Redshirt freshman tight end Casey Kelly is a substitute player from Niagara Falls, NY. If the surname of Kelly and Niagara Falls is a familiar combination for Ole Miss fans, well, it should be. Casey Kelly is the younger brother of former Ole Miss Chad Kelly star quarterback.
And Casey Kelly had a Saturday day in the Rebels’ 26-20 Outback Bowl victory over the 11th ranked Indiana Hoosiers.
Kelly, replacing opt-out Kenny Yeboah, took six passes for 49 yards and touchdown and did yeoman’s job in the block game, helping Ole Miss to victory.
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said Kelly’s performance on Saturday makes him feel better about the rebels’ tight final position in the future.
“Yes,” said Kiffin, “with the guys standing out. Casey did a good job. We said to these young people, ‘Okay, you guys are really good players, but you didn’t have a chance to play because there are guys in front of you.’ very good to see the guys moving forward. “
Kelly opened in the end zone with seven minutes and 17 seconds remaining in the second quarter for the first touchdown of the game. It was a five-yard pass from Matt Corral. All six of Kelly’s receptions took place in the first half.
“They’re guys who haven’t played much … everyone wants to play more and now they have a chance to play and make plays today,” said Kiffin. “It was incredible to see.”
Corral praised Kelly for his post-game efforts.
“Casey is a hard worker,” said Corral. “He shows it. He’s always asking questions, always locked up, he doesn’t move much, really. He’s a serious person. I trusted him only in how he prepares for a game. In practice, he’s always asking me questions about certain routes and what I’m looking at. I just know that he’s always stuck and always works hard. It really helped build confidence out there. I couldn’t think if I would trust him or not. I was just going to give them a chance and let them to play. “
The 6-3 and 250 pound Kelly walked with the rebels ahead of the 2019 season.