Southeast Missouri State @ Ole Miss preview

Mississippi looks to improve to 2-0 for the second straight year and follow up an exciting come-from-behind win in its opener when it hosts FCS opponent Southeast Missouri State on Saturday. The Rebels needed a 75-yard touchdown scamper by Jeff Scott to pull out a season-opening win over Vanderbilt, but a loss in their second game - and only home contest among their first five this season - will set back Mississippi's bowl hopes. The Redhawks are hoping to rebound from an ugly 45-7 loss in its opener against Southeastern Louisiana.

Playing a FBS school promises to be a daunting task for Southeast Missouri State, which has to hope the Rebels won't have much familiarity with the Redhawks' option-heavy offensive attack. Ole Miss did well against the run last week but Vanderbilt doesn't concentrate on the run as much as Southeast Missouri State. The Rebels have won two straight against FCS opponents and are looking to extend their current three-game winning streak, which is the team's longest since the 2009 season.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN3. LINE: None

ABOUT SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE (0-1): Despite the 38-point loss in the season opener, Redhawks coach Tony Samuel isn't hitting the panic button just yet. Eleven players made their first career start for Southeast Missouri State in the game, with six making their collegiate debuts. “The old saying, it's never as good as it seems and it's never as bad as it seems,” Samuel said at his weekly press conference. “The score was bad. The effort of our players was very good."

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI (1-0, 1-0 SEC): The Rebels were excited about the play of their freshmen in the opener, particularly tight end Evan Engram (five receptions, 61 yards) and wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, who had nine receptions for 82 yards. Treadwell's nine catches set a school record for a freshman and earned him Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week honors for the performance. “He's come in and done everything we've expected him to do this season,” quarterback Bo Wallace told the Daily Mississippian.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Sophomore DeMichael Jackson led the Redhawks in rushing in its opener with 61 yards on eight carries after gaining 20 yards during the entire 2012 season.

2. Mississippi suffered a couple of injury losses in the win over Vanderbilt, with LB Denzel Nkemdiche lost for four to six weeks with a meniscus injury and OG Aaron Morris out for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

3. This will be the first meeting between the two schools but the Redhawks are 0-4 against current SEC schools, getting outscored 147-10.

PREDICTION: Mississippi 42, Southeast Missouri State 7