Eight offensive snaps.
That's how long sophomore Jacob Eason served as Georgia's starting quarterback this season, his promising year derailed by a personal-foul penalty during the opener against Appalachian State. Eason forever may be linked to Mountaineers defensive tackle Myquon Stout, who pushed Eason while he was already out of bounds, resulting in the 6-foot-5, 235-pounder suffering a sprained left knee that caused him to miss Georgia's next three games.
While Eason sat, freshman Jake Fromm took charge and repeatedly thrived, guiding the Bulldogs to a 12-1 record that has included the program's first Southeastern Conference championship in 12 years and the program's first trip to college football's four-team playoff. Fromm was voted last week by league coaches as the SEC freshman of the year.
"Things happen, and that's life," Eason said in the locker room following Georgia's 28-7 victory over Auburn in the SEC title game. "Football is a game, and you can get hurt. My dad got hurt in college. Injuries are common. It's kind of one of those things where you can be mad about it and sulk about it all season, but I took what happened and did what I could to help the team get better.
"I was there for Jake and there with Brice (Ramsey, the third-string quarterback), and I was the same person in the quarterback room. Obviously my role became a little different, but the season turned out like we all wanted it to."
Eason never will know what could have been for him this season, as the Bulldogs went three-and-out on their first two possessions against Appalachian State. By the time he returned to the field from his injury, there was 8:47 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Sept. 30 game at Tennessee. Georgia was leading 38-0, and Eason led a drive for the final points of a 41-0 blowout of the Volunteers that resulted in the Bulldogs improving to 5-0 and to No. 5 in the nation.
He has played in just six games this year, with his simplistic stat line consisting of 4-of-7 passing for 28 yards.
"He's been very consistent from what I've seen," senior tight end Jeb Blazevich said midway through the season. "I think he's fighting the good fight. He's getting out there. He's trying to get better. He's doing everything he can.
"I'm really proud of him for how he's handled this."
Eason was the nation's top-rated quarterback in the 2016 signing class, according to ESPN and Rivals.com, and he completed 204 of 370 passes (55.1 percent) for 2,430 yards last year, with 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He threw just three of his interceptions in the last seven games, and a two-touchdown performance in a 31-23 triumph over TCU in the Liberty Bowl appeared to be a potential springboard for a productive sophomore season in his second year with offensive coordinator Jim Chaney.
A sophomore season that was altered before Labor Day.
"In life, you're going to get hit with obstacles, and some will be out of your control," Eason said. "This one was out of my control, so I did what I thought was the best thing I could do, which is to be there for Jake. If he struggles, I'm going to help him. If he's doing well, I'm going to praise him.
"Jake did a great job this whole season. He really led this team."
Eason is giving the "I'm taking it a day at a time" response when asked about his future with the Bulldogs. Fromm will represent Georgia's first starting quarterback returning off an SEC title since David Greene was a junior in 2003, and the Bulldogs are expected to add five-star Justin Fields, the nation's top dual-threat talent, next week in college football's new early signing period.
Stout's out-of-bounds push may result in Eason never starting again for Georgia, but he could reclaim that role should Fromm get injured against Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day.
"Coach Chaney always preaches that we're just one play away," Eason said, "and it's why you have to stay alert with the game plan and stay alert in practice. I doubt that moment will come, and I hope it never does, but if it does, I'll be ready for it.
"It's all about the team here. We've been working hard all year, and we've had a great season. We're finishing it the way we wanted to, and that was a goal at the beginning of the season."
Smart honored
Georgia's Kirby Smart was named Monday as college football's coach of the year by The Sporting News, marking the first Bulldogs recipient for that award since Vince Dooley in 1980. The award has been given by the publication since 1963.
Smart follows 2016 winner James Franklin of Penn State and 2015 winner Dabo Swinney of Clemson, and he is the first SEC recipient since Auburn's Gus Malzahn shared the 2013 honor with Duke's David Cutcliffe.
Hill commits
The Bulldogs picked up their 19th commitment for the 2018 signing class and their 10th from a Peach State prospect Monday night, when Warner Robins offensive lineman Trey Hill gave them a nonbinding pledge. The 6-foot-4, 346-pound Hill is rated the nation's No. 2 guard and No. 38 overall prospect by 247Sports.com.
Hill picked Georgia over scholarship offers from Alabama, Auburn and Florida State.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.