Ailing Rebels seek bowl eligibility

BATON ROUGE, La. — Bo Wallace’s right, throwing shoulder hurts like a son of a gun.

Six straight weeks of getting leveled by SEC pass rushers and by defenders who love getting clean shots at quarterbacks running option keepers rendered the Ole Miss starter inoperative earlier this week when he sat out a practice.

But Saturday afternoon in Tiger Stadium before a national TV audience, Wallace will be propped up and ready to fight another day as the Rebels (5-5 overall, 2- 4 in the SEC’s Western Division) take on No. 7 BCS ranked LSU (8-2, 4-2 West).

“A lot of our guys are beat up,” Wallace said. “But everybody knows we’ve got two games left to get to a bowl game. So when you have to win one more game (to earn bowl eligibility with a sixth win), it doesn’t matter if you’re banged up or hurt.”

The Rebels, who have split the last four games with LSU, have played quite well in Tiger Stadium over the last 15 years. In their last eight trips to Baton Rouge dating to 1997, Ole Miss is 4-4. The four Ole Miss losses have been by a combined 17 points.

“It’s quite clear to me the rivalry that this is, and how well Ole Miss usually plays LSU,” Ole Miss firstyear coach Hugh Freeze said. “I’m sure (LSU) coach (Les) Miles will put an understanding on his kids that Ole Miss will come with their best shot. I know they’ll be prepared.”

Unfortunately for the Rebels’ defense, which has faded badly the last two weeks in part because of a lack of depth, LSU’s offense has awakened from a seasonlong slumber.

In its last two games, a heartbreaking last-second 21-17 loss to then-No. 1 Alabama on Nov. 3 and a 37-17 victory over Mississippi State last Saturday, LSU has completed 43 of 65 passes for 571 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. LSU has also converted on 19 of 35 third downs and hasn’t had an offensive turnover.

Junior quarterback Zach Mettenberger, shaky for most of the season as a first-time starter operating behind an offensive line revamped after early injuries, is in rhythm. Last Saturday, he became the first Tiger to throw for 250 yards or more in consecutive SEC games since Matt Flynn against Auburn and Alabama in 2007.

“I’m now comfortable with all our guys,” Mettenberger said. “And everyone is executing their assignments.”