Jacob Eason struggling in one area he was expected to excel: the deep ball
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In Georgia’s 28-14 victory over South Carolina on Sunday, the Bulldogs’ offense was entirely one-dimensional.
Whether due to the gameplan, the Gamecocks’ inability to stop the running game or Jacob Eason struggling on the road in windy conditions, the offense resembled that of the previous two years.
Back when Georgia fans clamored for a quarterback capable of scaring defenses and creating a balanced attack.
The Bulldogs’ ground game arrived at just the right time and reminded the SEC that it is not to be trifled with. Good thing, too, because Georgia might not have been able to win without it.
That’s a scary thought considering South Carolina is likely the second-easiest opponent Georgia has faced to date, and the season is nearing its midway point. Inconsistency is a part of the process with Eason, but it would be comforting to see improvement as well.
Interestingly, Sunday was the type of game in which Greyson Lambert would have likely excelled for the Bulldogs. Behind a run-oriented offense, he would have been free to throw the short-to-intermediate passes and help march Georgia down the field.
It wouldn’t have been a fireworks show, but, then again, not every game needs to be.
Nobody has questioned that Eason is more talented than Lambert, but the freshman still needs to learn how to operate within various in-game situations. It’s not something that will happen overnight, though, and Eason has already shown progress in the minute aspects of being a college quarterback.
“We’ve got to help Jacob, the people around him have got to help Jacob,” Kirby Smart said at his post-game press conference. “But he is getting better. He is lining guys up, telling them the right formation and can see coverages better. He’s doing a lot of things better. He’s got a long way to go; it’s a slow process and we’re trying to get him there.”
Following Georgia’s win at Missouri, which culminated with an Eason game-winning touchdown pass, Smart informed reporters that his quarterback was still missing what he called “layups.” Those aren’t necessarily short passes, but they are passes that should be completed more often than not.
Eason’s greatest tool is his ability to throw deep passes, but right now completing them hasn’t been a strength.
During the game’s broadcast, the SEC Network showed a statistic that Eason had completed just 6-of-30 passes of 20 yards or more. That’s 20 percent.
The Bulldogs’ receivers haven’t exactly helped Eason out in that category, and Isaiah McKenzie dropped another deep pass Sunday, but it’s still a troubling statistic for a quarterback whose reputation was built in part on the long ball.
Watching Eason, his first instinct seems to be throwing the ball deep. As with many quarterbacks who have tremendous throwing ability, he sometimes places too much faith in his arm.
On several occasions, he has eschewed a safer throw for a potentially bigger reward. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but he’s not connecting on enough of those home runs to make it a wise strategy. If Eason dialed it back just a bit, Georgia’s offense might have a small decrease in explosive plays but would likely become more efficient and sustain longer drives.
It’s a decent bet that the coaching staff has counseled their quarterback in this regard, but Eason is the one who has to make that decision on the field.
Most offensive coordinators like to get a quarterback into a rhythm with short throws and fast-developing plays. This allows a player to ease into the speed of that game and build confidence. By throwing deep early and often, Eason isn’t giving himself much of a chance to get comfortable and it showed Sunday.
Of course, by running the ball so often, there was a decent amount of time between Eason’s attempts. He missed some wide-open easy throws and, as Smart said after the game, “saw things out there that didn’t exist.”
With a veteran quarterback such as Lambert, a run-heavy gameplan that relies on a few, key passes to keep the drive alive can succeed. But Eason isn’t ready for that, at least not yet.
This is a good problem for Georgia and its quarterback to have. It’s easier to teach a pitcher control than it is to teach him how to throw 100 mph or teach an actor subtlety than help them become more expressive.
Eason already has the confidence to take the deep shots. While he’s not connecting on a large amount of them, that should change as he gets more reps with his receivers, who, again, could help him out by catching the ball.
Inconsistency is part of the deal when a team starts a true freshman quarterback. The tools are in place for Eason, but he needs to develop other aspects of his game.
Eason is still learning, though, and as Smart understands, the coaching staff and his teammates need to help their quarterback through this growing process.
William McFadden covers the University of Georgia for Saturday Down South. For news on everything happening between the hedges, follow him on Twitter @willmcfadden.
