Gamecocks Sack Snead in Primetime

Last night’s upset of the South Carolina Gamecocks over the 4th ranked Mississippi Rebels has implications that will last for sometime. Ole Miss was in a prime position to do some real damage this year in the SEC. They avoided Georgia and Florida from the East this year, and three of their toughest West division opponents (Alabama, Arkansas and LSU) were home games this season. Ole Miss had a chance this season to put themselves on the map, and be a force to be reckoned with in the SEC. Now the Rebels can’t afford another loss this season, and what national championship dreams they may have had are just about over.

The bigger issue with last night’s embarrassing loss to was the play of the Rebels offense, in particular junior quarterback Jevan Snead. Snead coming into this year might not have gotten the hype of a Tim Tebow or Colt McCoy, but was widely considered a better pro prospect. Snead was considered the second best quarterback, after Sam Bradford in the 2010 draft class (if he declares), and a surefire top-10 pick. Last night Snead looked like anything but a Franchise quarterback prospect. He could not figure out the Gamecocks defense, and only completed 33% of his passes. Now one game shouldn’t eliminate Snead’s draft prospects, but it is pretty disconcerting to see a top quarterback have just 30 yards in the first half. I still think Snead is a great quarterback prospect, but he’ll have to earn his way back into top-1o contention.