Georgia quarterback JT Daniels isn’t about to guarantee victory as the No. 5 Bulldogs continue preparations for Saturday night’s showdown against No. 3 Clemson inside Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.
Daniels is very confident, however, that he can avoid the nerves on such a sizable stage. A Texas-sized experience took care of that during his debut year at Southern California on Sept. 15, 2018.
“The most nervous I’ve been was my freshman year playing at Texas,” Daniels said Monday on a Zoom call. “There were 104,000 in the stands. That was my first time to really experience crowd noise. You had to scream to tell your running back who’s a foot away from you what to do. It was unbelievable.
“After the first drive or even the first couple of plays, you really start to calm down naturally.”
USC was on the short end of a 37-14 whipping against the Longhorns, with Daniels performing in catch-up mode for most of the game. He completed 30 of 48 passes for 322 yards but was intercepted once and sacked three times.
Daniels will be dealing with an evenly split crowd Saturday night, not to mention the fact he’s nearly three years older.
“I think my best way of dealing with nerves is just understanding what nerves are,” the 6-foot-3, 210-pound redshirt junior from Irvine, California, said. “It’s just your body’s response to knowing that you’re doing something that means something to you and it’s something that matters. You just work through it while being excited for the moment, and the way you approach it from your perspective makes a big difference.
“The nerves are either going to bring you down or build you up.”
Daniels threw for 401 yards and four touchdowns last November during his Georgia debut, which was a 31-24 outlasting of Mississippi State. He then helped the Bulldogs coast to resounding wins over South Carolina and Missouri before being put to the test against Cincinnati in January’s Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
With the Bearcats leading 21-10 early in the fourth quarter, Daniels guided the offense to three scoring drives as Georgia pulled out a 24-21 thriller. He completed 26 of 38 passes for 392 yards and a touchdown and heads into this season as the unquestioned starter receiving Heisman Trophy attention.
“I am extremely confident in his preparation and his focus,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “That is not a concern for me. The concern is who we have to block and the players around JT. Everybody puts everything on the shoulders of the quarterback, but so much of the outcome of the quarterback depends on how the guys play around him, who those guys are and their experience level. Do those guys play with physical toughness? Do they strain?
“I am very confident in JT’s preparation up to this point and his preparation over the summer. The distractions of the outside world really aren’t distractions for JT. He has a single-minded focus all the time on being his best and being the best leader he can.”
Daniels continues to have a strong belief in his receivers despite multiple injury setbacks dating back to last year – “We have a lot of guys I feel comfortable with. There are no concerns from that point,” he said – and he knows Clemson will provide the toughest test of his brief Georgia career.
The Tigers return nine defensive starters, the highest such number in the Dabo Swinney era.
“They are all-around good – a really elite defense,” Daniels said. “I respect the way they play up front especially. They really get after it, and they play hard.
“They’re not just a talent team that gets by just on talent. They compete, work and strain, and that commands a lot of respect.”
Dawg bites
Sophomore receiver Arik Gilbert, the transfer from LSU, continues to be away from the team for personal reasons, with Smart saying, “We are praying for him each and every day that he will come back healthy.” Smart on the foot injuries of sophomore tight end Darnell Washington and West Virginia transfer cornerback Tykee Smith: “Each one of them are doing great. They’re moving around now, and I’m hoping both of those guys will be healthy soon.” The Bulldogs received a commitment Monday from three-star tackle Jacob Hood, a 6-8, 342-pounder from Hillsboro High in Nashville.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.