GEORGIA
For the first time in his prolific career, Jake Fromm is starting over.
Well, kind of. He’s starting over with a play-caller now that Jim Chaney is off to Tennessee. James Coley is now in charge of those duties following his promotion this offseason. It’ll be Coley who’s tasked with maximizing what could be the final year of Fromm in Athens.
What will that look like? That’s an interesting question.
Surely it’s one that many Georgia fans have to be wondering about after Chaney’s run-pass distribution was a constant topic of conversation.
I decided to dig into Coley as a play-caller because that’s ultimately going to have a say in how Fromm operates in 2019.
Before Coley was hired to join Kirby Smart’s staff in 2016, he was Miami’s play-caller from 2013-15 under Al Golden. The Hurricanes had quarterbacks who were a bit more traditional and not what you’d call true dual-threats. I’d still take Fromm over Brad Kaaya or Stephen Morris, but you get what I’m saying. And while Miami’s backfield obviously wasn’t as loaded as Georgia’s, Coley had either Duke Johnson or Mark Walton to hand the ball off to.
Here was how Coley performed as a play-caller:
Coley at Miami
2013
2014
2015
Run-pass split
53%-47%
53%-47%
49%-51%
Total plays/game
63.1
64.4
67.2
Yards/play
6.8
6.7
5.9
Yards/pass attempt
9.0
8.3
8.0
Red-zone TD%
60%
51%
50%
What does that tell us, you ask? For starters, Coley’s offense is predicated on balance. That’s good news for Fromm.
Obviously he’s not going to take the Mike Leach approach and throw the ball 50 times per game, or really come anywhere close to that. Coley would be foolish to go that route with D’Andre Swift and Zamir White in the backfield.
Miami’s worst offensive year under Coley was his final season in 2015 when the Canes just couldn’t establish the run all year. They ranked dead last in the ACC in rushing and only 4 Power 5 teams averaged fewer rushing yards per contest (119.1). But even though Miami had someone who was believed to be a first-round quarterback prospect at the time in Kaaya, Coley still nearly had a 50-50 split with running and passing.
Kaaya didn’t take the step up that many expected him to, part of which could have been because Miami struggled to move the chains on the ground. Part of that was on Coley. Despite that statistical regression in Kaaya’s sophomore season, though, Sports Illustrated and others had him still pegged as a first-round pick when Coley left for Georgia after the 2015 season.
There were a ton of positives in the passing game during Coley’s first 2 years at Miami. With Morris under center, the Hurricanes finished third in FBS in pass plays of 30 yards or more in 2013. And when Kaaya was a true freshman in 2014, he led the league in touchdown passes and passing efficiency.
Fromm’s best asset is his efficiency. He was fifth in America in efficiency as a sophomore and he was ninth as a true freshman. Coley isn’t going to suddenly start running a completely new system than the one he was a part of the past 3 seasons, 2 of which saw Fromm lead Georgia to an SEC East title. The offense will be multiple, and every once in a while, Fromm will keep the run-pass option for himself.
But I have a prediction, and I realize that Georgia fans might not like it. I bet Fromm throws the ball more than ever, and he has his best statistical season to date.
To be fair, that’s not really that bold of a prediction for a third-year starter who ranked No. 72 in pass attempts last year. The guy went from 19 passes to — get ready for it — 22 pass attempts per game. Coley and his passing game roots will be in the DNA of this offense.
Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Last year, Georgia’s run-pass splits were 61%-39%. I’m not saying those are going to be flipped, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Georgia at least got into the 43-45% range and pretended to be a somewhat modern-looking offense.
And look. I get it. Georgia is so loaded with talent in the ground game that it’d be stupid to suddenly start airing it out like a Big 12 team. The Dawgs will be up big in their fair share of games, and they won’t need to throw that much.
But even Tua Tagovailoa, who basically didn’t play in the fourth quarter until the postseason because he had one of the most efficient regular seasons ever, averaged 24 pass attempts per game. That was with a backfield that had a pair of former 5-star recruits and potential first-round pick Josh Jacobs.
It’s OK if Fromm gets a few more chances to air it out. It’d be surprising if he didn’t.
The good news for Coley is that he doesn’t have to deal with the Justin Fields dynamic. Chaney struggled with that to a certain extent.
