ATHENS, Ga. – There is no going back and easing Jacob Eason into his freshman season.
Georgia’s touted quarterback experienced a sped-up learning curve during last Saturday night’s 28-27 win at Missouri. With a stalled running game, the 6-foot-5, 235-pounder completed 29 of 55 passes for 308 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, including a 20-yard touchdown to Isaiah McKenzie on his final throw of the game.
Eason came off the bench to help the Bulldogs win their opener over North Carolina in Atlanta and won his first career start, albeit barely, against Nicholls State in Sanford Stadium. After winning his first road start, he now gets the opportunity to win a road game against a ranked foe, with the No. 12 Bulldogs playing at No. 23 Ole Miss this week.
“I think with the reps he’s gotten, he’s grown and he’s gotten better,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “The kid has grown up a lot, and I think with each and every rep he’s got to continue to grow. He’s shown the propensity that when he makes a mistake once he can usually correct that, but you’re talking about exponentially how many things can happen in a play that he’s never seen, and now you’re trying to fix all those things.
“Sometimes they’ve got to happen before you fix them. You don’t learn unless you get the experience. He’s gotten some valuable experience the last two games, but let’s be honest, he’s a freshman.”