2008 was a good year for the Rebels. If Jevon Snead can repeat or even improve on 2008’s campaign, look for 09 to be even better. Armed with a talented group of receivers, a solid offensive line, and an experienced backfield, Snead has all the tools required for a successful run through a tough SEC schedule.
For the first time in a number of years, Ole Miss is positioned to be more than a darkhorse candidate in the SEC West. Returning more depth and experience than the 08 West champion, Alabama, one could argue that the pundits’ pick for Ole Miss to challenge the Tide for the West crown may be giving the Rebels too little credit. About the only thing that SECFans.com’s resident pig fan’s story got right was that the Rebels are everyone’s sexy pick for making a run in 09. Where the national analysts’ prognostications are falling short is that the Rebels shouldn’t be considered the darkhorse. They should be considered the frontrunner.
While there are a myriad of reasons Ole Miss should be considered top pick in the West for 09, I’ll stick with one: Jevan Snead. For some reason, there’s a concept that is always paid lipservice, but rarely given due consideration, even though it’s been proven time and time again: in the SEC, experience at QB outweighs almost all other factors when predicting success. Other conferences around the country lack the speed and ability of SEC defenses, so it’s often easier for those teams to absorb the impact of breaking in a new signal caller. To say the introduction of a new QB to an SEC defense is an eye-opening experience would be a considerable understatement. And while Greg McElroy at Bama and Joe Cox at UGA are adjusting to SEC team speed and complex coverage packges, Snead will be picking up where he left off last season. The Rebels endured Jevan’s learning on the job early in the season last year. As the year progressed, his maturity and understanding of the offense took shape with the coming of each Saturday.
In 08, Snead amassed over 2,700 yards, 26 touchdowns to only 13 picks and a 56% completion rating. In terms of yards per game, he’s the leagues returning best. His efficiency rating puts him only behind Tim Tebow for tenured QBs. Last year, it didn’t take long for Snead to put the rest of the league on notice. In only his 2nd game for the Rebels, Snead torched Wake Forest for 253 yards on 20/31 passing and managed 4 TDs. He wasn’t as effective in his first 2 games against SEC opponents, but much of that can be attributed to the afformentioned SEC “adjustment factor” and the fact that he was still in his first few games of learning the Austin/Nutt system. After the UF game, Snead averaged 211 yards passing, 2 TDs, and less than one INT per SEC game. To finish the season, he blistered Texas Tech for 292 and 3 TDs in the Cotton Bowl.
Let’s get it out of the way: we all hate that Wallace is gone. Replacing his speed, 784 receiving yards, and 7 TDs from 08 won’t be easy. But Shay Hodge was actually Snead’s favorite target last year, leading team in receptions. Snead will also have a familiar face in Dexter McCluster, probably one of the league’s most versatile weapons. The biggest wildcard, however, could be incoming freshman Patrick Patterson. I used laugh when Bama and LSU fans would tell me about how freshman ______ was going to tear it up in his rookie campaign. After seeing what AJ Green and Julio Jones did last season, I laugh no more. If there’s any freshman WR in the nation who’s equipped to contribute immediately, it’s Patterson. Rivals ranked Rueben Randle as this year’s #1 incoming freshman WR. Having seen them both play, I can tell you, I’d rather have Patterson. Patrick, while slower than Wallace (Who isn’t?), brings great size and physicality to his game. He measured 6’-3” and 215 lbs last year, he’ll probably play around 225. Like Julio Jones in 2008, he comes in physically ready to play. Though a little shorter, he’s almost identical in style of play to Deandre Brown at Southern Miss.
A favorable schedule also lends credit to the Ole Miss frontrunner notion. Of the 8 SEC secondaries Snead will face, only Alabama seems to impose a real challenge. Sure, South Carolina was ranked #1 in pass defense in the SEC last year, but Snead managed 243 yards and a TD against them in 08. Also, let’s see how they fare in 09 with the loss of Cook and Munnerlyn in the secondary. UT still has Berry, but outside of him and Vinson, the Vols are breaking in fresh talent at almost every other spot in the 2-deep at DB. Finally, LSU’s secondary provided the amount of resistance one could expect from the “other brand” paper towel in the Brawny commercials.
2009 is set to be a great year for Snead and the Rebels. Look for Jevan to improve on an already impressive TD to INT ratio. If he can get help from newcomers like Massie and Patterson, his job will be even that much easier. So while everybody else's pick for tops in the West is teaching their QB what an SEC defense looks like, you can smile knowing Snead has already been down that road. The league’s other experienced QB isn’t on the Rebels regular season schedule, but don’t be surprised when they end up facing one another anyway.