Fromm's impressive effort surprises no one

Radi Nabulsi

With only 8:30 elapsed in the game, Georgia quarterback Jacob Eason found himself on the ground and bracing his knee.

The Bulldogs’ sophomore had been injured while running out of bounds, and while the stadium's attention was on the starting signal caller, back up quarterback Jake Fromm was getting ready for his moment.

It wasn’t supposed to happen this soon for the true freshman. Maybe Fromm would have seen a few minutes of play in the game’s closing moments. But football can be cruel and Eason went down on the sixth play of his sophomore season.

Fromm stepped in front of a capacity crowd and was tasked with running an offense that was dragging at the time.

“We’ve got you,” Georgia senior Javon Wims and the other wide receivers told Fromm.

"There hasn’t been a moment that is too big for him since he was a little kid."

Seconds later, Fromm found tight end Isaac Nauta for an 8-yard completion and started to give Georgia’s offense some rhythm. The Bulldogs ran a significant amount of no-huddle plays, putting the Mountaineers on their heels.

That first throw was just one of 10 completed passes for Fromm, as he collected 143 yards and a touchdown in Georgia’s 31-10 season-opening win over Appalachian State.

“Jake Fromm did what I thought Jake Fromm would do,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “There hasn’t been a moment that is too big for him since he was a little kid. He played in our scrimmages just like he played out there. He made some big plays and it gave him a little juice and momentum.”

Fromm’s favorite target was Wims – who tallied 81 yards and a touchdown. The senior had two big plays, including a 34-yard touchdown which involved use of the “snatch drill” and diving into the end zone.

The game plan didn’t change, regardless of whether Eason or Fromm stood behind center. Each of the signal callers received significant reps in practice with first-team receivers. In addition, both quarterbacks worked with their playmakers during summer 7-on-7 drills.

Eason’s injury has been diagnosed as a sprained knee, and with the severity unknown as of this writing, no timetable has been given on his return. In the interim, Fromm will prepare to play in the Sept. 9 game against Notre Dame and Brice Ramsey will serve as his backup.

“We’ve been working and I have chemistry with him,” Wims said. “The coaches have done a good job rotating those guys in so we can get used to how they throw. I’m more than confident in what Fromm can do because he’s a tremendous talent and can handle any situation.”

Fromm didn’t throw an interception, but there were some decisions that didn’t make the Bulldogs’ head coach too happy. If Fromm starts versus Notre Dame as expected, he will face more formidable defensive backfield than what Appalachian State fielded.

“He made some mistakes too, some things that could have been costly,” Smart said. “Sometimes you look at the result and not the decision. We’re looking at the decision and not the result.”