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Chad Kelly Takes Blame for Alabama Loss
Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly fakes the handoff to Akeem Judd and spots an open receiver downfield. at Vaught-Hemmingway stadium Saturday during the Ole Miss v Alabama game. (Photo by Bill Barksdale)
After a hard-fought game against No. 1 Alabama, quarterback Chad Kelly took the blame for the 48-43 loss against the Crimson Tide.
“It’s on me,” Kelly said. “I gave them a free 14 points just like that. As a quarterback you can’t do that. It stinks that I’m sitting up here saying that again, but I have to correct it because it’s on me. If I don’t turn the ball over like that, we probably win the game.”The No. 17 Rebels took a 24-3 lead.
Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly throws downfield. (Photo by Bill Barksdale)
The No. 17 Rebels (1-2, 0-1 SEC) took a 24-17 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Kelly was 26 of 41 for 421 yards and three touchdowns for the day and committed two turnovers that Alabama converted to touchdowns.
Following the game Coach Hugh Freeze said, “He did a lot of great things. But he is going to be the first to tell you he is upset with the turnovers. You have to protect the ball at all costs.”
Despite the loss, Kelly tied a school record held by Eli Manning throwing a touchdown pass in 16 consecutive games. To tie the record he connected with a wide-open Evan Engram on the 63-yard TD.
by HottyToddy.com’s Editor-In-Chief Russ Jones. He may be reached at russ.jones@hottytoddy.com.
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| Sat, Aug 31 |  | vs Furman | W, 76-0 |
| Sat, Sep 7 |  | vs Middle Tennessee | W, 52-3 |
| Sat, Sep 14 |  | @ Wake Forest | W, 40-6 |
| Sat, Sep 21 |  | vs Georgia Southern | W, 52-13 |
| Sat, Sep 28 |  | vs Kentucky | L, 20-17 |
| Sat, Oct 5 |  | @ South Carolina | W, 27-3 |
| Sat, Oct 12 |  | vs LSU | L, 29-26 (2 OT) |
| Sat, Oct 26 |  | vs Oklahoma | W, 26-14 |
| Sat, Nov 2 |  | @ Arkansas | W, 63-35 |
| Sat, Nov 16 |  | vs Georgia | W, 28-10 |
| Sat, Nov 23 |  | @ Florida | L, 24-17 |
| Sat, Nov 30 |  | vs Mississippi State | 2:30 PM ABC |
Cindy
September 18, 2016 at 9:39 am
please correct Clemson Tide and consider hiring a copy editor. not for post, just a suggestion
Ann Tharp
September 18, 2016 at 8:36 pm
Chad Kelly is not the lone one to blame for the loss – football is a team sport and has coaches that make decisions!
George
September 19, 2016 at 8:12 am
Part of blame on Freeze also for poor coaching choices at end of first half that resulted in Ala. scoring twice just before halftime. Changed the flow of the entire game.
Harold Williams
September 19, 2016 at 11:30 am
No, Kelly was not the sole blame. The coaches made some poor decisions such as not allowing Kelly to drive the team down the field just before the half. We can score in less than two minutes and have done it many times. In such a game, you cannot take the foot off the pedal. At times the play calling did not put us in the best situation to drive down the field. I am sick because I truly believe we should have won that game. Losing this game was as bad as losing to Arkansas last year. Players should not be thrown under the bus to cover other issues in the loss.
Mira
May 17, 2017 at 8:39 pm
This piece was a likeeacfjt that saved me from drowning.