ATLANTA - Greyson Lambert started at quarterback for Georgia, but it was Jacob Eason who finished as the Bulldogs came back to defeat North Carolina 33-24 Saturday night in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.
It could very well be that Eason won the job in his collegiate debut, but first-year head coach Kirby Smart is not making a hasty decision for this week against Nicholls State.
"There is no plan right now," Smart said. "We will assess the tape, and we will make another decision. I'm sure all you guys will want to know who starts the next game, and we'll start all over again. Maybe you'll know by Thursday. Maybe you'll know by Wednesday. Who knows? We've got to figure all that out."
Eason wound up having the busier evening of the two, completing 8 of 12 passes for 131 yards with a 17-yard touchdown to Isaiah McKenzie on a shuffle pass. Lambert was 5-of-8 for 54 yards and endured three sacks to just one by Eason.
A resounding cheer greeted Eason as he entered the game for the first time with 13:13 to go in the second quarter. Following a 2-yard run by Nick Chubb, Eason's first pass resulted in a 23-yard quick screen to Terry Godwin.
Eason's longest completion was a 51-yarder to McKenzie midway through the fourth quarter that set up William Ham's 29-yard field goal that put the Bulldogs up for good.
"We prepared the same for either one, because we didn't know which one would play," UNC coach Larry Fedora said. "There was no way of knowing, and you saw them open it up a little more when Eason was in the game. It gave us some issues, but both quarterbacks did a nice job.
"Both of them are quality guys who did what they need to do to win a football game."
Smart said both competed hard.
"We struggled a little bit with the execution with Jacob in there in terms of getting in and out of the huddle, but I'm really proud of both of them," Smart said. "I went to Greyson several times while Jacob was in there, and he was cheering for Jacob and wanting him to do well."
Herrien in relief
Although Chubb stole Saturday's show with 222 rushing yards, Bulldogs backup tailback Brian Herrien had quite the freshman debut with seven carries for 59 yards. His first collegiate carry was a 19-yard touchdown that gave Georgia a 14-7 lead with 6:22 left in the half.
Herrien was a late signee for Georgia, inking in May to help a position that had lost A.J. Turman a few weeks earlier to a transfer. He was rated the No. 19 running back nationally by 247Sports.com and rushed for 1,873 yards last season at New Manchester High in Manchester, Ga., but he was a lightly regarded prospect due to academic concerns.
"Tears almost came to my eyes when that kid had that touchdown run," Smart said. "A lot of y'all don't know how far he's come. He's sitting in his second semester having to make four or five A's to be eligible. We had a great relationship with him when I was at Alabama, and we thought he was a great player.
"I was like, 'Just hang on. Don't sign. Wait. We'll be there for you if you can make your grades.' For that kid to come as far as he did and get thrust in the limelight and do what he did is really special."
Odds and ends
Saturday was the first time in Georgia history that the Bulldogs opened with a win over a ranked foe away from Sanford Stadium. Maurice Smith, the defensive back who transferred from Alabama, had four first-half tackles and broke up a deep Tar Heels pass. Freshman defensive lineman David Marshall had four tackles and Georgia's lone sack.