After a dominant Week 1 performance from the Rebels, Hugh Freeze is now at a delicate crossroads facing his second non-conference matchup of the season Saturday.

Should he play his starters as he would normally? Or does he aim to build a lead and conserve their health for Alabama on Sept. 19?

Freeze probably believes he has several good reasons for keeping his main players out on the field against Fresno State. While quarterback Chad Kelly put on a brilliant performance against UT-Martin, Freeze has maintained his message of ambivalence concerning the position. All three will play against the Bulldogs to give Freeze further opportunity to evaluate.

After reviewing tape from last week, Freeze also expressed his desire for more explosive scoring plays on offense, a stylistic detail that makes sense to improve if you have a team who’s displayed solid ability to score in every other way. Explosive plays are how you can expect Alabama and Auburn to score, so Ole Miss must be able to do the same to stay competitive. Working on those plays, however, also requires putting your starters on the field.

As a matter of practice, Freeze should of course have his starters play the first half of Saturday’s matchup against Fresno State. But keeping his starters in unnecessarily could end up being a grievous mistake, even if the offense’s explosive plays are not where Freeze wants them to be. A quick glance at the tragic preseason injuries suffered by key players during NFL preseason games tells you everything you need to know about that.

It doesn’t matter that the Fresno State football team mostly consists of freshmen and sophomores. It also doesn’t matter the Bulldogs are still trying to finalize their quarterback. One wrong juke, and Ole Miss could lose a starter for the season.

Everyone would love to see Kelly work his magic and throw touchdowns. Everyone would also love to see if Robert Nkemdiche is capable of more 30-yard touchdown receptions. But everyone would not love either of them getting injured right before the Rebels have to make the trip to Tuscaloosa, especially not if Kelly increasingly appears to be the best option at quarterback.

Freeze is walking a fine line now that his current depth chart has proven its strength. Not only do we hope that he makes a decision at quarterback soon, but we hope he is just as strategic around the use of the rest of his starters as well.

FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS CLOSER LOOK

Top returning player, offense: Marteze Waller, RB — Last season, he rushed for 1,368 yards. During last week’s game against Abilene Christian, he rushed for 154 yards over 22 carries. While he didn’t contribute any points, he was crucial in setting up scoring opportunities by successfully converting third downs.

Top returning player, defense: Ejiro Ederaine, LB — Now that Ederaine is completely healthy, his breadth of playmaking ability has opened to its full arsenal. Two seasons ago, Ederaine accounted for 10 sacks, 16.5 tackles for a loss, and 62 total tackles. Last week, he had 1.5 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 5.5 tackles, and a leaping interception.

Top returning player, special teams: Garrett Swanson, P — During the Bulldogs season opener, Swanson kicked off seven times and four went for touchbacks. His experience on special teams will serve the team well during this season.