Clark Lea addresses decision to put Walter Taylor in at quarterback

Down by 26 points only halfway through the second quarter, Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea had seen enough. Lea replaced starting quarterback Ken Seals with backup QB Walter Taylor. After the game, Lea discussed the pivotal decision.

“We weren’t able to find space in the run game. We weren’t able to find space in the passing game,” Lea said. “It just felt like, if we were going to continue to turn over the ball with three and outs, that we needed to do something to open up some first and second down efficiency.

“Obviously, Walter gives us the element of quarterback run that that makes it a little more challenging on them and that’s the reason we did it. For us, it’s just about what can we do to be effective? What can we do to find a formula that allows us to maintain possession of the ball? And that was our attempt.”

While Taylor didn’t lead the Commodores to a miraculous comeback, he showed glimpses of potential. On only his second play in the game, the 6-foot-7, 235-pound sophomore broke off a 15-yard run for a first down, leaving Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin’s head spinning.

Walter Taylor makes early impression

“I’m going to tell you something most coaches wouldn’t tell you. After that first run, I was like ‘Who is this guy? Did they sign Cam Newton or someone like that?’ I had no idea who he was,” Kiffin said after the game. “That wasn’t really good of me not knowing. He’s a big guy. He’s hard to bring down. Physically, he’s a downhill runner. That wasn’t something we were preparing for a lot.”

Before taking the field on Saturday, Taylor only had two collegiate snaps. He finished the game with 38 passing yards and an interception. However, he also added 64 rushing yards and a touchdown. He wasn’t perfect, but Vanderbilt must find change.

The loss on Saturday was the Commodores’ seventh-straight. The team is yet to pick up an SEC win this season. Following the loss, Lea stated the change behind center isn’t necessarily a permanent decision.

Whoever Vanderbilt opts to put behind center, it must do a better job of protecting them. The Commodores’ front five allowed five sacks against Ole Miss and seven tackles for loss.

Lea and Co. will have a week to mull over their quarterback options. On Saturday, the team will face off against Auburn at 4 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.