Year of Turmoil at QB for Georgia
Most college football fans were hoping to get to see football played this year. With the concerns of COVID-19 throughout the summer and into the early months of fall, there was a chance that we wouldn't get to see football played. Thankfully, that wasn't the case as many league commissioners (mainly SEC, BIG 12, and ACC) were able to figure out the hurdles and got the season started. It's surely been one of the craziest, most bizarre years for many of us. Certainly, most people were hoping to get away from all their problems and be able to enjoy watching their favorite teams play. As if this year couldn't be any crazier, some fan bases are experiencing turmoil with their favorite football programs.
Most people forget how much of an emotional roller coaster it has been for the Georgia Bulldogs football team, particularly the daunting quarterback situation. It all started when Jake Fromm decided to leave for the draft after the 2019 season. Many people (mainly Twitter warriors) were actually happy that Fromm declared for the draft. If those people were looking at the quarterback room now, they would take it all back. Since Fromm's decision, Georgia quarterback situation has had many twists and turns.
The question mark going into the 2020 season for a talented Dawgs team was at quarterback. No one had a clue who would be the starter considering the team had lost one of the winningest quarterbacks in Georgia's football history. Some of those questions started to get answered quickly, though, when news broke that Wake Forest quarterback Jamie Newman would be transferring to Georgia for his last year of eligibility. It was a huge addition for head coach Kirby Smart. In 2019, Newman was a solid quarterback. He passed 2,868 yards with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Many Dawgs fans were drawn to Newman because of his ability to throw downfield and run the ball. Since that was a struggle for the Bulldogs offense in 2019, fans were genuinely happy to potentially have a quarterback who could get chunks of big yards in one play. All off-season, the hype began to build around Newman. His Heisman odds even reached 10/1 in mid-July, good enough for third-best in the country, according to Kipp Adams of 247sports. Newman trailed only Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence. So, he was in some outstanding company and had many Georgia fans on the edge of their seats.
Some of the hype began to dissipate, though, when quarterback JT Daniels decided to also give Georgia a chance. Toward the end of May, Daniels decided to challenge Newman for the QB1 position. All summer long, head coach Kirby Smart said the quarterback position was "going to be a battle." Many fans were still sure that Newman would be the guy for the job even with Daniels pushing him. This didn't mean it wasn't exciting to have Daniels come in, but Newman was the more polished, experienced quarterback. So, many stuck with the "Jamie hype."
Then July came rolling around, and fans started to hear about another guy that could make the push to start: D'wan Mathis. Mathis has all the tools most coaches love in a quarterback.. Standing at 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds with a cannon for an arm combined with 4.5 speed and mobility, Mathis was considered to many as someone who could take over the offense after Newman left following the conclusion of the 2020 season. Although many were excited about Mathis, people still figured that Newman would be the guy.
That all changed when September 2 came rolling around. Newman decided to opt out of the 2020 season because of COVID-19 concerns. That was a back-breaker for Smart and the Bulldogs offense. Now, there was a rather large question mark as to who would be the starter. At that point, there were four guys in the quarterback room (Stetson Bennett, Carson Beck, Daniels and Mathis) and had played a starting snap of SEC football.
Georgia fans had no idea which one would run out on the field for the first game of the season against Arkansas. Anything supposedly heard and pure speculation. Smart was not going to let anyone know who he planned on starting at quarterback, and that's how he went about his business. For the entire month of September leading up to the first game on the 26th, nobody outside of Georgia's locker room definitively knew who the starter would be. Smart kept insisting they would "play the guy who gave them the best ability to win" or even his classic, "I'll let you guys know when the decision has been made."
Finally, Smart and offensive coordinator Todd Monken decided to go with Mathis, the redshirt freshman. Many fans were excited to back Mathis and wanted him to do well. A lot of Bulldogs faithful were excited to finally see a quarterback that could escape the pocket and make a play with his legs. Those hopes were short-lived, though, as Mathis had a very rough first outing. He made some questionable decisions, and Smart decided to pull the plug after the game's first six series. Mathis ended up finishing 8 of 17 for 55 yards and one interception through almost two quarters of play.
At that point, Georgia had already given a chance to two of its quarterbacks and they weren't even a half of football into the season. That was when "The Mailman" became a national sports story. Bennett took over for Mathis and appeared to be the guy. In his first three games, Bennett passed for 689 yards and six total touchdowns with no interceptions. Many believed that "Stet the Jet" was going to be a force to be reckoned with. Bulldogs fans loved the story of having a former walk-on quarterback who was a Georgia fan his whole life leading the team to victory. It seemed after eight or nine months of questions, the fans finally knew who the quarterback would be. "The mailman will deliver," and "Stet the Jet is the truth," became the narrative. Georgia had finally figured out the position but, alas, not so fast.
It all took a quick turn after the lopsided loss to Alabama 41-24. Bennett had his first poor. It wasn't just bad, it was devastating. The reaction wasn't Georgia fans being hard on their team. Fans had a legitimate reason to be worried about the Alabama game. Bennett threw for three interceptions and was a big part of why Georgia couldn't score a single point in the second half. As a fan, the tide turning could be felt at that point. Naturally, the narrative of the Georgia quarterback started to switch once again.
Fans were especially ready to see something different after Bennett's struggles against Kentucky. When there were only 14 points scored and the quarterback has two interceptions, people aren't going to be happy. That led to Smart having to make a decision for the Florida game. Many fans hoped to see if Daniels could be the guy at this point. Two quarterbacks had been tried, and nothing had worked. Fans were tired of seeing the quarterback position hold Georgia back from its ultimate goals. They wanted to see someone other than Mathis or Bennett, and they still didn't get it in the loss to Florida. Both quarterbacks combined for 9-of-29 passing and three interceptions. It was the ultimate reason why the Bulldogs lost to the Gators. If it wasn't already, it became clear to Bulldog Nation that Mathis and Bennett were not quite ready to be the quarterback of the team, so the narrative switched yet again.
With that being said, it shows how up and down emotions have been for the Bulldogs football program and the fans who support it. The quarterback discussion has gone back and forth between four or five guys for 10 months! The roller coaster of emotions has been non-stop and it's still ongoing.
So, where does that leave Georgia fans now? The season is 60 percent complete and there is still no clarity with what Smart will do moving forward. At this point, many fans would be willing to try anything that the Bulldogs haven't yet. If Daniels is ready to go, put him out there. How much worse could it be than what it already has been this year? If Daniels isn't 100 percent or if there are some other worries, give Beck a chance. People want to see something different.
This season is over for playoff purposes. What is there to lose? The plan moving forward should be preparing this team to finish strong this season and gear up for a national championship run next year. Giving other players an opportunity might be the best way to do that moving forward.
