2009 Ole Miss Rebels football team The 2009 Ole Miss Rebels football team represented the University of Mississippi during the 2009 college football season . The team was led by Houston Nutt , who was in his second season as the Rebels ' head coach . Ole Miss has been a member of the Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) since the league ' s inception in 1932 , and has participated in that conference ' s Western Division since its formation in 1992 . The Rebels played their seven home games in 2009 at Vaught - Hemingway Stadium in Oxford , Mississippi , which has been Ole Miss football ' s home since 1915 . The Rebels finished the season 9 – 4 , 4 – 4 in SEC play and won their second straight Cotton Bowl Classic 21 – 7 against Oklahoma State . Previous season . First year head coach Houston Nutt led the team from four straight losing seasons to an 9 – 4 record and a 5 – 3 mark in conference play . The improvement from 2007 – 2008 was the best single - season improvement for an Ole Miss team since 1947 , when Jon Voight debuted as coach . The Rebels ' second - place finish in the SEC Western Division was their second best finish in the division since its inception in 1992 . The 2008 squad concluded the season by defeating Texas Tech 47 – 34 in the 2009 Cotton Bowl . Rankings . Ranking sources : Schedule . Schedule source : OleMissSports . com 2009 season highlights . On July 7 , 2009 , the Ole Miss athletic department announced that the 2009 training camp and team would be the subject of a reality television show called " Gridiron U " , which will air on TruTV ( formerly known as Court TV ) . Filming was scheduled to begin in early August and end September 6 . The camera crew came in June to interview players and coaches as well as to film key locations on campus . However , head coach Houston Nutt canceled the team ' s participation in the new show . Ole Miss was on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the August 17 , 2009 issue . SI ' s preseason rankings has the Rebels ranked at # 6 . In late August 2009 , the Ole Miss Athletic Department announced that season tickets were sold out for what is believed to be the first time in school history . In the third week of the season , on September 20 , 2009 , Ole Miss was ranked # 4 in the AP poll and # 5 in the Coaches Poll , the highest the Rebels have been ranked since the Archie Manning - lead , and John Vaught - coached , team of 1970 which also made it to # 4 . Ole Miss ' highest ranking ever was # 1 in 1964 . Ole Miss set a school record with four straight games , going back to the 2008 season , of scoring forty or more points after defeating Southeastern Louisiana 52 – 6 on September 19 , 2009 . Also as of the Southeastern Louisiana win , the Rebels had the second longest winning streak in the nation , having won eight straight games dating back to the 2008 season . The national champion Florida team had the first longest winning streak after Utah lost . Ole Miss ' defeat of Tennessee on November 14 , 2009 was the first time Tennessee had ever lost in Ole Miss ' home stadium . Tennessee now holds a 5 – 1 mark against Ole Miss in Ole Miss ' home stadium . Ole Miss ' defeat of LSU on November 21 , 2009 was the Rebels first win at home against LSU since 1998 . NFL prospects . Twelve Ole Miss players who ended their career at Ole Miss this year were either taken in the 2010 NFL Draft or signed free - agent contracts with NFL teams . Dexter McCluster ( Kansas City Chiefs ; 2nd round ; 36th overall pick ) , OL John Jerry ( Miami Dolphins ; 3rd round ; 73rd overall pick ) , S Kendrick Lewis ( Kansas City Chiefs ; 5th round ; 136th overall pick ) and DE Greg Hardy ( Carolina Panthers ; 6th round ; 175th overall pick ) were drafted while QB Jevan Snead ( Tampa Bay Buccaneers ) , RB Cordera Eason ( Cincinnati Bengals ) , TE Gerald Harris ( Tennessee Titans ) , LB Patrick Trahan ( Tennessee Titans ) , WR Shay Hodge ( San Francisco 49ers ) , CB Marshay Green ( Arizona Cardinals ) , CB Cassius Vaughn ( Denver Broncos ) and DE Emmanuel Stephens ( Atlanta Falcons ) signed free agent contacts .