Mississippi quarterback DeVante Kincade passes the ball during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game against Louisiana-Lafayette in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014. (DM Photo | Cady Herring)
In the Rebels’ 48-0 blowout of Presbyterian Saturday, the offense totaled 640 yards; over 400 of those yards came on the ground. It was safe to say that the way the Rebels bounced back after two consecutive losses is the best aspect of the game.
Another important takeaway from the game was the play of both redshirt freshmen backup quarterbacks, DeVante Kincade and Ryan Buchanan.
Senior quarterback Bo Wallace will be moving on after this season. The question of who will replace him come the 2015 season will most certainly come down to Kincade and Buchanan.
The future looked bright Saturday, as both signal-callers led touchdown scoring drives in the second half.
Kincade finished the game with an efficient 7-8 passing for 70 yards with one touchdown. Kincade also rushed 34 yards on seven carries.
Buchanan was also efficient through the air, going 6-7 passing for 28 yards.
Kincade showed more promise as he displayed poise and potential as a dual-threat at quarterback.
Getting live game reps is rare for Kincade, especially since Wallace is the mainstay for the quarterback position. The live reps Kincade received Saturday were a confidence booster.
“It felt great. I’ve been working hard all week trying to prepare for the opportunity,” Kincade said. “You have to do what you got to do. You have to go out there and finish the job for (Wallace). It felt good out there getting live reps.”
Kincade made the most of his opportunities. With 8:23 left in the third quarter and a 35-0 lead at hand, Kincade placed a perfect 31-yard touchdown pass to the left corner of the end zone to sophomore Derrick Jones, increasing the lead to 42-0. Kincade helped lead the Rebels on an 8-play, 71-yard drive that lasted just over three minutes.
Kincade gave credit to the preparation he gets during practice for his success on Saturday.
“I felt real comfortable,” Kincade said. “Coach (Dan) Werner does a great job getting us ready and helping me with confidence. It helped for sure.”
Despite the efficient performance from Kincade passing, he feels as if more can be done to showcase his abilities and help his team out.
“I have way more to give. I felt like I could’ve done way more,” Kincade said. “I didn’t want to be stopped one time. That was my mindset. Once you come in, I didn’t want to be stopped and score every chance I get.”
Bo Wallace has led the Rebels to great success during the 2014 campaign with an 8-2 record and a SEC West title still at stake. As a backup, the thought of one day getting your chance to play circulates through your head.
The same thought has passed by Kincade, as next spring practice will be his time to prove himself as the potential starter for the 2015 season.
“I’ll be honest, yes, it is hard. I think about it before I go to sleep every night. Spring ball is coming, and I know it’s coming soon,” Kincade said about not looking ahead to his opportunities in the spring practices coming up. “I have to prepare like the starter regardless. When it does come, I’ll be comfortable and confident, and I won’t worry about messing up the playbook or anything like that.”
