Ole Miss quarterback Shea Patterson out for the season

After losing for the fourth time in five games, Ole Miss will now be without quarterback Shea Patterson for the rest of the season.

Amid the cloud of Hugh Freeze’s messy departure, sophomore quarterback and former top recruit Shea Patterson is a beacon of light for the future of the Ole Miss football program. Even amid a stretch of three losses in four games heading into Saturday night against LSU, Patterson was playing well.

But Patterson struggled against the Tigers defense, throwing three interceptions and completing just 10 of 23 passes for 116 yards in a 40-24 loss. But Patterson also left the game for a time after suffering a right knee injury, and an MRI after the game confirmed a torn ligament and the worst news possible.

Patterson suffered a torn poster cruciate ligament in his right knee, and he’s done for the season. He’ll finish the 2017 campaign with 2,259 passing yards, 17 touchdown passes, nine interceptions and a completion rate of 63.5 percent.

At 3-4 this season, the Rebels can still post a winning record this year under interim head coach Matt Luke. Junior signal caller Jordan Ta’amu saw the first action of his career against LSU, and he went 7-for-11 for 78 yards along with 20 rushing yards in place of Patterson.

Ta’amu is in line to start next week against Arkansas, and probably beyond barring a significant injury of his own. The schedule does not look incredibly difficult either, with Alabama and Auburn already in the rearview mirror and the SEC-esque non-conference game coming against Louisiana-Lafayette on Nov. 11.

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Ole Miss won’t be going to a bowl game this year, due to a self-imposed postseason ban stemming for Freeze’s misdeeds. But if they can get past Patterson’s injury and finish pretty strong, Luke’s case to become the permanent head coach would be bolstered.