True freshman Justin Fields adds a dynamic element to the Georgia Bulldogs offense, which is already loaded, led by true sophomore quarterback Jake Fromm.
Iron is sharpening iron down in Athens. The Georgia Bulldogs are coming off their best season since the 1982 campaign. Georgia won the SEC for the first time since 2005, making it to the national title game just a year ago.
Though the Alabama Crimson Tide looms large in the SEC West, Georgia is clearly the top dog in the SEC East, thanks to an incredible offense that looks even more versatile than a year ago.
Yes, the Dawgs obviously handled the Austin Peay Governors in their home opener on Saturday, 45-0. Incumbent starter Jake Fromm looked in mid-season form. The running game hasn’t seemed to skip a beat, even with Sony Michel and Nick Chubb turning pro, as well as top freshman Zamir White tearing his ACL late in the summer. Even Georgia’s often times inconsistent receiving corps looked polished.
However, the biggest takeaway from this game is that Georgia might have two quarterbacks it can use this fall. True freshman Justin Fields not only found a way on to the field, but presents an interesting element for head coach Kirby Smart and offensive coordinator Jim Chaney to work with this season.
Fields was a five-star recruit out of Kennesaw, Georgia and the No. 2 overall player in the 2018 graduating class. He enrolled early in January. In doing so, Fields has earned himself some early playing time in Chaney’s offense.
Though nowhere near the precision thrower of Fromm, Fields can not only hold his own in the passing game (7-8 for 63 yards and a touchdown), but adds a dual-threat capability Georgia hasn’t had at the quarterback position since D.J. Shockley led the Dawgs to an SEC Championship in 2005.
Like Shockley, who had to split time with a more precise thrower in David Greene throughout most of his Georgia career, expect Fromm and Fields to share the quarterbacking workload in Athens for the foreseeable future.
So what is the benefit of having two different style of quarterbacks sharing time for a national title hopeful? It’s two-fold, as it leaves opposing defenses guessing, as well as a creative way to chew up clock late in games with the lead.
Expect Fromm to be the starter each week this fall. Despite not having the most firm grasp of Chaney’s playbook as a true freshman a year ago, he led the Dawgs to the SEC Championship. Fromm won that, a Rose Bowl over the Oklahoma Sooners and guided Georgia to a national title appearance. It’s safe to say he grew as a passer as the season went along.
So we can only expect that Fields will also gain confidence the more he’s on the field and the more tape he watches in the classroom. Unlike Fromm, he won’t be expected to carry the offense as a true freshman. Truth be told, Fromm wasn’t supposed to do that either, but seeing Jacob Eason suffer a leg injury in Week 1 last fall brought a swift end to that line of thinking.
SEC defenses have enough tape to attempt to game plan against Fromm. But do that have enough tape, or frankly, enough time, to game plan appropriately for both he and Fields? Fromm is your typical pro-style signal caller that will carve you up with his arm. However, Fields can further frustrate defenses with his willingness to scramble with his legs when the play breaks down.
Fromm has enough big-game experience, as well as a top-tier defense that Smart has humming to lean on, to see himself playing with a lead early for the Dawgs. To avoid injury to their starter, look for Chaney to put in Fields at the very least late in games to shorten the game with his dual-threat playmaking abilities.
Both quarterbacks are more than capable of feeding receiving threats like Riley Ridley, Isaac Nauta and Mecole Hardman Jr. the football on slants, screens and seam-routes. If the passing game falls to the wayside, both Fromm and Fields can hand the ball off to talented tailbacks the likes of D’Andre Swift, Elijah Holyfield, Bryan Herrien and true freshman James Cook.
In essence, Fromm’s precision as a passer and Fields’ dual-threat playmaking abilities as a quarterback will allow the Dawgs more space for their receivers and backs to make plays in.
Don’t think for a second that Smart didn’t choose to play both Fromm and Fields significantly just to make his former college teammate and South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Will Muschamp sweat a bit more profusely heading into next week’s game. South Carolina will host SEC East rival Georgia in what could be a battle for the division crown next week at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.
It might have only been a warmup game for the Dawgs against an overwhelmed Austin Peay, but playing both Fromm and Fields throughout the game should have SEC teams on high alert. How are they going to stop Georgia’s high-octane offense? They probably won’t, nor will many find ways to score on Smart’s menacing defensive unit. Heading into Week 2, Georgia hasn’t surrounded a point.
We’ll know more about the Dawgs next week after their bout with the Gamecocks in Columbia. For now, Fromm is still great, Fields looks good and that bodes very well for Georgia football.