Vanderbilt set to start quarterback Ken Seals against Ole Miss Saturday
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss hosts Vanderbilt Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway as the Rebels look to continue their momentum in the SEC. On his Monday radio show, Commodores’ head coach Clark Lea indicated he will stay with senior quarterback Ken Seals over last year’s starter the Rebels faced in AJ Swann.
“We’re gonna stay the course with Ken. We feel like he has really built some momentum for us offensively. Obviously, nobody is gonna play perfectly in that position. But we appreciate how he has managed the offense, how he has protected the ball on the whole, how he has led on the field and we’re gonna give him another opportunity at it.“
Clark Lea on starting QB Ken Seals
Coach Lea does not discount Swann, either, who has now returned to practice after missing the prior three games due to an elbow injury suffered back on September 16 in the game vs. UNLV.
”We hold the right to keep that competition going, and obviously we have belief in AJ as well. It’s just I think we’ve seen enough in the last few weeks to feel like Ken is stepping into some confidence, and we want him to continue to do that,” Lea explained.
Seals started Vandy’s game against Missouri and has cut down on the Commodores’ turnovers. In his last three games, Seals has thrown six touchdowns to just two interceptions, while notching 740 passing yards.
Ole Miss has actually played against both Seals and Swann, the latter last year and Seals in 2020 as a freshman. In that game, Seals finished a blazing 31-of-40 for 319 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Lea talked about what has led him to name Seals the starter.
“I think he’s been a galvanizing presence. Obviously he’s earned the respect of the program and how he battled adversity and kept a positive outlook. He does a great job taking ownership on the field on Saturdays, owns his mistakes, has good rapport with the receivers and just seems to have done a great job again, leading that unit.“
Clark Lea on Ken Seals
Game Info
Ole Miss and Vandy kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network.
(Feature image credit from Ole Miss vs. Vandy, 2020: Josh McCoy, Ole Miss)
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
