Georgia football coach Kirby Smart details QBs ‘command of the offense’ in scrimmage

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia football quarterbacks Jake Fromm and Justin Fields continued their spirited competition on Saturday at Sanford Stadium.

The Bulldogs held their first scrimmage of fall drills, putting the red-clad offense against the white-clad defense for about 150 plays.

“I thought both quarterbacks played well, they did some good things, they did some things in the passing game that helped us,” Georgia football coach Kirby Smart said in his opening remarks.

Quarterbacks Jake Fromm and Justin Fields will both play this season, as much out of necessity as anything.

The Bulldogs have only two scholarship quarterbacks after Jacob Eason transferred to Washington in February.

Smart knows exactly what he wants out of the quarterback position. The third-year head coach and former All-SEC safety spoke rapidly Saturday, breaking down those pivotal characteristics.

“Leadership, talking creates toughness, so [it’s key] if you can talk to your offensive line, your backs, your receivers, command of huddle, command of the offense, decision making,” Smart said. “When you are in the red area, are you secure with the ball? We got points, are we going to make sure we get a field goal, or are we going to take a risk and take a chance on losing it?

“Are you securing the ball in the pocket, what’s your turnover to touchdown ratio, all the things involved are going to go into those things,” Smart said. “Both of those guys did a good job with the command of their huddle, and I thought both of them had really good command of the offense.”

Smart along with Georgia football players have been asked about Fromm and Fields throughout fall camp.

Fromm, of course, was an FWAA Freshman All-American who led the Bulldogs to the SEC Championship and a national championship game appearance.

Fields has impressed with his arm strength and athleticism.

Former NFL head coach and QB guru Bruce Arians said that from his observations, Fromm was clearly the team leader.

Indeed, Fromm will most certainly start the opening football game against Austin Peay at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 1, at Sanford Stadium.

That said, Georgia offensive coordinator Jim Chaney confirmed last Saturday that the quarterbacks are competing like every other position group.

How the Bulldogs will choose to manage and play the quarterbacks, Chaney indicated is wide open.

Georgia has two scrimmages remaining this fall.