When LSU travels to Ole Miss for the teams' 96th meeting Saturday afternoon, several Rebels will be reminded of where they came from. That is because the Ole Miss roster boasts 20 players who are from Louisiana. One such player, senior running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, grew up just about an hour from Baton Rouge in New Orleans. Green-Ellis earned All-District honors at St. Augustine High School, but he said LSU never really came into the recruiting equation. "Going through the recruiting phase, LSU was a place that was nice and all, but I decided to go elsewhere," Green-Ellis said. Elsewhere was Indiana University where Green-Ellis spent two seasons playing for former LSU coach Gerry DiNardo. When DiNardo was fired, Green-Ellis decided to return to the South and now serves as the Rebels' leading rusher with 967 yards and five scores. Green-Ellis said playing his home state team is not any different than playing any other Southeastern Conference contest. "We're just going out [to] have fun, play football and just execute our plan," Green-Ellis said. "Whatever happens on the field happens." Ole Miss senior and Monroe native Robert Lane said playing against the nation's No. 1 team is a big deal, but it is not because of his ties to the Pelican State. "Of course it's a big game," Lane said. "LSU's ranked No. 1 in the country, and everybody knows that. And it'll be a big game for us. To me, I'm treating it like basically another SEC football game. That's what it is." Lane's ties to LSU run a bit deeper than Green-Ellis'. The former star quarterback prospect compiled gaudy stats as a four-year starter at Neville High School. Following in his father and uncle's footsteps, Lane actually committed to LSU but changed his mind at the last second. Now, he serves as the team's starting tight end and has accounted for 17 catches and 133 yards this season. "The first time that we played against [LSU], it was kind of a big deal," Lane said. "Now it's just another SEC game. You want to play good in every game. You don't want to say, 'I [have] to step my game up this week because we're playing LSU this week, and I'm from Louisiana.'" Even Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron calls Louisiana home and is in a similar boat with Lane. "I signed with LSU," Orgeron, a Galliano native, said in a press conference. "Not only did I grow up a fan, but I signed a full scholarship to play there and spent the early part of my freshman year there. So I kind of know what it is to play there." Even though he has not coached in Louisiana since a one-year stint at Nicholls State in 1994, Orgeron said he still has several close ties in the state. "I have a lot of good friends in Louisiana," Orgeron said. "I still have some very close friends that are LSU fans. There are some very good people there that I'm very close to." Orgeron reminisced about growing up and watching the LSU-Ole Miss rivalry and seeing legends like former Rebel quarterback Archie Manning and former LSU coach Paul Dietzel. Lane said the rivalry may not be as prominent as in years past, but it is always an exciting game. "It's a big rivalry. It always has been," Lane said. "We've played them close the last two out of three years. We're expecting a good game this year also." "We're not going to a bowl game, but we've got to treat this game and then also the Mississippi [State] game like bowl games. It's not going to take much for us to get excited about playing this game," he said. Green-Eillis said he can only imagine what it would feel like to knock off the No. 1 team in the country. "I really couldn't tell you," Green-Ellis said. "I guess I assume it would feel good. If we win the game, I can call you up on Monday and let you know how it feels."

--- Contact Keith Claverie at kclaverie@lsureveille.com