WATCH: Jake Fromm steadied, sparked shaky Georgia in win over Notre Dame

ATHENS — Jake Fromm steadied a shaky Georgia offense Saturday night, handling the moment when the game was put into his hands.

“We finally had an opportunity to get the ball downfield, which was good for us,” Fromm said after the No. 3-ranked Bulldogs rallied and held on for a 23-17 win over Notre Dame at Sanford Stadium.

An ultra-conservative Georgia game plan agains the Irish left Fromm with curious first half numbers, 11-of-12 passing, but for just 59 yards with the Irish leading at 10-7.

Fromm said halftime adjustments were in order, and the Bulldogs’ returned for the third quarter with a different mentally.

“We wanted to attack those guys,” Fromm said. “The guys were getting into the box in different kinds of ways, and we wanted to figure out exactly what they were doing and exploit them a little bit.”

Fromm and coordinator James Coley finally did just that in the second half, using tempo and throwing deeper down the field as the Bulldogs’ offense finally came to life.

Lawrence Cager reeled in a 36-yard catch down the left sideline, followed with a 10-yard catch and then three plays later Fromm read blitz and found Cager for a 15-yard touchdown.

Fromm looked to take control of the game with his legs on the next drive, running through tackles for a 9-yard gain on a third-and-10 to the Notre Dame 26-yard line.

Coach Kirby Smart elected to have Rodrigo Blankenship attempt (and make) a 43-yard field goal that made the score 23-10, rather than rely on his offense to pick up a yard.

Fromm said after the game he regretted not seizing the moment himself.

“I really thought I had it, I was pretty juiced after that, I really wanted that first down,” Fromm said. “If I was being smart, I should have lined everybody up and called another play really fast.”

The change in Georgia’s offensive mindset resulted in 225 yards of offense in the second half after just 114 in the first half.

The Bulldogs’ might have done even more in their version of the two-minute offense, but Notre Dame players were falling to the turf, triggering injury timeouts that disrupted the drive.

Fromm didn’t want to elaborate when asked about the legitimacy of the injuries, which has turned into its own issue.

“Yeah, no comment on that,” Fromm said. “I don’t really know what was going on. I just now we were trying to play football, trying to play fast, and they weren’t letting us.”

Georgia ended up holding on for the win, but Fromm recognized there is room for work.

“We left some plays out there, you’re always going to,” Fromm said.

The Bulldogs have a bye this week, but Fromm made it clear that doesn’t equate to time off.

“We’re going to go to work is what we’re gong to do,” Fromm said. “We’re going to be doing a lot of good on good in practice.”