The University of Mississippi Athletics
Big Plays Highlight Season-Opening Win
9/5/2015 | Football, Blog
Offense, defense and special teams. Ole Miss dominated all three aspects of the game as the 15th-ranked Rebels routed UT Martin 76-3 in the season opener. The 60,186 fans, mostly dressed in white, anticipated an exciting start to the 2015 season.
The offense exploded, racking up 662 total yards. In his Rebel debut, starting QB Chad Kelly threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran one in for the Rebels. Quarterbacks Ryan Buchanan and DeVante Kincade, who have been in competition for the starting job this offseason, also had big games. Buchanan completed 4 of 6 passes for two touchdowns. Kincade also hit 6 of his 7 targets for 55 yards and a touchdown. Head coach Hugh Freeze was pleased with the effort of his starting quarterback.
"I thought Chad Kelly's performance was really solid," Freeze said. "Kelly did miss a touchdown throw, and probably could have thrown one a little bit better on the fade to Laquon Treadwell early in the game, but outside of that I think he had a solid day. We will get back to watching film, but I felt pretty good about him out there."
The quarterbacks hit 11 different receivers today. One of those receivers was defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche, who caught a 31-yard touchdown on a play-action pass coming out of the backfield. The 6-4, 296-pounder lined up at fullback, sneaked into the flat, caught a ball from Buchanan, and tiptoed down the sideline for his first touchdown of his career. Laquon Treadwell caught four balls for 44 yards in his debut since his injury.
"Treadwell looked explosive, but it was an average performance," Freeze noted. "It was really good seeing Laquon get tackled and be able to bounce back up, but he just has to get back out there and get some more plays."
The offense was balanced, with 338 yards on the ground. Jaylen Walton scored the first points of the game on a 60-yard scamper early in the first quarter on the first play of the second drive. He would finish the day with two touchdowns. Sophomore Eugene Brazley and redshirt-freshman D.K. Buford both added touchdowns on the ground.
The defense was effective, as they held the UT Martin offense to 290 yards and three points. Trae Elston intercepted UT Martin quarterback Jarod Neal and took it 93 yards to the house. The Landshark defense negated the Skyhawks on third down as they only converted 2 of 17 third-down conversions.
The special teams looked great for the Rebels after a shaky start. After the 60-yard run by Walton, the Rebels showed they aren't scared to go for two. They opened their first PAT in a swinging gate formation. A direct snap to the up-back fell just short of the goal line. They would bounce back from an effort from Robert Nkemdiche, as he plowed through the line and blocked a 23-yard field goal attempt. Punt returner Carlos Davis also had a nice play off of a rugby-style punt. He eluded a defender a split second after fielding the bouncing ball, and took it 58 yards into UT Martin territory, which would lead to six.
Freeze was pleased with the effort of his team.
"It was a good first day for us. (UT Martin head coach) Jason (Simpson) is a great friend of mine. The score was a little top-sided. I told him afterwards that I am not sure what I could have done differently and he was great. To be excited for all of our young kids to get in and make plays, and to see them enjoying the game of football, it is very rewarding."
The Rebels look to continue improving this week as they get set to kick off next Saturday against the Fresno State Bulldogs. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. and will be broadcasted on ESPN or ESPNU.
The offense exploded, racking up 662 total yards. In his Rebel debut, starting QB Chad Kelly threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran one in for the Rebels. Quarterbacks Ryan Buchanan and DeVante Kincade, who have been in competition for the starting job this offseason, also had big games. Buchanan completed 4 of 6 passes for two touchdowns. Kincade also hit 6 of his 7 targets for 55 yards and a touchdown. Head coach Hugh Freeze was pleased with the effort of his starting quarterback.
"I thought Chad Kelly's performance was really solid," Freeze said. "Kelly did miss a touchdown throw, and probably could have thrown one a little bit better on the fade to Laquon Treadwell early in the game, but outside of that I think he had a solid day. We will get back to watching film, but I felt pretty good about him out there."
The quarterbacks hit 11 different receivers today. One of those receivers was defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche, who caught a 31-yard touchdown on a play-action pass coming out of the backfield. The 6-4, 296-pounder lined up at fullback, sneaked into the flat, caught a ball from Buchanan, and tiptoed down the sideline for his first touchdown of his career. Laquon Treadwell caught four balls for 44 yards in his debut since his injury.
"Treadwell looked explosive, but it was an average performance," Freeze noted. "It was really good seeing Laquon get tackled and be able to bounce back up, but he just has to get back out there and get some more plays."
The offense was balanced, with 338 yards on the ground. Jaylen Walton scored the first points of the game on a 60-yard scamper early in the first quarter on the first play of the second drive. He would finish the day with two touchdowns. Sophomore Eugene Brazley and redshirt-freshman D.K. Buford both added touchdowns on the ground.
The defense was effective, as they held the UT Martin offense to 290 yards and three points. Trae Elston intercepted UT Martin quarterback Jarod Neal and took it 93 yards to the house. The Landshark defense negated the Skyhawks on third down as they only converted 2 of 17 third-down conversions.
The special teams looked great for the Rebels after a shaky start. After the 60-yard run by Walton, the Rebels showed they aren't scared to go for two. They opened their first PAT in a swinging gate formation. A direct snap to the up-back fell just short of the goal line. They would bounce back from an effort from Robert Nkemdiche, as he plowed through the line and blocked a 23-yard field goal attempt. Punt returner Carlos Davis also had a nice play off of a rugby-style punt. He eluded a defender a split second after fielding the bouncing ball, and took it 58 yards into UT Martin territory, which would lead to six.
Freeze was pleased with the effort of his team.
"It was a good first day for us. (UT Martin head coach) Jason (Simpson) is a great friend of mine. The score was a little top-sided. I told him afterwards that I am not sure what I could have done differently and he was great. To be excited for all of our young kids to get in and make plays, and to see them enjoying the game of football, it is very rewarding."
The Rebels look to continue improving this week as they get set to kick off next Saturday against the Fresno State Bulldogs. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. and will be broadcasted on ESPN or ESPNU.
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