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COLLEGE FOOTBALL
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com
Thursday, November 29, 2018 3B
SEC CHAMPIONSHIP
Gearing up for the best
MATTHEW HINTON I Associated Press
Georgia wide receiver Mecole Hardman (4) runs over LSU linebacker Patrick Queen (8)
on kickoff before fumbling the ball during the Oct. 13 game in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Georgia QB put
together another
strong season
Bulldogs will
need offense
at its best vs.
Crimson Tide
Associated Press
Georgia’s offense is
peaking just in time for its
ultimate stress test against
Alabama.
The No. 4 Bulldogs (11-1,
No. 4 CFP) scored a com
bined 111 points in their
final two regular-season
wins over UMass and Geor
gia Tech. Georgia stacked
an impressive string of
eight consecutive quarters
without a punt over its final
three games.
The challenge for Jake
Fromm and the Bulldogs is
to keep piling on the points
against a stout Alabama
defense and keep pace with
the powerful Crimson Tide.
A high-scoring game may
be Georgia’s best path to an
upset win and repeat South
eastern Conference cham
pionship on Saturday.
Fromm has thrown 24
touchdown passes, includ
ing a combined 14 to Riley
Ridley and Mecole Hard
man. Freshman Justin
Fields, best known for his
running skills, has thrown
four touchdown passes.
“I think it’s going to be the
best challenge we’ve had,
honestly,” said Alabama
safety Xavier McKinney.
As usual, No. 1 Alabama
(12-0, No. 1 CFP) has relied
on strong defense. It is a
rematch of last season’s
national championship
game, a 26-23 overtime win
for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama boasts its cus
tomary top-six national
rankings in scoring defense
and total defense. The
defense has been over
shadowed by quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa’s big year,
capped by his five touch
down passes in last week’s
52-21 win over Auburn.
Fromm said he sees
some of the same players
back from the Alabama
defense he faced at Mer
cedes-Benz Stadium in last
season’s national champi
onship game. Since Georgia
coach Kirby Smart is the
former longtime Alabama
defensive coordinator,
Fromm said the Crimson
Tide’s defense also reminds
him of the Georgia unit he
faces in practice.
“Yeah, they definitely
have some returning play
ers,” Fromm said. “And
they have some really good
players. But schemati
cally they’re doing a lot of
similar stuff they last year,
very similar to our defense.
And I think it’s just kind of
very similar to what we see
every single day in prac
tice, so hopefully we can be
very successful with that.”
One year ago, Fromm
was completing his fresh
man season while relying
heavily on senior tailbacks
Nick Chubb and Sony
Michel. Chubb and Michel
became the first Georgia
tandem to reach 1,000
yards rushing in the same
season.
Incredibly, two different
Georgia backs are within
reach of 1,000 yards one
year later. D’Andre Swift
has topped 100 yards in
four of the last five games
to lead the Bulldogs with
962 yards rushing. Elijah
Holyfield has 896 yards.
The success of the run
ning game remains the
foundation of Georgia’s
offensive success. Smart
said he expected more big
numbers on the ground
even after losing Chubb and
Michel to the NFL.
“Oh yeah. I knew we had
a good offensive line com
ing back,” Smart said after
Tuesday’s practice. “.. I
knew we were talented on
the offensive line and we
had good backs. I knew
we’d have the opportunity.
Whether it would be two
1,000-yard rushers, we’re
not there yet but we’re try
ing to get there. We prob
ably could have had that.
Some of the games we’ve
had, we’ve taken those kids
out and some of those kids
haven’t played much in
games.”
Perhaps the biggest sur
prise is Swift and Holyfield
Georgia
vs. Alabama
When: 4 p.m. Saturday
Where: Mercedes Benz
Stadium, Atlanta
TV: CBS
kept enjoying success even
while injuries forced con
stant changes on the offen
sive line.
“A lot of guys went
down,” Holyfield said. “But
we were very deep at the
offensive line. It’s one of
our strongest positions on
the team. So all the other
guys who stepped up this
year came in and did a
really good job .. almost as
if the 1 line’s been in there
the whole time.”
