Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly broke Archie Manning's single-game school record for passing yards Saturday night, amassing 465 yards against Auburn in a 40-29 loss to the Tigers.
Kelly, the nephew of Hall of Famer Jim Kelly, completed 36 of 59 passes for three touchdowns and one interception. He broke Manning's 47-year-old record with a fourth-down completion to Evan Engram for 18 yards with just under six minutes to play. Manning, who went on to a lengthy NFL career mostly with the New Orleans Saints, set the previous record of 436 yards in a 33-32 loss to Alabama in 1969, the first college football game ever televised in prime-time.
NFL scouts from the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers were at Ole Miss to scout the game.
As a senior, Kelly will be available in next year's draft. Kelly has the size and arm strength NFL scouts look for in a quarterback, and the requisite self-confidence as well. However, his decision-making both on and off the field have come into question. NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein has compared Kelly to Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo.
In less than two seasons as a starter for the Rebels, Kelly has two games of 400-plus passing yards and 12 of 300-plus.
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