Each week, we take a look at the weekend’s biggest moment in SEC football and analyze its overall significance according to the following criteria: The uniqueness and excitement of the moment itself, the stakes involved/overall impact of the play and the degree to which the college football world reacted.

This Week’s Biggest Moment

Last week’s moment was the biggest in the conference because it was a surprise. This week’s moment, frankly, anybody with half an eye on the SEC knew was coming. It wasn’t a question of whether this column would be written, it was a question of when.

But when is now answered. Late in the evening of Sept. 17, 2016, Jacob Henry Eason showed the world what it looks like he was born to show the world — that there are boys, there are men, and there are legendary SEC quarterbacks. And two months shy of his 19th birthday, Eason joined category III in that hierarchy in his second start, in his third college football game.

It has not been an inauspicious journey for Eason. The product of Lake Stevens, Wash., Eason might have been a six-star quarterback as a recruit. He committed to Georgia under Mark Richt, decided to stay under Kirby Smart, and graduated high school a semester early to get a leg up. He starred in Georgia’s spring game, and he came off the bench to help lead the Dawgs to a Week 1 win against North Carolina.

After a snoozer against Nicholls State in which Eason started but didn’t play especially well, he made his SEC debut Saturday night against Missouri at Memorial Stadium in Columbia. Missouri has its own talented young passer in sophomore Drew Lock, and features a defense which has generally ranked among the best in the league.

The game was the type of back-and-forth rumble which the SEC seems to feature continuously as the season goes along. Missouri jumped to a 27-21 lead early in the second half, despite a solid game from Eason, and held that lead late in the fourth quarter.

With 3:32 to play, Missouri punted and Georgia needed an 80-yard march to win on the road in the SEC.

So mature and well-regarded is Eason that Kirby Smart had no hesitation about whose shoulders could carry the responsibility for the outcome of the game. Only twice on the drive did Georgia run, instead electing to take the ball out of the hands of All-SEC backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, and to put the game on the shoulders of Jacob Henry Eason.

Eason passed nine times on the game-winning Georgia drive, moving the Dawgs down the field and into striking range. It is the final pass that is the beginning of a legacy that could end literally anywhere, but looks destined to be glorious. It was 4th-and-10 at the Missouri 20 with 1:36 to play. Georgia called a timeout, and returned to the field with five receivers spread out wide, and Eason alone in the shotgun, with the game on his right arm.

Eason dropped, set, and passed before Missouri had any chance to create a pass rush. His target was top receiver Isaiah McKenzie, who had lined up in the slot to Eason’s left. McKenzie ran a post route into the middle of the field, isolated in coverage with cornerback Aarion Penton, a senior and perhaps Mizzou’s best cover man.

Isaiah McKenzie John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Eason’s pass was a howitzer, right over Penton, catching McKenzie in stride just as he crossed the goal line. McKenzie hauled the ball in and held on and he was spun around by Penton. The pass was Eason’s 55th, his 29th completion, and his third touchdown of the night. William Ham’s extra point provided the 28-27 margin and Georgia was 3-0.

History will probably forget that Eason was actually outpassed by Drew Lock in this game. Or that he missed on his six previous passes. It will overlook that preseason Heisman favorite Nick Chubb had a second straight subpar game with 19 carries for 63 yards. It will probably forget that Georgia was favored by about a touchdown.

It will not forget The Pass. Or as we should probably call it, The Pass I. Because it looks like Jacob Henry Eason will have many, many more moments like this one. But Saturday night, we saw the first.

The Uniqueness of the Moment

Fourth-quarter drives are relatively common. Georgia has had plenty. Fourth-quarter drives by true freshmen on the road in the conference in their third game ever?

Score: 9 of 10

The Stakes Involved

It’s hard to say right now. I’m going to err on the side of underrating this moment, because Georgia might yet end up finishing third in the East, and Missouri fourth, and this game could decide only who goes one spot ahead of the other in the bowl selections.

But in an East where Florida is without its starting QB and Tennessee has looked thoroughly vulnerable, Eason’s pass could be a warning to the rest of the East that the Dawgs, sooner than expected, are returning to be top dog.

A hardcore UGA fan would say this game could have SEC and national title implications. I think the first scenario is a little more likely than the second, and so will err on the side of caution.

Score: 6 of 10

The Fan Reaction

It’s been a bit of a down run for UGA, which slowly went from perennial just misses under Mark Richt to being the little contender that always underachieved. UGA beat Mizzou 9-6 at home last year in a game that even most Bulldogs fans would just as soon forget. What a difference a year makes. Saturday night, Twitter was hopping, and the Internet was blowing up in red and black. More than another SEC win, that game was about Georgia getting its mojo back.

Score: 8 of 10

Overall Final Score: 23/30

Previous 2016 Kick Six editions:

Week 1: LSU picked off late

Week 2: Arkansas makes two big plays late