OXFORD — Chad Kelly’s collegiate career has reached an early and unexpected conclusion.
Ole Miss confirmed the senior quarterback will miss the remainder of the season after he suffered a serious knee injury (torn ACL and a torn lateral meniscus) during Saturday’s 37-27 victory over Georgia Southern.
Kelly will undergo season-ending surgery this week.
The injury occurred at the 9:27 mark of the third quarter after Kelly dropped back to pass on a second-and-2 and was hit by Eagles linebacker Ukeme Eligwe.
Kelly got up, walked to the sideline and was replaced by backup quarterback Jason Pellerin, who threw for 19 yards and rushed for 29 in a relief role.
Ole Miss’ medical staff looked at Kelly’s right knee in the medical tent, and he headed to the locker room shortly after. He walked back to the sideline later in the quarter and spent most of his time sitting on the bench.
“I didn’t see it because it wasn’t a run play or anything,” coach Hugh Freeze said immediately after the game. “He just said after he stepped and threw somebody rolled into him and said it’s on the outside part of his knee, which is typically not the worst of cases. We won’t know until the MRI.”
Offensive coordinator Dan Werner called Kelly the toughest guy he's ever coached after the game.
Kelly’s season ends with 2,758 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also rushed for 332 yards and five scores. He finished his Ole Miss career, which spanned 22 games, with 6,800 passing yards and 832 rushing yards, while accounting for 65 total touchdowns.
Kelly originally attended Clemson where he was dismissed for conduct detrimental to the team in 2014. He attended East Mississippi Community College after that and then joined Ole Miss’ program.
He was named MVP of the Rebels’ 2016 Sugar Bowl victory against Oklahoma State.
Kelly is third in Ole Miss history in passing yards, fourth in career completions, third in career passing touchdowns and third in career total offense.
Pellerin, a redshirt freshman from Louisiana, is the only other quarterback who has played for the Rebels this season.
He’s been used mostly in short-yardage running situations. Pellerin has thrown for 53 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in 13 pass attempts. He’s rushed for 96 yards and three scores on 25 carries.
"You always have to prepare for (days) like (Saturday)," Pellerin said after the game. "You're one play away from getting in there, so you always have to prepare like you're the starter. Preparing throughout the week got me ready for that moment."
After the game, Freeze was asked about how much confidence he has in Pellerin if Kelly wasn’t available for Ole Miss' upcoming game at Texas A&M on Saturday (6:30 p.m., SEC Network).
“You just have to see how the week goes,” Freeze said. “Obviously, he would get all the reps getting ready, if that’s the case. We’ll cross the bridge when it comes. You’ll have confidence to do whatever you’re practicing next week for sure.”
The Rebels (4-5) want to redshirt highly-touted true freshman quarterback Shea Patterson. He hasn’t suited up the past three games.
The status of Patterson's redshirt came into question after Kelly’s injury on Saturday, and Freeze wanted to avoid pulling the redshirt off Patterson but didn’t deny he would.
"That would be very difficult for me to do at this point," Freeze said. "But again, everything is so new right now. Let's just see what (Sunday) brings and we'll go from there."
Ole Miss confirmed the senior quarterback will miss the remainder of the season after he suffered a serious knee injury (torn ACL and a torn lateral meniscus) during Saturday’s 37-27 victory over Georgia Southern.
Kelly will undergo season-ending surgery this week.
The injury occurred at the 9:27 mark of the third quarter after Kelly dropped back to pass on a second-and-2 and was hit by Eagles linebacker Ukeme Eligwe.
Kelly got up, walked to the sideline and was replaced by backup quarterback Jason Pellerin, who threw for 19 yards and rushed for 29 in a relief role.
Ole Miss’ medical staff looked at Kelly’s right knee in the medical tent, and he headed to the locker room shortly after. He walked back to the sideline later in the quarter and spent most of his time sitting on the bench.
“I didn’t see it because it wasn’t a run play or anything,” coach Hugh Freeze said immediately after the game. “He just said after he stepped and threw somebody rolled into him and said it’s on the outside part of his knee, which is typically not the worst of cases. We won’t know until the MRI.”
Offensive coordinator Dan Werner called Kelly the toughest guy he's ever coached after the game.
Kelly’s season ends with 2,758 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also rushed for 332 yards and five scores. He finished his Ole Miss career, which spanned 22 games, with 6,800 passing yards and 832 rushing yards, while accounting for 65 total touchdowns.
Kelly originally attended Clemson where he was dismissed for conduct detrimental to the team in 2014. He attended East Mississippi Community College after that and then joined Ole Miss’ program.
He was named MVP of the Rebels’ 2016 Sugar Bowl victory against Oklahoma State.
Kelly is third in Ole Miss history in passing yards, fourth in career completions, third in career passing touchdowns and third in career total offense.
Pellerin, a redshirt freshman from Louisiana, is the only other quarterback who has played for the Rebels this season.
He’s been used mostly in short-yardage running situations. Pellerin has thrown for 53 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in 13 pass attempts. He’s rushed for 96 yards and three scores on 25 carries.
"You always have to prepare for (days) like (Saturday)," Pellerin said after the game. "You're one play away from getting in there, so you always have to prepare like you're the starter. Preparing throughout the week got me ready for that moment."
After the game, Freeze was asked about how much confidence he has in Pellerin if Kelly wasn’t available for Ole Miss' upcoming game at Texas A&M on Saturday (6:30 p.m., SEC Network).
“You just have to see how the week goes,” Freeze said. “Obviously, he would get all the reps getting ready, if that’s the case. We’ll cross the bridge when it comes. You’ll have confidence to do whatever you’re practicing next week for sure.”
The Rebels (4-5) want to redshirt highly-touted true freshman quarterback Shea Patterson. He hasn’t suited up the past three games.
The status of Patterson's redshirt came into question after Kelly’s injury on Saturday, and Freeze wanted to avoid pulling the redshirt off Patterson but didn’t deny he would.
"That would be very difficult for me to do at this point," Freeze said. "But again, everything is so new right now. Let's just see what (Sunday) brings and we'll go from there."