Asked how he thinks the
line will handle the chal
lenge from Alabama’s
defensive front, Holyfield
said, “I think we’ll be fine.”
Fromm, both accurate
and efficient, has been
more than a game manager
in his second season. He
threw for four touchdowns
in the 45-21 win over Geor
gia Tech despite attempting
only 16 passes.
RYNE DENNIS
Athens Banner Herald
Sometime Saturday eve
ning, Jake Fromm loaded
up his truck and drove home
to Warner Robins.
Georgia’s quarterback
had just led the Bulldogs
to a 45-21 win over in-state
rival Georgia Tech
and in less than a
week he knew that
top-ranked Ala
bama and the SEC
championship was
looming.
He needed to be
as far away from
that world as pos
sible, so he went to
clear his mind by
enjoying what he loves to do
most -- hunt.
Jake and his father, Emer
son, led the Fromms into the
swamps of south Georgia on
Sunday where they put on
camouflage gear, painted up
their faces, wrapped duck
calls around their necks and
fired away at flapping fowl.
For a family surrounded
by football -- younger twin
brothers Dylan and Tyler
will play next year at Mer
cer and Auburn, respec
tively -- Sunday’s excursion
was a chance to drift away
from the noise.
“It’s just a way for you
to get your mind off it real
quick,” Jake Fromm said.
“We did a pretty good job,
shot a bunch of ducks and
had a good time with the
family which is always a lot
of fun. Any time you’re in
the swamp with your broth
ers, your dad, your close
friends and family, it’s just
awesome.”
By Monday Fromm was
back to the chaos, facing
reporters’ questions about
everything he went hunting
to get away from.
What he learned in Janu
ary’s national championship
loss to Alabama being the
hottest topic.
“They’re very similar
to last year,” Fromm said.
“Their scheme on defense is
very similar to what we do
on defense.”
Reporters continued to
pepper him about what he
learned from the team’s two
trips to Atlanta’s Mercedes-
Benz Stadium last season
- the SEC championship
victory over Auburn and the
heartbreaking loss
to Alabama.
“I know what’s
going on,” Fromm
responded. “I know
the trip to Atlanta
and what the envi
ronment’s going to
be like. Playing in
big games is fun and
what you dream of.
Let’s just go out and
go get it.”
They asked about his
original commitment to the
Crimson Tide before coach
Kirby Smart arrived at
Georgia, his friendship with
Alabama quarterback Tua
Tagovailoa, most people’s
Heisman frontrunner, and
what it’s like being a big
underdog against the mighty
Crimson Tide.
Perhaps the only question
the sophomore didn’t face
was why, after leading the
Bulldogs to a 12-2 record as a
starter in his freshman cam
paign, there was ever doubt
that he was the man for the
job this season.
The obvious answer was
that the Bulldogs brought
in five-star standout Justin
Fields and fans were clam
oring for more of the dual
threat quarterback.
Also, Fromm didn’t start
the season firing on all cylin
ders, and a poor showing in
a 36-16 loss at LSU -- where
he completed just 16 of 34
passes for 209 yards with a
touchdown, a pair of inter
ceptions and four sacks
-- only sparked fans’ eager
ness for more of the running
Fields.
In the five games this
season since that point, how
ever, Fromm has silenced
any doubters.
Fromm
PREVOST
■ Continued from 1B
Championship Game.
Alabama is No. 1 in the
College Football Playoff
rankings. Georgia is No. 4.
The top four teams make
the playoffs for those
who’ve lived on a deserted
island since 2014, in which
case I congratulate you.
Why should Alabama and
Georgia beat each other up
when both can make the
playoffs if they simply don’t
play?
The SEC purist crowd - of
which I’d like to think I’m a
member - typically argues
you play the championship
game to crown a champion
of the nation’s finest football
conference.
But if I’m Bama and
UGA, I’ll take the title of
SEC West and East division
champions, respectively,
with an eye on the bigger
prize of the playoffs and
that weird gold trophy
that goes to the national
champion.
