Head Coach Hugh Freeze said that Eugene Brazley waited his turn. An undisclosed injury to freshman D’Vaughn Pennamon gave him that chance, and Brazley certainly made the most of it.
The junior running back carried the ball 13 times for 124 yards and a pair of scores as he and Akeem Judd, who had 108 yards of his own, catalyzed an Ole Miss run game that racked up 263 yards and four total scores in its 48-28 win over Memphis.
“We worked really hard on a plan to rush the ball against these guys,” Freeze said.” They do some different stuff, so you can always be one play behind against them because they are so multiple in what they do.”
Freeze said they developed a check system that benefitted Brazley because of his patience running the football.
“He has a little bit more of a burst once he gets that crease and I’m excited for him. He’s a great kid and has kind of waited his turn,” Freeze said.
The balanced attack took pressure off of quarterback Chad Kelly who led the Rebels 89 yards on its opening drive before Jason Pellerin finished off the last three feet in what was one of his two rushing touchdowns on the night. Kelly finished 30-44 for 361 yards and a touchdown pass on the night.
Brazley averaged 9.2 yards per rush and Judd posted an average of 7.2 in his 15 carries.
“It’s huge. It opens up the passing game. We had a really good game plan going in,” Kelly said.
Memphis didn’t go down easy, however. After Ole Miss poured on 14 straight to start the game, junior quarterback Riley Ferguson and the Tigers put together a 64-yard drive for a score. Ferguson was 30-46 for 343 yards. He moved the ball for the Tigers, and extended plays with his feet. Memphis had drives of 64, 75, 99 and 80 yards.
“Really happy to get this one over with,” Freeze said. “They’re a very dangerous team that’s going to win a lot of football games.”
But Ferguson’s downfall came with his three interceptions. Memphis had four turnovers on the night.
“Coach Freeze and Coach (Dave) Wommack challenged the (defensive backs) all week on getting the ball and we need more turnovers,” defensive back Zedrick Woods said. “We set a goal for six and came out with four.”
Zedrick Woods steps into the end zone after an interception returned for a touchdown. (Photo by: Ariel Cobbert)
Woods certainly did his part. He had two picks, one of which he returned 32 yards for a touchdown. The pass rush was in the face of Ferguson all night, though Ole Miss had its fair share of missed tackles and only recorded two sacks.
“You have to get to the quarterback and make a play. We were there and didn’t. Again it is very difficult, I don’t care how good your DBs and linebackers are,” Freeze said. “If you change them having to cover from three seconds to six seconds, it is tough.”
The secondary answered the call to a degree as the trio of interceptions doomed Memphis.
“It feels good to know we are back on track in getting turnovers,” Woods said.
Memphis made Ole Miss earn it though. After a 99-yard drive in the third quarter, the Tigers trailed 27-21 with just a couple of minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Kelly and the offense returned their foot to the pedal and scored three more times.
“It heightened our awareness a little bit, but we just kept on fighting,” Kelly said.
The win got the Rebels (3-2, 1-1) over the .500 mark as it eases into a much-needed bye week before taking on Arkansas and LSU as it dives into the meat of its SEC schedule. Ole Miss has two weeks to catch its breath before going on the road for the first time in over a month.
“We’ve got a lot of kids out. Some are not coming back, obviously,” Freeze said. “It gives some of the younger kids, let’s quit game planning for half the practice and work on technique.”
