Louisiana Tech @ Mississippi preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 6, 2007 ) Louisiana Tech 0, Mississippi 24

THE STORY: Coach Houston Nutt is in his final weeks at the helm of Mississippi regardless of how the Rebels finish the season, but he still has a shot at ending his tenure in Oxford, Miss., with a winning record, a goal that likely will require a victory Saturday against Louisiana Tech. Nutt is out at the end of the season, athletic director Pete Boone announced Monday, after losing 12 straight SEC games, including last week's 30-13 loss to Kentucky. He is 24-23 in four seasons at Ole Miss. The Bulldogs have won four straight and are favored to beat the Rebels for the first time since 1946, which would make them bowl-eligible. Ole Miss leads the all-time series 9-1.

TV: CSS. LINE: Louisiana Tech -2.5.

ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (5-4): The Bulldogs lost four of their first five games, but the losses included a two-point defeat at Southern Mississippi, a one-point home loss to Houston and a six-point overtime loss at Mississippi State. Louisiana Tech's offense clicked in last week's 41-21 victory at Fresno State as junior quarterback Colby Cameron passed for a career-high 358 yards and four touchdowns, and Lennon Creer added 113 rushing yards and a score.

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI (2-7): The Rebels have lost four straight since a non-conference win at Fresno State on Oct. 1. The first three were to ranked opponents - and they nearly upset Arkansas - but the loss to Kentucky was the final straw. The Wildcats had lost their previous four conference games by an average of 32 points.

EXTRA POINTS:

1. Ole Miss kicker Bryson Rose has made 17 consecutive field goals dating to last season, the longest active streak in the nation and one shy of the SEC record set by Tennessee's Fuad Reviez in 1984.

2. Louisiana Tech has not won five consecutive games since 1999, when it won six straight en route to an 8-3 record.

3. The Bulldogs' secondary has been a thorn in the side of opposing quarterbacks, ranking fifth in the nation with 15 interceptions and returning three for touchdowns, third-most in the nation.

PREDICTION: Louisiana Tech 23, Mississippi 21 - The Rebels will rally around Nutt and keep it close, but the Bulldogs are tough against the run, and Ole Miss lacks a dynamic passing game.