No. 19 Mississippi easily handles Wofford 38-13

By foxsports
Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:03 p.m. ET

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) Chad Kelly threw for 219 yards and three touchdowns to help No. 19 Mississippi rout Wofford 38-13 on Saturday.

Ole Miss (1-1) played just five days after losing to Florida State 45-34 on Monday night. The Rebels didn't appear tired, though, scoring on all four of their first-half drives to take a 24-3 halftime lead.

Kelly completed short touchdown throws in the first half to Markell Pack, D.K. Metcalf and Quincy Adeboyejo, and Gary Wunderlich made a 40-yard field goal as the Rebels methodically moved the ball against overmatched Wofford of the Football Championship Subdivision level.

It was an efficient, mistake-free performance from Kelly, who threw three interceptions and lost a fumble in the Florida State loss. He completed 20 of 27 passes against Wofford.

It was Metcalf's second straight game with a touchdown catch, but the 6-foot-4 freshman left in the second quarter with a left foot injury and didn't return. He was on the sideline on crutches during the second half with the foot in a protective boot.

Ole Miss has already struggled with injuries this season. Starting cornerback Kendarius Webster and running back Eric Swinney both tore knee ligaments in the Florida State game and are done for the season.

Ole Miss announced a crowd of 64,232, which is a stadium record. The Rebels spent about $60 million on offseason renovations to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, which included roughly 5,000 new seats after bowling in the north side of the stadium.

Wofford (1-1) moved the ball effectively at times, but couldn't find the end zone until the fourth quarter, when quarterback Brad Butler ran for a 17-yard touchdown.

THE TAKEAWAY

Wofford: The Terriers' triple-option offense was decent, but finding the end zone was difficult against an SEC defense. Wofford has a 1-19 record against Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

Ole Miss: The Rebels got what they needed - a relatively uneventful, lopsided win. Now they can turn their attention to a marquee SEC game against Alabama in Oxford next weekend.

UP NEXT

Wofford: The Terriers return home to face Johnson C. Smith.

Ole Miss: The Rebels host Alabama after beating the Tide in each of the past two seasons.

-----

Follow David Brandt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/davidbrandtAP . AP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org