Kickin' It With Jevan

This is an interview with ESPN blogger Chris Low

He's the best young quarterback in the SEC, and his strong right arm was a big reason Ole Miss ended the season with five straight wins and now heads to the AT&T Cotton Bowl to take on Texas Tech on Jan. 2.

Jevan Snead, after sitting out a year following his transfer from Texas, had a stellar debut season in the SEC. He ranks third in passing efficiency behind only Tim Tebow and Matthew Stafford and threw for 2,470 yards and 23 touchdowns.The 6-foot-3, 215-pound sophomore had a stretch where he threw too many interceptions, but he closed the season with 13 touchdown passes and only two interceptions during the Rebels' five-game winning streak. Of his 12 interceptions, 10 came in the first seven games.The Stephenville, Texas, product is pumped about going back home for Ole Miss' first bowl game since the 2003 season. I had a chance to catch up with Snead for a Q&A before the Rebels broke for Christmas.

What were the growing pains like for you in your first season in the SEC?
Jevan Snead: I started out all right, but I went through a spell where I was throwing too many picks. I wish I had a couple of those games back, but I feel like I grew throughout the season and did my best to learn as much as I could from each game. I think I took something from each of them.

How big a role did first-year offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Kent Austin play in your development this season?JS: I'm extremely lucky to be coached by somebody like coach Austin. He did a great job of preparing me and teaching me the offense and making sure I really understood it. He's helped me a lot as far as my footwork and mechanics. When he showed up last spring, he talked to me about the things I needed to work on and we worked on them together. There's no doubt that he really improved my game.

Did you know much about Austin before he arrived?JS: I really didn't. I'd heard what everybody else knew, that he'd played here, played in the CFL and won a Grey Cup there, as well as coached there and won one. I'd heard he was a great coach, which he is.

What part of your game needed polishing the most heading into this season?JS: Probably my mechanics. At the first of the season, I wasn't getting my feet right or locking my knee or not transferring my weight like I should have been. And a big part of my turnovers earlier in the season was my decision-making, just knowing when the play's over and when to call it quits on a play.

One of your strengths is avoiding pressure and making throws while you're scrambling. Is there a fine line between not giving up on a play and being smart enough to throw it away?JS: I got in trouble by trying to force a few balls. Those are the ones you've got to throw away. But I'm very comfortable on the move. I like throwing on the move and feel like I see the field well when I am on the move.

As well as you guys finished the season, how frustrating is it for you knowing that this is a team that could easily be 10-2 right now had it not been for a few crippling turnovers?JS: It's always nice to have momentum going into the bowl game and offseason. It's something that will carry on. But you definitely look back and wish you had a few plays back. A couple of those ballgames, we were only a couple of plays from winning them. Those were tough losses. But you take what can from them and try to leave them behind.

How much did Texas Tech recruit you out of high school?JS: They recruited me pretty hard for a while, and I looked at them when I was trying to get it down. But I ended up committing pretty early, my junior year, so a bunch of that stuff died down.

Have you thought much about the irony of two Texas-bred quarterbacks, you and Graham Harrell, going at it in the Cotton Bowl? There's a lot of Texas flavor there, right?JS: I'm just excited to be going there and finally getting a chance to play close to home. (Stephenville is about 100 miles southwest of Dallas). It will be great for the whole team, but I'm especially excited to be able to have all of my family there and all of my friends. It's a big game for our program against a really good team. That's what is most important to me.

If Stafford and Tebow both come out and go pro, you'll be the top returning quarterback in the SEC next season. Are you ready to carry that banner?JS: I'm not focused on that and have tried to never get too involved with what people think or say. I'll continue to work on my game and try to get better. In this league, you have no choice but to get better.

After it didn't work out for you at Texas, what was it like to sit out for a year?JS: Sitting out that year was pretty tough, but I felt like it helped me learn more about the game. It gave me a chance to take a step back and take it all in. It was a big learning period for me, and I just tried to take advantage of it and work as hard as I could. I feel like it helped me out. Certainly, it's not the path I'd planned coming out of high school, but God has a plan for each one of us and it's worked out just fine.

Has this team played its best football, and how much better will you have to play to beat Texas Tech?JS: I definitely think we have some better ball we can play. We've played some great games, but you can always play better. No one has played a perfect game of football yet. We'll need to play our best to win this game.

How much time had you spent in Mississippi before transferring there?JS: I'm not even sure I'd driven through it before coming to school here, so I hadn't spent any time here. But the town here is a lot like my hometown as far as size and feel.What do you like best about Ole Miss?JS: Definitely the people. I love the atmosphere here, too. It's a beautiful community and beautiful campus, and I'm just thankful to be at such a great university.

by ESPN.com's Chris Low