Although losing star quarterback Chad Kelly to a season ending-knee injury is a huge blow, the goal for Ole Miss is still to somehow make it to 6-6 and finish the year with a bowl game. The question remains, however: what option at quarterback will give the Rebels the best chance to win at least two games and not leave the season empty-handed?
Right now, the obvious first option is Jason Pellerin, who has served as the backup quarterback all year and played in the second half against Georgia Southern. There’s a collection of non-quarterbacks who have seen some practice time under center just in case they are needed, such as tight end Evan Engram, wide receiver Markell Pack, offensive tackle Jeremy Liggins, who was featured as a goal-line-quarterback last year, and tight end Dawson Knox. Ultimately, though, the competition comes down to Pellerin and freshman Shea Patterson.
Most of the discussion about the quarterback competition centers around Patterson, as the plan before Kelly’s injury was to redshirt him. Because of the planned redshirt, Patterson has not seen the field this season, and playing him now would result in losing a possible year of eligibility for the former five-star recruit. Head Coach Hugh Freeze is rightly cautious about inserting Patterson into the starting lineup this late in the season.
For me, the decision comes down to two questions that are incredibly hard to predict. Does Ole Miss feel that it has a substantially better chance of winning two games if Patterson plays over Pellerin, and is Patterson likely to leave school early to enter the NFL Draft?
With the second question, it’s pretty much impossible to tell what a player will do two years from now, but if the coaches feel like there’s no chance Patterson stays four years, then they might as well get him some playing time on Saturday. Since his size is not exactly the NFL norm, I think there’s a significant chance he stays four years, which makes me think redshirting him could be the better option in the long run.
As for the question of who will give the Rebels the best chance to make a bowl game, I think it’ll be a tough decision. From the high school highlights and limited number of throws I’ve seen in practice, Patterson might already be the better passer, but Pellerin has the edge in game experience and running ability, although Patterson is no slouch moving outside the pocket as well. If the coaching staff feels Pellerin can lead the Rebels to a bowl game, then I side with Patterson keeping his redshirt.
The final three games will be challenging no matter who’s passing for the Rebels, as Texas A&M at Kyle Field is an extremely difficult environment for a quarterback’s first start, Vanderbilt is improving and has an impressive defense, and out of nowhere, Mississippi State bounced back last week and upset the former No. 4 team in the nation. While he could make plenty of freshman mistakes, there’s a good chance Patterson’s passing ability makes him the better option on Saturday.
Despite this, I’m still not sold that one quarterback really gives the team a significantly better chance at winning than the other. Both are very inexperienced and will be facing tough competition. It’s a tall task to ask a redshirt and true freshman quarterback to lead this team at this point of the season, and I don’t think it’s worth playing Patterson unless the coaching staff feels he’s the only way for the Rebels to reach a bowl game.
Barring the Rebels bringing in an experienced quarterback to compete, next year’s starter will almost certainly be Pellerin or Patterson. On one hand, playing Patterson would be valuable experience for who might be the eventual starting quarterback, but I’m not confident that he will boost the Rebels’ chance at winning significantly enough to burn his redshirt. For now, there’s nothing else to do but wait and see who will man the Ole Miss offense on Saturday.
