Georgia QB Justin Fields doesn’t see field against Florida in first half
Georgia quarterback Justin Fields didn’t take a single snap in the first half against Florida, despite all the calls from fans and some media members over the last two weeks for the freshman to see more playing time.
Starting quarterback Jake Fromm took every rep before halftime. He was 8-of-11 passing for 97 yards and a touchdown. With Fromm at the helm, the Bulldogs got out to a 10-0 lead to start the game. They hold a 13-7 lead at halftime.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has had to field a lot of questions about his quarterback situation the last few weeks after Fromm’s struggles against LSU on Oct. 13. The sophomore went 16-of-34 for 209 yards with a touchdown and 2 interceptions against the Tigers.
Fields, meanwhile, took just five snaps against LSU. He didn’t throw a single pass and carried the ball once for 3 yards.
Smart has remained adamant that the quarterback rotation would depend on the game situation.
“It’s the same message we’ve had all along: We want to play the guy that gives us the best opportunity to be successful,” Smart said Monday. “And that comes from a lot of reps in practice, a lot of work in practice. They both got a tremendous amount of work last week and we’ll continue to make that decision based on what gives us the best opportunity to be successful.”
Fromm has started every game this year, and Fields’ involvement in the game plan has varied from game to game.
Former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow weighed in on the situation this week ahead of the game.
“If he’s going to be effective,” Tebow said of Fields, “he’s going to have to threaten a defense, especially Florida’s, because Florida is so aggressive defensively. For him to be able to have running room, he has to threaten them, so he has to show he can make those throws down the field, and I think he can, but you have to tell a defense you can, too, and he hasn’t done that. So I think the next step for Georgia is that they let him throw it once or twice.”
Fields was a 5-star recruit and the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the country in the Class of 2018.