th in the 12-team Sun Belt Conference in total yards.

PREDICTION: Ole Miss 45, Louisiana 27