OXFORD – The lingering effects of the flu appeared to be behind Ole Miss on Saturday night. At times the lingering effects of the Memphis game were not.

In the end the No. 5-ranked Rebels won decisively against Southeastern Louisiana, a Football Championship Sub-Division (I-AA) opponent, 52-6 before a Vaught-Hemingway Stadium crowd of 58,119.

The Rebels (2-0) have now surpassed the 40-point mark in four-straight games for the first time in school history.

Ole Miss has won eight straight games dating back to last season, the Rebels’ longest win streak since 10 straight wins spanning the 1971-1972 seasons.

“We've practiced all this time and only played one game. We haven't been able to get outside much lately, and I thought our timing was off a little bit, especially early,” Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt said.

With just five days before their SEC opener at South Carolina on Thursday, the Rebels could move up in the rankings today after No. 3 Southern Cal was upset at Washington.

Southeastern had scored 110 points in two games, one against a Division III opponent, the other against an NAIA foe. Against Ole Miss the Lions (2-1) didn't cross the goalline but amassed 301 yards, 11 first downs and two field goals.

Southeastern was 0-for-14 on third-down conversions and turned the ball over five times, leading to 21 Ole Miss points.

“I saw some improvement. Except for the opening series of the second half I thought we played really well,” defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix said.

Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead completed only 50 percent of his passes in the first half.

“There will be times when receivers drop balls, and there will be times when I don't throw good passes,” Snead said. “I don't think any less of those guys, and I don't distrust them at all. I have all the faith in the world in them.”

Snead and his receivers both hit their stride in the second half. The Rebels’ junior QB finished 16-for-28 (57.1 percent) for 209 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

The highlight of the passing game was Snead's 29-yard toss to freshman Patrick Patterson, who made a diving catch for a score.

“I thought we finished strong. I thought Jevan threw the ball really well. We had decent protection most of the time, and our backs ran hard,” Nutt said.

The offense, featuring a new starter up front with sophomore guard Rishaw Johnson in place of Brandon Green, got a lot of production from its running game. Sophomore Brandon Bolden ran strong with 105 yards on 13 carries. He stiff-armed two Southeastern defenders as he turned the corner on a 44-yard run to the 2 to set up a short Enrique Davis touchdown for the game's first points.

Bolden had 105 yards in the first half, keeping the chains moving as the Rebels built a 24-0 lead. Snead had touchdown passes of 5 yards to fullback Andy Hartmann and 4 yards to Shay Hodge, and Joshua Shene hit a 42-yard field goal.

“We didn't necessarily play great, but we still put up some good points. We have a long way to go, but we're getting there. We definitely saw some improvement from the last game,” Snead said.

The Ole Miss defense forced three Southeastern turnovers in the first quarter, an interception and two fumbles.

“We've got to get in the training room and get ready. Tomorrow is like a Tuesday for us. We've got a quick turnaround,” Nutt said.