The prestige, pomp and
circumstance of deciding
a Southeastern Conference
champion should be set
aside for the greater good of
once again placing two SEC
teams in the playoffs, thus
increasing the likelihood of
yet another SEC national
champion.
But Banter, won’t the
College Football Playoff
Committee punish Alabama
and Georgia if they sit idly
by this weekend, watching
other playoff contenders
battle for their conference
titles?
Negative, ghost rider;
at least not if the Commit
tee treats them as they do
Notre Dame. The Irish will
enjoy an off-week Saturday,
take in the day’s action
from South Bend, Indiana,
and still make the playoffs,
guaranteed.
Our SEC teams should do
the same. Except not from
South Bend. I hear that
place is terrible.
Banter says cancel the
SEC Championship and
give ticket-holding fans
something of real value in
exchange, like a One-Hit
Wonders of the 80s concert.
Or, the Broadway musical
edition of “National Lam
poon’s Christmas Vacation.”
Hang on, I’m being told
there’s not a Broadway
show of Christmas Vacation
- what kind of world do we
live in? Make it happen now
and I’ll happily play the part
of Clark W. Griswold.
On the off-chance the
SEC doesn’t heed my call
and presses on with the
game, it’s breathtaking
how much respect the Las
Vegas oddsmakers have for
Alabama.
Georgia is 11-1, its only
blemish a loss to LSU in
Death Valley, and is play
ing its best football of the
season.
And yet, Alabama is a
13-point favorite! What’s
more, thanks to Alabama’s
well-deserved brand, the
Tide will earn a spot in the
playoffs even if Georgia
defies the doubters and
wins Saturday.
Which brings me full
circle to the critical point:
Chick-fil-A’s original
chicken sandwich is darn
good. And, there’s no point
in playing Saturday’s SEC
Championship Game.
SEC Officials Continue
Negligent Streak
Please answer this multi
ple-choice question:
I am seemingly
untrained, unfamiliar with
the regulatory scheme I’m
charged with enforcing,
entirely unaccountable,
and 100% indifferent to the
consequences of my poor
decision-making.
lama:
A. IRS employee
B. Generally any govern
ment worker
C. Southeastern Confer
ence referee/ official
D. All of the above
The answer is “D,”
clearly, but Banter is
focused on “C,” the SEC ref
erees/officials. Last Satur
day’s Texas A&M-LSU game
was the latest in a streak
of SEC officials’ atrocious
game management.
The SEC is college
football’s preeminent con
ference with the highest
quality on-field product.
When officials’ subpar per
formance diminishes that
quality, it’s a problem.
Perfection isn’t the stan
dard. Referees are human
and will make occasional
mistakes.
But the conference - and
the players, in particular -
deserve referees befitting
the quality of the overall
product. They certainly
don’t deserve the consis
tently poor officiating and
game management we’ve
seen from SEC referees the
past several years.
The SEC should act now
and overhaul its entire
referee/official program.
A nice start would be to fire
all of them tomorrow. Bar
ring that, at the very least
hold officials accountable
for their poor calls.
To recap, Banter pro
poses (i) cancelling the SEC
Championship Game, (ii)
firing all SEC referees, and
(iii) making a Broadway
musical of “Christmas
Vacation.”
About as likely as an
SEC team not winning the
national championship, but
hey, you don’t get what you
don’t ask for.
Ben Prevost writes SEC
Banter during the college
football season. He can be
reached at SECbanter@
hotmail.com
TECH
■ Continued from 1B
Georgia Tech athletic
director Todd Stansbury
praised Johnson for his long
tenure at the school.
Bobby Dodd, Bill Alexan
der and John Heisman were
the only coaches to serve
longer at Georgia Tech. All
are member of the College
Football Hall of Fame.
“I was saddened when
Coach Johnson informed
me that he was going to step
down as our head coach,”
Stansbury said. “Not only
is he Georgia Tech’s win-
ningest head coach in more
than 50 years but he is also
an incredible mentor for the
young men in our football
program and has helped
develop countless student-
athletes that have gone
on to great success after
graduation.”
LAST CHANCE TO
VOTING ENDS 11.30.18
®he mm
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