After months of practice and speculation regarding the quarterback position, junior transfer Chad Kelly and redshirt sophomores Ryan Buchanan and Devante Kincade finally got the chance to compete in a game instead of in practice.
Kelly took the first snap of the game and played more than the other two, rushing for a 20-yard touchdown and completing nine of his 15 passes for two touchdowns and one interception that bounced off the hands of junior wide receiver Laquon Treadwell.
“I know this isn’t probably the answer that everyone wants to hear, but I like all three right now. Chad (Kelly) certainly played well. He did seem comfortable, probably much more comfortable than I anticipated him being,” head coach Hugh Freeze said. “Love the way that he is engaged with the defense and the special teams. He’s really into the game and a competitor, as are the others too.”
Buchanan and Kincade were also efficient in the game, with Buchanan completing four of six passes for 58 yards and two touchdowns, and Kincade completing six of his seven pass attempts for 55 yards and a touchdown and adding 24 yards on the ground.
“I thought Ryan (Buchanan) played well, I thought (DeVante) Kincade did some really nice things too,” Freeze said. “Because of the way the game was going, we probably didn’t get to see him make too many reads. But we’ll get him ready and see how the game goes.”
Freeze doesn’t expect a change in the rotation based on Saturday’s game.
“Chad will start next game provided everything goes well this week,” Freeze said. “I like all three. I thought they played well as a unit.”
Co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Dan Werner was also satisfied with the quarterback play.
“I was pleased,” Werner said. “We had the one interception, and I’m not sure what happened on that, looked like a little miscommunication. Other than that, they were really accurate and threw for a bunch of yards. It looked like we made really good decisions.”
Kincade and Buchanan were happy with their performances as well, with Kincade saying he felt he did better with pocket passing, something he’s been working on this offseason.
“I felt I did good, made good decisions, moved the ball, ran well, and delivered the ball on third downs while staying in the pocket,” Kincade said.
Buchanan had two big scores for the Rebels, but was most satisfied with what he didn’t do.
“I feel like I played fine. I had two touchdowns,” Buchanan said. “I protected the ball, which was the biggest thing really. I didn’t care too much about my numbers, just that I didn’t turn the ball over.”
Kelly was also pleased with the group’s performance.
“Anytime you score 76 points it’s a good day, I thought all of us did really well from a quarterback perspective,” Kelly said. “Missed on a couple of throws, but there’s always room for improvement.”
“I’m just excited we were able to go out and have a great victory,” Kelly said.
