Welcome to big-time college football, Shea Patterson. Then again, a welcome may not be needed. You look like you know your way around already.
Taking over for Ole Miss in his first collegiate start, Patterson led the Rebels to a 29-28 come-from-behind win against Texas A&M. The former Elite 11 MVP and five-star prospect completed 25-of-42 passes for 338 yards with two touchdowns and a pick. He also rushed for an additional 64 yards.
Most importantly, though, he got better, more comfortable and confident as the game went along. That's a sign of maturity beyond his years.
Last week, it was announced that starting quarterback Chad Kelly would miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury. Though redshirt freshman Jason Pellerin has been getting backup reps through the first couple of months, it was Patterson who ended up getting the first start and burning his redshirt.
It was a risky move this late in the season, but Ole Miss got exactly what they wanted to out of the first-year player.
Patterson didn't start hot. He missed five of his first eight passes on the Rebels' first two offensive drives, which netted just a pair of field goals. However, Ole Miss' coaching staff got him involved in the run game to build his confidence. As the game progressed, Patterson began to get more comfortable with the offense and he made a lot of excellent individual plays.
His best was Ole Miss' nine-play drive to kick the game-winning field goal.
The win moves Ole Miss to 5-5 with two games remaining to achieve bowl eligibility. It hasn't been the season Hugh Freeze's team wanted, but the decision to start Patterson instead of save him for the future was made because Patterson gave this team the best chance to win.
For one week at least, that decision proved to be the correct one. If the Rebels can get on a winning streak to end the year, it will have been more than justified. Either way, Patterson has cemented himself as the go-to guy in 2017 and beyond.
