Fadol Brown throws up the landshark after making a tackle during Ole Miss’ win over Georgia Southern. Hugh Freeze said the team has learned to celebrate the wins this year and that he’s proud of them. (Photo by: Cameron Brooks)
With a green turf stain dotted on the back of his red uniform, quarterback Chad Kelly gingerly walked into the tunnel and out of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium favoring his right leg. Even in its triumphs– this one a 37-27 win over Georgia Southern for its first victory in a month– adversity has engulfed a team that has had its fill of it this year.
“We’ve learned to celebrate the wins this year,” Head Coach Hugh Freeze said. “Everything is a fight and a challenge. I am proud of our young men, as shorthanded as we were.”
The game was a struggle for a 4-5 Ole Miss team that is now faced with uncertainty at quarterback, as the team watched its best playmaker exit the game in the third quarter with a right knee injury. An Eagle defender rolled under him as he took a step forward to make a throw. After the game, Freeze said he did not know the severity of the injury and will wait on the results of an MRI Sunday.
Kelly told his head coach that it was the outer part of his knee, which sprung optimism in Freeze’s mind.
“He said it is the outside part of his knee, which is typically not the worst of cases, but we won’t know until the MRI,” Freeze said.
Georgia Southern quarterback Kevin Ellison points at the defense before a play. (Photo by: Cameron Brooks)
As it has been for much of this 2016 season, nothing came easily for Ole Miss. Aside from the challenges of playing an 11 a.m. game against an inferior opponent, a defense that has had issues stopping the run this year was tasked with containing an option attack that is averaging nearly 250 rushing yards per game.
Success didn’t come immediately, as Ole Miss fell behind 14-3 early on by way of a Kevin Ellison 29-yard touchdown pass and a nine-yard scoring rush. He finished 7-16 for 134 yards and a score while also rushing 16 times for 54 yards.
“They did some things that weren’t on film, and they did a really nice job of coaching and had us going a little bit in the first half,” Defensive Coordinator Dave Wommack said. “We did some things at halftime and gave them some different fronts and a few different change-ups in stunts inside and made a couple of double checks that helped us a lot. I thought our guys came out and played much better in the second half.”
The Rebel defense held Georgia Southern to just 46 yards on the ground in the second half.
The offense came out of its dormant state in the second quarter and scored 28 points that gave the Rebels a 31-21 lead at the half. Kelly was 16-23 for 223 yards and one touchdown before he was injured. He also ran for two scores.
“I was proud of how our guys picked it up,” Offensive Coordinator Dan Werner said. “The last four drives of the half, I think, we had four touchdowns, so I was happy with that.”
Jason Pellerin attempts to dodge a tackle from Joshua Moon during the second half. Pellerin finished the day with four carries for 29 yards in Ole Miss’ 37-27 victory over Georgia Southern.
Second-string quarterback Jason Pellerin manned the ship for the remainder of the game as Ole Miss clung tightly to its lead.
When the dust settled, Ole Miss escaped with a much-needed win as it put a trying month of October in the rearview mirror. But uncertainty lies on the horizon as it was hit with another wave of adversity. All the Rebels can do now is wait on the results of the MRI and hope for the best.
“He just told us to keep fighting and that he’s alright,” Akeem Judd said of what Kelly told his teammates after the game.
A simple, yet fitting, message for a team that has had to scrap for everything this year amid a slew of injuries and defensive inefficiencies. It fought against an early kickoff and a quirky offense. It fought in the second half with a backup quarterback, and it fought defensively giving up just 144 yards total in the second half.
It will need to fight in the last three games as the Rebels vie for bowl eligibility. Trips to College Station and Nashville loom the next two weeks.
Uncertainty is the only thing certain about this team’s future, but the optimism is still present.
“I know this,” Werner said. “Of any guy I have ever coached, if there is a possibility of whatever injury that is that any human being could play, he will play. I can tell you that because he is the toughest guy I have ever coached.”
