OXFORD, Miss. -- Ole Miss defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy leaned on his crutches, resting his sprained left ankle.

"They're gonna have to cut my foot off to keep me off the field on Saturday," Clancy said on Monday. "I'm throwin' these crutches down. I'm ready to play right now."

	Ole Miss quarterback Romaro Miller has circled Saturday's game as one of the Rebels' key contests.

Such a passionate statement is an indication of the magnitude of Saturday's Southeastern Conference Western Division battle here at a sold-out Vaught-Hemingway Stadium between Alabama (No. 13 ESPN/USA Today, No. 11 AP) and the No. 22 Rebels.

There will be a national stage because the game is a CBS telecast, the first for Ole Miss since 1997. The game has key implications on the league race since the Rebels are 5-1 overall, 2-1 in the West and Alabama is 4-1 and 3-0.

As much as Ole Miss fans thought that beating Auburn on Sept. 25 was the end all because it gained revenge over former coach Tommy Tuberville, it pales in comparison to battling 'Bama.

"This is the biggest game I've ever played in," Ole Miss senior offensive tackle Todd Wade said. "This game means more to our program and our fans than anything. If we want to get to the next level, we have to win this game."

The next level means consistently beating ranked teams in the regular season. The next level means being ranked teams weekly. The next level means challenging for a conference championship.

The Rebels haven't had that type of season or that opportunity since 1990 when they went 9-3. They finished tied for second in the SEC with a 5-2 record behind league champion Tennessee (5-1-1) which beat the Rebels, 22-13, in Memphis in a November showdown.

"Before the season, we looked at the schedule and felt like this (Alabama) game would be the first real big game we'd have," Rebels' junior quarterback Romaro Miller said. "With both teams ranked, it's as big as we thought it would be."

It's also big because it's a CBS national telecast rather than regional. The Rebels view it as their chance to spread the message about their program to poll voters.

"It's a chance to impress people," said Clancy, a senior from 'Bama's backyard of Tuscaloosa. "I know people look at us and say, `Ole Miss, why are they in the Top 25?' Most people don't know even four players on our team.

"This game is for respect. This game could put us over the hump. Playing big-time games like this is why you play college football."

The Rebels are cognizant that they haven't exactly been a juggernaut this season. They rank in the middle of the pack in the league in total offense and total defense, though they sport the nation's second best rushing defense.

But in two of the past three games, first-year Ole Miss coach David Cutcliffe's team has seen improvement.

The offense, which sputtered early because of preseason injuries and the newness of Cutcliffe's system, has had more positives lately than negatives. Running back Joe Gunn ranks second in the SEC behind Alabama's Shaun Alexander in both rushing (106.2 yards per game) and all-purpose yards (130.3).

Thanks to perfect placekicker Les Binkley (9-of-9 field goals), the Rebels have scored points 15-of-18 times (83.3 percent) inside the opponents' 20.

A defense that allowed too many big plays in Ole Miss's first three games has held the last three opponents to averages of 13.3 points and 30 yards rushing.

Toss out Saturday's penalty-filled win over Tulane, and there have been more signs of late that the Rebels are on the verge of playing well in every phase.

"I think we saw a little bit of us playing well as a team against South Carolina (a 36-10 win on Oct. 2)," Rebels' senior free safety Ronnie Heard said. "But we've been up and we've been down."

Clancy seconded the notion.

"We're 5-1 and haven't played a good game yet," he said. "I think it's time for us to put it together because the SEC race is wide open. For instance, Alabama loses to Louisiana Tech, then beats Florida. Auburn beats LSU, then we beat Auburn."

Aside from the stunning 37-34 overtime loss to Vanderbilt on Sept. 18, the Rebels haven't taken too many steps backward. Cutcliffe seems satisfied just past his team's midway point in the season.

"Our team knows it's good enough to play with anybody, but we have to play well to do it," said Cutcliffe, who with a win over 'Bama can join Harry J. Mehre as the only two coaches in history to start their Rebel careers at 7-1. "I told our team that the more you win, the bigger the next game gets."

Wade would like the Rebels to finish the job they started last year in a 20-17 overtime loss at Alabama.

Ole Miss gained 471 yards against the Tide, but only managed two touchdowns and a field goal in six trips inside the Tide 11 in regulation play.

"I've never been on a team that's beaten Alabama, and it really hurts the way we lost last year," Wade said. "We don't want it happen to again."

With all the contributing elements of Saturday's game, Cutcliffe figures he won't have to trot out any rah-rah speeches.

"This team is hungry," Cutcliffe said. "Right now, we control our own destiny."

(Ron Higgins writes for The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn..)