Junior quarterback Chad Kelly and the Rebel offense broke numerous school records as No. 22 Ole Miss cruised to a 38-17 victory vs. No. 15 LSU Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, reclaiming the Magnolia Bowl trophy for the fourth time.
The victory marked the third for the Rebels (8-3, 5-2 SEC) this season against a top-15 team. Ole Miss racked up 432 yards of total offense, including 361 total yards from Kelly. As a team the Rebels broke the school record for most points in a single season (445), single-season passing yards (3,768) and single-season touchdowns (57).
Kelly finished the night 19-of-34 with 280 yards and two touchdowns. He also led the Rebels’ rushing attack with 12 carries for 81 yards and two more scores.
Despite losing the time of possession battle by a large margin (LSU – 36:15, Ole Miss – 23:45), the Rebs’ defense also did its job holding the nation’s leading rusher to a minimum, and forced three Tiger turnovers. Leonard Fournette entered the game averaging 163.8 yards per game, but was held to 119 yards on the night. Quarterback Brandon Harris was intercepted twice and finished 26-of-51.
Two Ole Miss defenders stepped in front of Harris and tallied their first interceptions of their careers, including one from senior Christian Russell in the second quarter, and another from freshman Zedrick Woods in the third quarter.
Junior receiver Laquon Treadwell paced the eight Rebels receivers who hauled in catches, tallying 58 yards on four receptions with one score. Evan Engram also finished with a touchdown reception, the last of the game, a 36-yard score from Kelly at the 3:35 mark.
Ole Miss jumped out to a quick 24-0 lead in the second quarter before the Tigers responded with 17 unanswered just after half. Gary Wunderlich put the Rebels up first and for the duration at the 12:41 mark of the first quarter with a 32-yard field goal.
Following a quarter of no scoring, Jaylen Walton put the Rebels up 10-0 at the 12:30 mark of the second quarter on a 2-yard TD carry. Five minutes later, Kelly followed with a 5-yard TD run of his own, his first of four total touchdowns, to extend the early advantage to 17-0.
Christian Russell benefitted from a Mike Hilton breakup and picked off a Harris pass four minutes later and returned it 37 yards to the LSU 11-yard line, setting up a Kelly to Treadwell 11-yard TD pass at the 3:24 mark, pushing the score to 24-0.
From there, Harris found Tyron Johnson for a 39-yard strike just before half, cutting into the Rebels’ lead, 24-7. Following the halftime break, LSU kicker Trent Domingue split the uprights with a 43-yard field goal to make it 24-10.
The ensuing kick, handled by Walton, was fumbled, and LSU took over at the Rebels’ 35-yard line. That turnover set up a TD run on which a fumble occurred at the 10:04 mark of the third quarter, making it a one-score contest, 24-17.
The Tigers’ comeback stopped there, though, as Kelly went on to account for the final two scores, an 11-yard run at the 7:34 mark of the third quarter, and the 36-yard TD pass to Engram.
Ole Miss closes the 2015 regular season next Saturday at Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. Kickoff from Davis-Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi, is set for 6:15 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
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Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports
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