Memphis Tigers vs Mississippi Rebels Box Score on Oct 01, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Oct 1, 2016

Chad Kelly threw a touchdown pass for the 18th straight game and the Ole Miss defense came up big when it counted most and the No. 16 Rebels defeated Memphis 48-28 on Saturday night at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss.

Kelly completed 30 of 44 passes for 361 yards. His 12-yard strike to Evan Engram late in the third quarter put a halt to any thought Memphis had of coming back from a 20-point deficit and pulling off an upset.

And upset was definitely on the minds of both the Tigers and the Rebels, even though Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze earlier in the week downplayed the result of last year's game.

In that game, Memphis defeated Ole Miss 37-24 and ended the Rebels' hope of reaching the College Football Playoff.

Fast forward to Saturday and the Rebels (3-2) made sure history would not repeat.

The Tigers had taken control in the third quarter and sliced the deficit to 27-21. Memphis (3-1) had momentum after quarterback Riley Ferguson led the Tigers on a 13-play, 99-yard scoring drive that was highlighted by a successful fake punt and a key pass interference penalty.

Ole Miss needed someone to step up and make a big play. Kelly was just the man. The senior led the Rebels on a seven-play, 65-yard drive completing four passes, the final one to Engram to put Ole Miss back in control.

Kelly's streak of 18 straight games with a touchdown pass is second only to Clemson's DeShaun Watson. Ironically, Kelly started his college career at Clemson and appeared in five games for the Tigers before being dismissed from the team.

Kelly's Memphis counterpart, Ferguson, finished 30 of 46 for 343 yards. He didn't throw a touchdown pass and was intercepted three times.

Memphis, which had allowed only 27 points all season, gave up 24 in the first half.

Kelly and Pellerin carved up the Memphis defense in the first quarter.

First it was Kelly who began a 13-play scoring drive. He completed five passes and ran for eight yards before giving way to Pellerin on the Memphis 16-yard line. Three plays later, the Tigers struck first on Pellerin's 1-yard plunge.

Ferguson, who was coming off a Heismanesque like performance in a 77-3 win over Bowling Green, found the going a much different against the vaunted "Landshark defense." Against Bowling Green, he threw for 209 yards and four touchdowns -- in the first quarter.

The only touchdown pass he threw in the first quarter on Saturday was when his pass intended for tight end Evan Engram was intercepted by Zedrick Woods and returned 31 yards to put the Rebels up 14-0.

The Tigers showed quick-strike ability when Anthony Miller scampered around right end from 7 yards to cap a four-play, 62-yard drive on the first play of the second quarter to make the score 14-7.

NOTES: Ole Miss is the only school in the country to have faced three Top-15 opponents in the first four weeks of the season. ... After Saturday's win, the Rebels lead the series with Memphis 49-11-2. ... With the victory over Bowling Green last week, Mike Norvell became the only first-year head coach in Memphis football history to win his first three games. ... Heading into Saturday's game, Ole Miss's Evan Engram led all tight ends in the nation with 26 catches and 397 receiving yards. On Saturday, he added four receptions and 82 yards to those totals. ... If it's Homecoming, Rebel fans are almost assured of being happy. Ole Miss has now won 18 of the last 20 homecoming games.