University of Georgia Athletics
Not Just UGA QBs On Smart's Mind
August 29, 2016 | Football
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
Has anything in the state of Georgia been discussed more in the past few months than who is going to be Georgia Bulldogs' starting quarterback Saturday in the season opener against No. 22 North Carolina? We'll find out soon enough, maybe even a little after 5:30 p.m. Saturday, in the Georgia Dome.
Three quarterbacks have been in the mix: last season's starter, graduate Greyson Lambert; junior Brice Ramsey and true freshman Jacob Eason. New Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart said during his news conference Monday that Lambert and Eason are now competing for the starting job, with each working with the first-team offense in practice.
"And to be honest with you, it's less about what Brice did and more about what Jacob and Greyson did," Smart said. "Both of those guys have done a really good job; and to be honest with you, Brice did, too, but we can't get three guys ready."
Lambert started 12 games for the Bulldogs last fall, along with another nine at Virginia in 2014 before transferring. Eason, on the other hand, was prepping for his senior season at Lake Stevens High School in Lake Stevens, Wash., at this time a year ago. Eason did enroll at Georgia in the spring and go through spring practice with the Bulldogs.
Smart said he wasn't concerned about a player's age or class standing, whether it's at quarterback or any other position.
"We're going to play the guy that gives us the best opportunity to win. We've stood firm on that the whole way through," he said. "I have no reservations about a guy's age. If you're old enough to play, then you're old enough to start. If you're good enough to play, then you're good enough to start.
"It comes down to what's the best opportunity for us. It's not about the age factor."
After so many years as one of the top defensive coordinators in college football, Smart said that since taking over the Georgia program he's had to look at the quarterbacks in a different way.
"I think the biggest difference is just watching the offense from the perspective of the offense, instead of from the perspective of the defense," he said. "So everything we watch, every decision the quarterback makes, I'm analyzing what quarterback is making what decision, what broke down, why did it go wrong? Did it go wrong because of the decision he made? Did it go wrong because of communication or did it go wrong because the receiver or the O lineman or the tight end messed up or the running back didn't block right?
"So, you have to make subjective decisions when you watch that, but you have to be objective about the whole process. I think that's the hardest part being head coach is analyzing every play — did the guy do what he was supposed to do to give us a chance to have a successful play? And that's not normal for me, that's not where I've been before, so now that you delve in that area. You sit there and you try to make the best decision for the team, and that's ultimately what these things come down to."
While the Bulldogs may potentially have a new starter in Eason, the Tar Heels will for sure — sort of. North Carolina will start junior Mitch Trubisky, who is taking over for the very productive Marquise Williams (3,072 passing yards, 948 rushing yards and 37 combined touchdowns in 2015).
Trubisky, listed at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, played in nine games during the Tar Heels' 11-3 run in 2015, and posted plenty of impressive numbers. He completed 40 of 47 pass attempts, for 555 yards and six touchdowns, with no interceptions. He also ran for three scores and averaged 6.3 yards per carry.
"He brings a different dynamic," Smart said. "He's a very mobile, athletic kid. They can run the ball with him. ... He played a lot last year in a lot of different situations. They rotated those guys early on, and they got some design quarterback runs that are really hard to stop with him because it's like having the eleventh guy running the ball. And he's a really good passer.
"He's probably the best quarterback that nobody knows about, because in my mind it's almost like he's a returning starter because of what he played early in the year, and the guy does a really good job with offense."
For Georgia, counting on true freshmen would be nothing new. We all remember running back Nick Chubb's unbelievable performances in 2014, when he ran for 1,547 yards and 14 touchdowns. Or wide receiver Terry Godwin last season catching 35 passes and even throwing a 44-yard touchdown pass.
Defensively, the Bulldogs had multiple true freshman playing a lot of snaps in 2015. Defensive tackle Trenton Thompson was an impact player inside, finishing with 25 tackles, including 2.5 for loss, while linebacker Natrez Patrick had 22 tackles. Smart said Georgia will likely be counting on numerous freshmen again this season, especially on the defensive line.
"We'll have to play a lot of guys up front, so the plan is not about what year you are in school, it's how ready you are to play. Each one of those guys has repped in camp and our expectation is all those guys will be able to go out there and perform to our standards," he said. "There's certainly going to be some anxiety for those true freshmen, but to be honest with you, they've all come in and competed hard and they all play really hard."
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
