2 reasons Georgia football will win elusive national championship this year
By John Buhler
1. JT Daniels provides the Dawgs their best passing option since Aaron Murray
Though the schedule is less daunting than previous ones, the biggest reason Georgia can win its first national title since 1980 is simple: They have their best quarterback in nearly a decade in JT Daniels.
Unlike his predecessors, he is more than willing to stretch the field with his arm. He can be as prolific of a passer as Aaron Murray was, with a touch of that Matthew Stafford upside.
Daniels was a five-star recruit coming out of high school. He left high school a year early to play for his home state’s USC Trojans before transferring to Georgia last spring. After bouncing back from a torn ACL, Daniels flourished in the latter third of the Dawgs’ season. While the competition was not great, he demonstrated brilliance vs. teams like Mississippi State, Missouri and in the comeback win vs. Cincinnati.
Though his footwork can be improved, Daniels’ passing ability gives the Dawgs the necessary balance to hang with anybody offensively. We know the defense will be coached up by Smart and defensive coordinator Dan Lanning. By having a quarterback they can count on, Georgia does not have the limited ceiling offensively. They can finally win more than one way under Coach Smart.
Of course, it will be massively disappointing if Georgia botches its best chance to win a national championship in years. Dawg Nation should best prepare for this anyway. But if you have faith, there is plenty of reason to believe in this Georgia team. The Dawgs have recruited phenomenally under Smart. Therefore, the levee is eventually going to break in Georgia’s favor at some point.
With other teams starting new quarterbacks, Georgia can take advantage of its huge opportunity.
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