Rapid reaction: Ole Miss rights the ship
A quick look back at the Ole Miss rout of New Mexico State. The Rebels rolled to a 52-3 win in Oxford.
What it means: It means Ole Miss gets a win and hopefully gets healthy. The injured list for the Rebels was long, but many of those were bumps and bruises that could have used a week off. They got it. After a game with Memphis next week — where some players might get another week off — Ole Miss might be healthy enough to be on an even level with Texas A&M when it visits Oxford in two weeks.
What I liked: Ole Miss seemed to put the nightmare of the Florida loss last week in the rear view mirror. Many teams would have come out with a sub-par performance against a sub-par team, but after a shaky start on defense, the Rebels did not look like a team looking back to Florida. They looked like they were looking forward to the rest of the year.
What I didn’t like: The Rebels still must address their problems on offense inside the red zone and stopping third down conversions on defense.
To start the game, Ole Miss drove the ball to a first-and-goal and three runs later, it kicked a field goal. On New Mexico State’s first possession, it converted three third downs to lead to a field goal to tie the game 3-3.
The Rebels improved during the game, but those are becoming a trend Ole Miss cannot afford to have in the future.
Who’s the man?: Chad Kelly. The Ole Miss quarterback started hot, completing his first 11 passes and did not cool off. He ended up throwing for 384 yards. In six games, the Buffalo, N.Y., native has thrown for over 300 yards in four of them. He tossed three touchdowns including a 66-yarder to Markell Pack and a 37-yarder to Laquon Treadwell. Kelly also ran for a touchdown.
Key play: Okay, there was no real key play, but there was a highlight play that is second only to the bad-snap-throw-it-up-for-grabs-deflected touchdown against Alabama. In the third quarter, Treadwell put a double move on a New Mexico State defensive back and was wide open. Kelly’s pass was a little overthrown and toward the sideline, but Treadwell threw up his big right paw and snagged the ball, regained his balance and waltzed into the end zone. This one will be on highlight shows for awhile.
Who’s next?: Ole Miss makes the short drive up Interstate 55 to take on the surging Memphis Tigers next week.