Why Vanderbilt football loss to Tennessee raised questions about Clark Lea’s QB handling
KNOXVILLE — For the 23rd time in 36 games under Clark Lea, Vanderbilt football played multiple quarterbacks Saturday.
To be fair, this time was as much a case of misfortune as anything; AJ Swann, reanointed the starter after six games away, left in the third quarter with a back injury. Ken Seals replaced him. But the continuation of the trend was still troubling in Lea’s third season.
Swann, whom Lea said could not practice fully until the week before the South Carolina game, was better than in his first five games, when he threw seven interceptions. Swann, before leaving Saturday's game against Tennessee, was 14-for-23 for 167 yards and one touchdown. Seals went 7-for-9 for 61 yards, one rushing touchdown and one passing touchdown.
“I’m proud of AJ,” Lea said. “It’s not been an easy year for him, because he wants to play well. He wants to be a great quarterback and it’s been a year of challenge and adversity. … He showed up today in the right mindset.”
It all combined for Vanderbilt’s most points scored since the last game Swann appeared in, against Kentucky on Sept. 23. But that was far too little, too late as the Commodores lost, 48-24, to finish 2-10, 0-8 in the SEC — and the revolving door of quarterbacks has been a large part of the struggle.
Lea didn’t want to play Swann against South Carolina, he said, because Swann’s turnover issues were problematic. Seals and Walter Taylor combined for six points and two fumbles.
And even when he’s played well, Swann has also had trouble staying healthy. In two years, he’s had four injuries that required missing time. Some or that is bad luck, but some of it is an offensive line that had Swann under pressure all day from the Vols’ defensive front. Lea even got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for standing up for Swann when Tennessee rushers hit him twice after whistles blew.
“This is also the guy we lost there in the second half, and so all those hits add up,” Lea said.
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Whether the issue primarily lies with identifying quarterbacks, scheme or a failure to keep players healthy, Lea hasn’t yet been able to get that position right. The transfer portal could provide an opportunity, especially if Swann and/or Seals leaves, but Lea’s track record makes it harder to sell transfers on a vision.
Against the Vols, quarterback wasn’t the biggest problem. But the performance of Swann, in particular, raised even more questions about Lea’s ability to manage the position, and if he can’t get that squared away, more 2-10 seasons could be in the works.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Vanderbilt vs Tennessee showed Vanderbilt’s issues at quarterback