We don’t know what Coley is going to struggle with. Maybe it’ll be coaching up a group of pass-catchers that underwent a serious makeover this offseason. Perhaps it’ll be getting Fromm to not focus on his draft stock, which Kaaya was accused of doing once he became a veteran. It could just be that he deals with the usual concern from Georgia fans, which is that he isn’t maximizing the copious amounts of offensive talent.
For all we know, though, Coley will take Fromm to an even higher level. He and Fromm have developed a chemistry together. That’s why the offense should have more pace. There should be more responsibility for Fromm, too. His ability to make adjustments at the line of scrimmage should be evident.
It’s those elements that have Georgia optimistic about Coley as the new play-caller, despite the fact that Chaney just left after leading top-20 offenses with Fromm under center. Fromm and Coley could be the combination that gets Georgia over the proverbial Alabama hump.
The right play call here or the right play call there and who knows? Maybe it’s Alabama that’s in need of a fake punt run on 4th-and-11.
I think the fact that Fromm, for his first time since coming to UGA, will not be competing for the starting spot and taking all the first-team reps in the off-season, will potentially contribute greatly to his development as well as his rapport with the receivers. Given that, I would love to see something closer to a even balance between run and pass plays, especially if the threat of taking the top off the defense is consistent enough to get defenses to unload the box.
Hopefully we can expect more than run, run, pass on 3rd down. No point in recruiting stud recievers if you aren’t going to use them.
Yes. Understand though that we are a run first UGA RBU team. Fromm will have better rhythm and continuity with the play calling especially when they start to run the “hurry up” offense as they get 1st downs.
He’s at his best when that is taking place on the field.
I know we are run first. Everyone else knows also. That leads to being predictable.
Yes, predictable. But “try and stop us” is the montra.
We will instill our will upon the opposing defense.
So what if we’re predictable.
Just go out there and be more physical. We now have some big, physical offensive lineman to push guys around and that’s what we will do.
I think the passing game will depend on whether or not someone steps up to fill in for Elijah Holyfield’s 1,000 yards of production.
If Zeus, Cook, or McIntosh can step up and contribute 800 – 1,000 yards for the season, then Fromm won’t need to throw it a lot.
If D’Andre Swift is all we got for production on the ground, look for Fromm to throw 30 or more times a game.
^
He’s not taking Fromm anywhere unless he takes the running backs with him. Fromm just doesn’t put me in mind of Aaron Murray. I haven’t seen him, ever, take on an elite team and put them on his back when the running game wasn’t there first.
Both games against Alabama come to mind. No run game to really speak of, he had to do a bit with his arm in both. I would have assumed you watched those games.
From played well in the SECCG but in the NC game he completed just 50% of his passes with 2 interceptions and a QBR of 36…
Yes, but the play calling was not the best in the NC. If Fromm had been given more freedom or free reigns to call himself, it may have been a different completion ratio. But hey, shoulda-coulda-woulda, right?
Fromm is no Aaron Murray. If he has to throw 30 times a game Gators will take the East.
2018 UGA vs. UF…………….
Fromm was 17-24 / 240 yards / 3 touchdowns.
30 attempts and a win seems achievable.
He for sure won’t have to throw 30 times against uf. Especially if they go up 21-0 after 6 minutes again and he only needs to throw 7 times.
Big diff in “having” to throw 30 times a game, and choosing to do so for balance or to thin out the box. With the O-line we’ll have – likely the best in CFB – and the hosses in the backfield, I seriously doubt anyone will shut down the run. Play action will be lethal (again) with Fromm’s accuracy and acumen.
Chaney wasted 15-25 offensive snaps per game with runs between the tackles against a 8- or 9-man box, and bubble screens against bad numbers. I don’t think Coley is that stubborn or unimaginative.
The only real question is whether a newish group of receivers can step up. Holloman and D-Rob, no doubt – they’ve done it plenty. The rest, we’ll have to see.
… and yet Kirby tried to keep Chaney, only letting him go when Georgia got outbid. Either all of the Georgia fans are smarter than Kirby, or Chaney really wasn’t the problem
It’s the same at every school – fans dump on the OC or QB. Florida has PLENTY of experience with that. Chaney is not a bad OC – look at his scoring results the past 2 years – he’s just a stubborn one. Sure, Kirby would rather have kept him and given Coley another year or two as co-OC understudy to Jim, but not at the price of being the highest-paid OC in the country along with a contract extension.
