Game of the Weak: Jevan Snead Chokes in Loss to South Carolina Gamecocks

The way this season has started, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a top-five team fall every weekend.

Last night, Ole Miss became the latest casualty of this trend, following Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and USC, by dropping a road game to South Carolina, 16-10.

I can’t say this one caught me off guard. The Rebels may have won their first two games by margins of over 30 points, but that number is highly misleading.

In their first game against Memphis, the score was actually only 17-7 in favor of Ole Miss going into the fourth quarter. Quarterback Jevan Snead had been terrible to that point, throwing two interceptions and no touchdowns.

The second game, a 52-6 rout, doesn’t factor in to my decision because they were playing Southeastern Louisiana, an FCS team. Enough said.

Now that the Rebels got to show their stuff against a fellow SEC opponent, I’m really not impressed. And I’m holding Jevan Snead responsible.

Snead is regarded by Mel Kiper and all those other pro talent scouts as being the second-most pro-ready quarterback eligible for next year’s draft. I don’t buy it.

Through his first three games, Snead’s highest completion percentage is 57.1, and that was against Southeastern Louisiana. Last night against the Gamecocks, he only completed one-third of his passes. In the NFL, if you’re not completing at least 60 percent of your passes, you’ll likely be sitting on the bench.

Snead’s season-high in passing yards and touchdowns, 209 yards and three touchdowns, respectively, were also against Southeastern Louisiana. Again, if 209 yards is the best you can do against an unranked opponent, I don’t see any pro potential.

What concerns me the most is Snead reportedly said in a post-game interview that he is “relieved” to not be No. 4 anymore so the team can get back to “just playing football.”

Excuse me?

To quote the not-so-great Herm Edwards, “You play to win the game.” You don’t play just to play. If you want to do that, go find a pickup game in the park and give someone with competitive spirit a chance to lead this team.

If Snead even gets to play on Sunday considering his sloppy play and lack of enthusiasm, I’ll be severely disappointed. This kid just doesn’t have it.