Chad Kelly (Photo by: Cameron Brooks)
This year’s Chad Kelly is a different quarterback, mature and accountable, a player learning to refine his decision-making both in and out of the pocket. With last year’s defeat to Arkansas fresh in his mind, Kelly is taking personal responsibility for his team while learning from the mistakes that cost Ole Miss a potential spot in the 2015 Southeastern Conference Championship.
“I missed on a Cali route. I missed on a glance, and I missed on a drag route coming across the field. If I hit three of those then I think we would have won the game and were probably in the SEC championship game. The game is a game of inches, and we’ve just got to keep on working,” Kelly said.
Often criticized for throwing into coverage when under pressure, the senior from Buffalo, New York, insists that he’s working on making smarter, more conservative throws when the chips are down.
“In practice, instead of throwing it 10 yards out and the guy’s sitting right there and just kind of lofting it, throw it 30 yards over his head and sail it out of bounds into the stands,” Kelly said. “I just got to keep on practicing that. That’s kind of who I am; I like slinging it around and sometimes that’ll get the best of me and the defense will make a good play on it. I just got to make sure if it’s not there to throw it away.”
Part of the problem could stem from just how good the Ole Miss receiving corps is. Kelly has grown accustomed to seeing his receivers make the kind of plays of which other receivers dream. Practicing day in and day out with nationally recognized players like Evan Engram, A.J. Brown and Damore’ea Stringfellow among others turns out to be quite the confidence booster.
“I see those guys every single day make fantastic catches and do this and that. That’s where I get it in my head that, hey, they can make a play right here. Like I said, if it’s not there just throw it away. You’ve got to take everyday for what it’s worth and keep on getting better at it,” Kelly said.
While Kelly’s ability to recognize his own weaknesses is invaluable, what makes Kelly such an elite college quarterback is the standard to which he holds himself. For Kelly, good just isn’t good enough.
Last week against Memphis, he threw for 361 as the Rebels earned their third victory of the season. That, however, isn’t what Kelly focuses on. He is more concerned with the number of interceptions he threw than the number of touchdowns.
“I think there was about three or four plays that I wish I could have had back. Coach Freeze was like, ‘Man, you could have had the post a couple times, three times,’ but we still completed all three balls to different guys and we got 15-20 yards and a first down,” Kelly said. “He’s happy and I’m taking what the defense gives me. The only thing he’s not happy with is me throwing it off my back foot in the red zone when we’re up by 30 points. I’m just going to keep on working. It’ll take time; it’s got to start at practice.”
Ole Miss and Arkansas won’t face off until next Saturday, which gives Kelly plenty of time to reflect and prepare for the battle. Kelly knows it won’t be easy: Arkansas has plenty of weapons that could hurt any team in the country, but the confidence he has in his team is hard to miss.
“They’re a very good team. They do the same stuff they’ve been doing; that’s who they are. That’s what they do. They recruit well; they bring those guys along, and I think they’re big, physical, and can run a little bit,” Kelly said. “We’re going to have to play a really good game, a good, solid execution game, and just take care of the football, and we should win.”
