Chad Kelly lines up under center. (Photo taken by Cameron Brooks)
Scoring 149 points in two games is no easy task, but the Rebels accomplished that goal with a 73-21 win over Fresno State Saturday afternoon at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
The 149 points in two games easily leads the country as Ole Miss statistically has the best offense in the country.
The season opener against UT-Martin featured a strong showing of the running game, but against Fresno State, the fans at Vaught-Hemingway saw tickets to an air show along with a football game.
The strong passing attack was led by junior transfer Chad Kelly. Kelly totaled five touchdowns in the first half, four through the air and one on the ground. Kelly finished the game 20-25 passing for 346 yards and five total touchdowns.
It was a strong enough performance that head coach Hugh Freeze felt comfortable enough to name Kelly the starter for the rest of the season. He’ll get his first road SEC start next Saturday at Alabama.
Kelly seemed to click with his receivers from the very start of the game. Kelly found junior wide receiver Quincy Adeboyejo three times in the end zone, which included a 50-yard score in the 1st quarter and a 44-yard score in the 2nd quarter. Adeboyejo finished the day with five catches for 120 yards and three touchdowns.
Kelly also clicked with senior wide receiver Cody Core. The first score of the day came from a 14-yard Kelly pass to Core in the corner of the end zone to take the early 7-0 lead.
While Kelly and the passing attack stole the show, the running game also had a presence for a second straight week with 215 yards rushing. 10 different players received a carry with six of them reaching double-digit numbers in yards.
The offensive line was a big question coming into the week with the status of junior left tackle Laremy Tunsil. Tunsil sat out for a second game in a row as a precautionary measure with his NCAA investigation.
Senior Fahn Cooper took the place of Tunsil at left tackle and freshman Sean Rawlings slid into Cooper’s spot at right tackle.
However, the offensive line may have taken a big hit with the injury to junior center Robert Conyers. Conyers took a hit to his lower body and left the game with a right leg injury late in the 2nd quarter.
The defense may have given up 21 points to Fresno State, but the ball-hawking ways of the defense continued for a second straight week. In his first game back, senior linebacker C.J. Johnson made his presence known with an interception of Bulldog quarterback Chason Virgil in the 3rd quarter and returned it to the Fresno 20-yard line.
For the second week in a row, senior safety Trae Elston returned an interception for a touchdown. With 9:39 left in the third quarter, Elston intercepted Virgil and returned it 38 yards for the score, which made it 49-14 Ole Miss.
The 2-0 Rebels hit the road for their first SEC road game of the season next Saturday at Alabama. Kickoff is set for 8:15 CT.
