Ole Miss Football: 5 bold predictions for the Rebels in 2017
No. 3 – Shea Patterson leads the SEC in touchdowns created
A true freshman a year ago, Shea Patterson was forced into action when Chad Kelly went down with an injury. Since then, Kelly has been selected as Mr. Irrelevant, the final pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. That leaves Patterson in control of an Ole Miss offense that finished fourth in the SEC in total offense last season.
Patterson’s arm is not as proven as Kelly’s but there’s no reason to assume he’s going to be a downgrade to an already productive offense. He might even be a bit better. 247 Sports ranked Shea Patterson the No. 1 Pro-Style Quarterback in the class of 2016. Add some shifty feet to that 6-foot-2 frame and you have a dynamic player that will give opposing defenses fits.
Patterson was supposed to redshirt in 2016, but it’s unlikely that someone with his talent would still be in college in his fifth season anyways. The Ole Miss defense is not going to be very good, that seems certain at this point. If the Rebels are going to stay in games and even win a few it’s going to depend on the productivity of Patterson.
In three games as the starter a year ago, Patterson threw six touchdown passes, that’s two per game. Last year’s touchdown leaders in the SEC were Jalen Hurts and Nick Fitzgerald. Hurts finished with 23 passing touchdowns and rushed for 13 touchdowns in 15 games (2.40 per game) while Fitzgerald through 21 touchdowns and rushed for 16 touchdowns in 13 games (2.85 per game). If Patterson can add one more touchdown per game he’ll be on his way to becoming the highest scoring quarterback in the SEC.