A lot of considerations and more than meets the eye here.
First off… What does Lea have to lose by saying Kenny is the starter if he is healthy? The fact of the matter is that Seals is not healthy, or maybe he will be healthy enough to play if Wright falters and gives us a great performance off the bench. Either way, whether Seals plays or not, it is still going to come down to Wright’s performance as a Starter this game. If Wright plays well, grows from his 1st to 2nd game, then he will play more and likely start against Missouri. And then Lea can say that Wright “earned” the right (npi) to garner more playing time.
Second, I think Lea handled the question around Wright’s play vs USC extremely well. Wright brings the “big play” capability, but has likely struggled with the small things (which it sounds like they witnessed during fall camp). Coaches ultimately want consistency in their QB over anything else. Run the offense, don’t make a big mistake or try to force things that may put the offense or defense in a tough spot.
We, as fans, see the mobility and big play capability with Mike Wright. And, admittedly, I want to see him play more and grow as the Commodore QB. But Wright also made some mistakes that we as fans overlook at times, too. For example, I recall a 3rd and 2 (3rd and short) on the Dore’s second to last drive in the 4th quarter when Mike Wright pulled the ball on a dive-option for no gain. Had he read the defensive end appropriately, he hands the ball off to Griffin and we’ve got a big gainer. Unfortunately he missed his read and it resulted in a punt during a critical possession at the end of the game.
Again…. I think Wright played very well for his first start. And I’m rooting for him to take a step forward vs Mississippi State. If he does, I think he’s got a chance to unseat Seals. Either way, I just want the guy that gives us the best chance to win on the field.
