Ole Miss turned a pair of first-half Memphis turnovers into touchdowns, showed a surprising run game and had little problem beating the Tigers 48-28 on Saturday night at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
The No. 16 Rebels continued to use Chad Kelly’s arm and Jason Pellerin’s legs. Kelly threw for 361 yards, a touchdown and a pick on 30-of-44 passing, and Pellerin had a pair of short rushing touchdowns.
What it means: The Rebels took the Tigers seriously, aggressively attacking on their opening drive. They went 90 yards for a 7-0 lead and were never in danger (close to it in the third quarter, though) of losing the lead. They did what was necessary and have their first win streak of the season. Memphis cut a 24-7 lead to six points in the third quarter, but unlike what happened against Florida State and Alabama, the Rebels responded and rebuilt the lead.
Ole Miss will carry a top 15 ranking and a two-game win streak into its bye week. That is necessary momentum with road games next up at Arkansas and at LSU. The Rebels have put together eight straight solid quarters of football (Saturday’s third quarter was so-so) after playing only half games led to early losses to the Seminoles and Tide.
What I liked: There was a lot to like, namely the running game. Without rising freshman D’Vaughn Pennamon in an already depleted group, Ole Miss had 263 rushing yards on 44 carries. Junior Eugene Brazley had 124 yards on 13 carries, a whopping 9.5 yards per touch. Senior Akeem Judd went over 100 yards for the first time in his career with 108 yards on 15 carries (7.2 yards per carry).
What got lost in the running success after the first half was Pellerin’s role. Kelly is one of the best quarterbacks in the country, but Ole Miss is showing it isn’t scared to use one of its other super-talented quarterbacks. Pellerin, a redshirt freshman, scored a pair of rushing touchdowns in the first half. They came on short runs of one and three yards.
Threatened in the third, Kelly answered in a big way. When the Tigers cut the lead to 27-21, he had a touchdown pass to Evan Engram to extend the lead. On the 97-second drive, he was 4-for-5 for 48 yards. It’s only fair to mention the catches his receivers continue to make. Engram had one of those in the third quarter, and Damore’ea Stringfellow’s grab-it-at-the-high-point-in-traffic catch set up Brazley’s 6-yard touchdown run for a 41-21 lead.
Ole Miss’ tempo is tough to keep up with. Throwing Pellerin in the mix with the right calls at the right times intensifies the pressure.
What I didn’t like: Ole Miss’ defense was fierce up front, and that caused three picks, one of them Zedrick Woods’ pick-six. The unit also had a fumble recovery. With that good, there was also bad. Two explosive plays led to touchdowns. Riley Ferguson hit Anthony Miller for 41 yards on Memphis’ first touchdown drive.
On Memphis’ drive to cut the Rebels’ lead to six, Ferguson had a 19-yard completion to Sam Craft and a 17-yard pass to Miller on a 3rd-and-5 that put the Tigers at the Ole Miss 23. Those were part of a 99-yard drive. Ole Miss was without leading tackler, linebacker DeMarquis Gates, for a violation of team rules. And in fairness, Miller is a stud. He had 10 catches for 132 yards.
Who’s the man: Van Jefferson was the Rebels’ most-improved player in the spring. The redshirt freshman is proving to be quite a weapon. Jefferson had a team-high 7 catches for 79 yards. He doesn’t mind catching the ball in the middle of the field and is standing out in a group that’s not easy to stand out in.
Key play(s): How about a key play and a key player making plays? After Memphis cut the lead to six, Brazley had a 17-yard run into Memphis territory and an 11-yard run to set up Engram’s touchdown. The play: Stringfellow had one of those earlier-mentioned catches, a 29-yard grab to the Memphis 6 to set up Brazley’s first touchdown run.