I definitely agree that Chaney wasted too many snaps trying run between the tackles against a loaded box. I understand that they’re trying to wear down defenses, but that created too many third-and-long scenarios. I’m all for being a run-first, line of scrimmage dominant offense but creativity seemed to be lacking under Chaney. And I say that as a Chaney fan.
I swear, it’s like none of the writers here actually understand what DawgNation thinks or wants. Lots of snide comments and asides to the contrary, we’re:
1. Ecstatic Grantham is getting paid all that money to stay in Florida because we beat him like a rented mule
2. We’re not upset that Tennessee vastly overpaid for Chaney, we’re again, ecstatic
3. We WANT the offense to throw the ball more especially:
a. Over the middle to TEs and Slot WRs (Chaney NEVER called pass plays over the middle more than 1-2 per game and never featured our athletic TEs in mismatches over LB and DBs)
b. When the defense sticks 9 men in the box we should always throw, not stupidly run it up the gut like Chaney did over and over for minimal yardage wasting downs
c. In goal to go situations, instead of again, running it up the gut, let’s try some Jake Fromm rollouts where he has the option to run it in or throw it?
It seriously confuses me how the writers of this site have literally no idea what we think and feel when we do nothing but tell you. It’s like you hear us and read us, but then you think to yourselves, “Naaah, that’s not how they think or feel.” It’s very strange.
I’m actually disappointed that there isn’t a way for me to like or thumbs up this post.
They’re not writing to make you feel good; they’re writing from their perspective. Also, it’s pretty pompous to assume you know that all UGA fans want to throw more. That can’t be true. There are plenty of UGA fans who like that run first mentality like a security blanket. It comes with having a defensive minded head coach. They want to be physical and take the air out of the ball to protect their defense. It was the same at Bama, but then you get a big time talent like Tua and it forces the coach to change philosophy a bit. Fromm just isn’t quite dynamic enough to warrant that change.
Fromm, Swift, Woerner, Cook, White, Holoman etc. All great players who can win games and carry a team.
Howvever the secret sauce will the offensive line. If they stay healthy and progress UGA will do whatever they want to do on offense, and they will do it well.
I want to see more passes to Swift and Cook coming out of the backfield and more deep shots downfield to Holoman, Robertson and company.
I want to see passes over the middle. Seriously, look at Fromm’s 2018 passing chart. Chaney completely abandoned the half of the field that exists between to the defense without ever trying to beat them there. With a QB as accurate as Fromm, that’s just insanity. With TEs and a slot receiver as athletic as Nauta and Hardman were, again, that’s just INSANITY.
Jim Chaney held back this offense and Fromm’s development with extremely stupid scheme and playcalls that never took advantage of all of the strengths the offense possessed.
*that exists between the hashes
Did it ever occur to you that maybe Fromm just chooses to throw outside on these pass plays? I doubt they only sent receivers to the outside.
The run game helps balance out the play calling and also keeps the opposing offense on the sidelines.
And yes, it will also open up the defensive backfield more when you successfully run the ball.
Case in point, the battle is won in the trenches with great blocking and movement of the offensive line.
If UGA Run-pass split goes 43-57 as you predict then I predict we will have 3 losses at the end of regular season and most likely miss the SEC championship game
The numbers need to be at 52-48 or something in that range if not we will look like beast against weak teams and get ate up against good teams
If it’s 43-57, then it means that a lot of games we should be winning comfortably are coming down to the wire, or worse.
For the record, Coley at Miami did not have the caliber and stable of running backs that Georgia has and had for that matter.
I wouldn’t mind seeing a true 50-50 type pass-run offense, at least until the fourth quarter in games where Ga has a big lead. It would tend to make the offense more unpredictable. Can’t wait to see the new offense.
Me too, but I still think a 60(run) to 40(pass) is our ratio to keep our bread and butter.
Watch UGA’s offense. When the QB lines up under center, its almost always a run play, when in the shotgun, its almost always a pass. I wonder if the other teams have been able to figure out that secret???