ATHENS, Ga. -- Seven games into his surprising role as Georgia's starting quarterback, Greyson Lambert has completed a respectable 64.1 percent of his passes and thrown nine touchdown passes to just two interceptions.
Lambert even set an NCAA single-game accuracy record with his 24-of-25 passing performance (96.0 percent) in Georgia's 52-20 rout of South Carolina on Sept. 19. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound transfer from the University of Virginia came back the following week to complete 9 of 10 passes in a 48-6 whipping of Southern University, but those two showings have been followed by sloppier games against Alabama, Tennessee and Missouri.
Georgia head coach Mark Richt looks on from the sidelines during in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Southern, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) Which is why Lambert is toting a "consistently inconsistent" label into this week's open date before next Saturday's showdown against Florida in Jacksonville.
"It's been up and down, no doubt, and it's pretty obvious to see there have been some really spectacular moments and some not-so-spectacular," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said. "It's kind of part of the process sometimes. Even though he's a veteran quarterback, he's still brand new in this system and brand new to Georgia and the SEC.
"There are a lot of firsts for him."
Lambert began August camp as a perceived long shot to wrest the starting job away from redshirt sophomore Brice Ramsey, who replaced an injured Hutson Mason last December in the Belk Bowl. Lambert had a solid 8-of-12, 141-yard, two-touchdown debut in the 51-14 win over Louisiana-Monroe but then experienced an 0-for-5 first half at Vanderbilt before regrouping for a final line of 11-of-21 for 116 yards in Georgia's 31-14 triumph.
Then came the combined 33-of-35, five-touchdown games against South Carolina and Southern, but Lambert followed that by going 10-of-24 for only 86 yards with an interception in the 38-10 home loss to Alabama on Oct. 3. He completed 15 of 32 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns the following week at Tennessee, but that wasn't enough in a 38-31 defeat as the Bulldogs went from 4-0 and No. 8 nationally to 4-2 and unranked.
"He's been a good leader for us, and he's played well," senior left tackle John Theus said. "We've all got to improve on everything we do week to week, and he's no different."
Lambert completed 23 of 32 passes for 178 yards in Saturday night's 9-6 win over Missouri, but the redshirt junior threw one interception and was fortunate there weren't two or three more.
"My performance has been a roller coaster," Lambert said. "Hopefully this bye week will help me gain some consistency in that. We're 5-2, and we've got a shot."
Lambert added that the ability, or the inability, to string together completions has determined his fate each Saturday.
The Bulldogs have been horrific this season on third-down conversions, ranking tied for 109th nationally at 33.3 percent. They showed improvement in that category against Missouri, but Georgia's bottom-line offensive averages of 429.4 yards and 33.1 points per game trail last season's clips of 457.8 and 41.3.
Lambert soared to No. 3 nationally in efficiency after the games against South Carolina and Southern, but he is now at No. 32, a ranking that still tops Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones and Mississippi State's Dak Prescott.
And who would have bet on that in July?
"Everybody here has made it as easy of a transition as they could," Lambert said. "I'm just blessed to play on this team and be with all these guys and be in this position. I've enjoyed this whole process. Overall, it's been amazing."
Said Richt: "Overall, he's worked hard for us and put himself in position to play. It's been up and down, but I would say that's pretty much true of everybody on the team."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.