On the first full Saturday of the 2017 college football season, two prominent Deep South quarterbacks – Florida State’s Deondre Francois and Georgia’s Jacob Eason – were sidelined by injuries.
Florida State went into a tailspin that resulted in a 6-6 regular season before Wednesday’s win over Southern Mississippi in the Independence Bowl. The Bulldogs, however, flourished with true freshman backup Jake Fromm, earning their first Southeastern Conference championship in 12 seasons and a date in Monday afternoon’s Rose Bowl national semifinal against No. 2 Oklahoma (12-1).
Why such a disparity?
“I don’t have the answers to those questions,” Georgia offensive coordinator Jim Chaney said Thursday in a Rose Bowl news conference. “Sometimes you’re just luckier than you are good.”
The No. 3 Bulldogs (12-1) have been far more good than lucky in Chaney’s second season calling the plays for head coach Kirby Smart’s offense. Fromm is among the top 10 quarterbacks nationally in efficiency, and the senior tailback tandem of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel have combined for a robust 2,123 rushing yards.