An electrifying beginning to the Shea Patterson era saw the Rebels put together a fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Texas A&M Aggies 29-28. After a slow start on offense and more of the same for the nation’s 102nd ranked defense, the Rebels went into halftime with a 21-6 deficit, but that’s when the team we thought we’d see all season showed up.
In front of 104,000 screaming fans, Patterson in the first half looked like a true freshman making his first start. The second half was a different story; starting with his first touchdown pass, which had analysts and fans alike recognizing that reversing field before throwing to a wide open Damore’a Stringfellow was Johnny Manziel-esque, especially at Kyle Field.
After cutting the lead to 21-13, Patterson continued to show the poise and drive that not many would expect from a true freshman seeing his first action of his college career. After missing a wide open Evan Engram, Patterson took another shot down the field. Assisted by an incredible one-handed catch, Patterson hit Stringfellow for a 40-yard gain, setting up a 21-yard TD run by Akeem Judd on the very next play. An unsuccessful two-point conversion left the Rebels trailing 21-19 with 12 minutes remaining.
After an 11-play, touchdown drive for the Aggies, hope for the Rebels seemed slim trailing by nine points. Patterson and the Rebel offense responded with an efficient 75-yard drive, resulting in a beautifully thrown 32-yard TD to Van Jefferson in the back of the end zone. With the lead cut to three points, the land sharks came out to stuff the Aggie offense and get the ball back into the hands of the freshman phenom. Taking three minutes off the clock, Patterson made safe decisions leading the Rebels into field goal range, where Gary Wunderlich kicked a go-ahead, 39-yard field goal with 37 seconds remaining.
While Patterson outplayed exceptions, he couldn’t have done so without the Rebel defense playing their best game of the season. After allowing 21 points in the first half, the landsharks shut the Aggie offense down and held them to just one touchdown in the second half. Sealed by a Deontay Anderson interception, the Rebels came away with the improbable victory.
Patterson finished the game with 338 yards in the air and 402 total yards, both the most by a freshman in Ole Miss history. For all the talk of whether or not the redshirt would be pulled, Patterson told ESPN’s Kaylee Hartung after the game that the decision to pull the redshirt wasn’t about him.
“It wasn’t about the redshirt. Chad (Kelly) was the man. I wasn’t expecting to play until next year. It was never about the redshirt. It was about the seniors, for John Youngblood and Chad Kelly and all those guys. I’m just happy to have done it for them.” Patterson said.
Freeze, who has been recruiting Patterson since the 9th grade, shared his thoughts on how his new QB played in his first start on one of college football’s biggest stages and discussed his decision to pull Patterson’s redshirt.
“I’ve known all along that he’s had that ‘it’ factor…he can run, he can throw. At the end of the day, he makes plays and really doesn’t get rattled by a lot,” Freeze said. “I would tell y’all if I was surprised, but I’m really not.
“I knew I’d be criticized either way. It was a fairly easy decision once I knew Shea and his parents were on board. I can’t preach ‘team’ all year long and then look at Evan Engram and Fadol Brown and everyone else and say ‘I’m not going to give you the best chance to win.’”
Overshadowed by Patterson’s performance was the defensive effort that the Rebels showed in the second half. The Rebels defense held the Aggies to 342 total yards, far better than the 449 per game they have been allowing. Freeze had a very simple answer for the difference in his defense on Saturday night.
“The difference tonight was we stopped the run, won on first down, and we didn’t kill ourselves by screwing up a call or a coverage,” Freeze said.
Jason Pellerin entered the game early on, but after a sack fumble in the red zone, Pellerin did not return to the field. With Patterson’s dual-threat nature, Pellerin may not get as many chances in the coming weeks. The Rebels were able to out-rush the Aggies, behind a 100-yard performance from Akeem Judd, and Patterson’s 64 yards on the ground. On the offensive line, true freshman Greg Little held one of the nation’s best defensive ends, Myles Garrett, to just one tackle. Freshmen made plays all over the field for the Rebels, including WR A.J. Brown with a big reception on a scoring drive for the Rebels late in the game. Perhaps we are beginning to see freshmen grow up here late in the season, giving a lot of reasons for optimism even after a year plagued by injuries, close calls and frustrating outcomes.
The Rebels now sit at 5-5, one game away from becoming bowl eligible. The Rebels will take on Vanderbilt this Saturday in Nashville at 7 p.m. eastern on the SEC Network, and travel back home where they will look to win their third straight Egg Bowl. While the loss of Chad Kelly was devastating to Rebel nation, one thing is certain after this victory: the Shea Patterson era has officially begun.
Steven Gagliano is a writer for HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at steven.gagliano@hottytoddy.com.
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