About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 9, 2020)
SPORTS Bill Murphy Sports Editor | 770-718-3415 | sports@gainesvilletimes.com Unties gainesvilletimes.com Thursday, January 9, 2020 GEORGIA BULLDOGS MIKE STEWART I The Associated Press Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm hands off the ball during the game against Notre Dame on Sept. 21 in Athens. Fromm decides to enter draft QB was a three-year starter Associated Press Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm is heading to the NFL, despite some struggles during a junior season that led to speculation he might return for one more year with the Bulldogs. Fromm announced his decision Wednesday in a statement on his Twitter page, one week after lead ing the Bulldogs to a 26-14 victory over Baylor in the Sugar Bowl. “This decision and pro cess has been unbelievably difficult,” he wrote. “But through much prayer and counsel, I have decided that it is time for me to take on the next challenge in my life and pursue my lifelong dream of playing in the NFL.” Fromm threw for a career-high 2,860 yards this season, with 24 touchdowns and just five interceptions. But he posted the lowest completion percentage (60.8) and quarterback rat ing (141.2) of his college career, leading to him drop ping in many NFL draft projections. Late in the season, he had a stretch of five straight games where he failed to complete 50% of his passes. Once viewed as a potential top 10 pick, some analysts are now predicting that Fromm will fall into the sec ond round. Still, Fromm will be remembered as one of the best quarterbacks in Geor gia history. He was 35-7 record as the Bulldogs’ starter, including three straight appearances in the Southeastern Conference championship game. As a freshman in 2017, he took over in the season opener after Jacob Eason was injured, made his first college start at Notre Dame the following week and held the job for the rest of his career. Fromm sparked Georgia to its first SEC title since 2005, a memorable Rose Bowl victory over Oklahoma in the playoff semifinals, and a trip to the national championship game, where the Bulldogs lost to Alabama in overtime. The past two seasons, Georgia settled for Sugar Bowl bids after losing to Ala bama and LSU in the SEC championship game. Fromm thanked his team mates and coaches, singling our head coach Kirby Smart. “Thank you to Coach Smart who always believed in me and who over the last three years has helped grow that wide eyed, scared, 18 year old kid who got handed the ball in South Bend, into a better man, and secondly a better football player,” Fromm said. The departing quarter back also praised Georgia’s fans. “Through the good times and the bad, I always felt your love and support,” he wrote. “I hope I mean as much to you as you do to me.” The loss of Fromm leaves Georgia with a big hole to fill at quarterback. Former walk-on Stetson Bennett is the only other signal-caller with significant college experience, playing four games in a mop-up role this season. The Bulldogs also have a pair of top prospects from their last two signing classes. D’wan Mathis enrolled at Georgia a year ago but suffered a major setback when severe headaches and sinus pressure led to him undergoing surgery in May to remove a cyst from his brain. He recovered from the operation and was able to work on the scout team late in the season. Last month, the Bulldogs signed Carson Beck, a 6-foot- 4, 226-pound quarterback from Jacksonville, Florida whose skills have been com pared to Fromm’s. Justin Fields was once Fromm’s heir apparent, signing with Georgia ahead of the 2018 season. Georgia linebacker Rice announces he’s returning for his senior season Georgia linebacker Monty Rice, in his typical to-the- point, no-nonsense fashion, announced Wednesday his plans to return for his senior season with the Bulldogs. He sent out a tweet that read “Ano Quatro,” followed by a couple of personal hashtags. Loosely translated, that means “fourth year.” That’s big news for Geor gia’s defense, which already looked incredibly stout for next season. Rice, a 6-foot- 1, 235-pound junior, started all 14 games at middle line backer for the Bulldogs this season and was the team’s leading tackier with 89 stops. More important, he’s the chief signal-caller and a captain on defense. The second-team All- SEC player was named the Bulldogs’ co-defensive MVP along with J.R. Reed. Defensive coordinator Dan Lanning lauded Rice at the Sugar Bowl. “He’s a smart guy, really intelligent, and he’s a heavy hitter,” Lanning said. “When he puts his pads on, I think guys feel it.” Rice joins fellow third- year players Richard LeCounte, Malik Herring and Eric Stokes in deciding to come back to play for the Bulldogs next season. Associated Press SEC BANTER Sizing up the title game Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) catches a pass while Virginia cornerback Nick Grant (1) defends during the second half of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship on Dec. 7 in Charlotte, N.C. Clemson, LSU through the lens of satirical assessment MIKE MCCARN I The Associated Press MATTHEW HINTON I The Associated Press LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (22) stiff arms Arkansas defensive back Joe Foucha (7) during the game Nov. 23 in Baton Rouge, La. It’s Clemson and LSU for the national championship in New Orleans. The all-Tigers affair kicks off at 8 p.m. Monday in the Superdome, raising an important question: why the heck is the national champion ship played on a Monday night? Conventional wisdom holds the College Football Playoff wants to avoid competing against the NFL playoffs. Fine. Why not play the game on a Fri day night? Much easier logistically, avoids NFL competition, and lets people enjoy a game that drags on until 12:30 a.m. Something tells me — just a hunch — that money dictates the game being played on a Monday. While SEC Banter can’t change when the game is played, with any luck, I can change your perception of it with this analysis of the Clem son and Louisiana State football programs. I’ll focus on the factors that matter most; the ones that surely will determine the outcome of the game. Here we go: WHO HAS THE REAL DEATH VALLEY?: Both Clemson and LSU play home football games in stadi ums proclaimed as “Death Valley.” But I don’t think anyone actually believes Clemson’s Memorial Sta dium is a place where opponents’ dreams come to die. Death Valley is Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night in Baton Rouge, and it has the edge here. Baton Rouge, La. vs. Clemson, SC: Let’s talk college towns. Baton Rouge is the absolute best place in the world on seven Saturdays dur ing the fall. For the remaining 358 days of the year, it’s a bland New Orleans wannabe with little to no redeeming qualities. Clemson wins here. GOLF COURSES: Clemson’s golf course is terrific, features a signa ture “Tiger paw” green, and has several holes bordering a pristine lake. LSU’s golf course is as boring as a non-football weekend in Baton Rouge. Advantage: Clemson. FOOD: Visitors to LSU can hit seafood dives, upscale Creole restaurants serving classic South BEN PREV0ST SECBanter@hotmail.com Louisiana fare, and enjoy a roast beef po-boy under the Mississippi River Bridge at a place called Pas time. I’ve never had a single meal in Clemson so can’t really say, but. .. I will anyway. LSU wins this one, ■ Please see BANTER, 2B JOHN BAZEM0RE I The Associated Press Georgia Tech guard Bubba Parham (11) tries to dribble around a Duke defender during the game Wednesday in Atlanta. Georgia Tech comes up short against No. 2 Duke, 73-64 Associated Press Tre Jones hit two key baskets down the stretch and No. 2 Duke extended its decade-long domination of Georgia Tech, holding off the Yellow Jackets 73-64 on Wednesday night. The Blue Devils (14-1, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) extended their winning streak to eight in a row, and their firm hold on this series goes back much further. Georgia Tech (7-7, 2-2) has lost 13 straight to Duke since its last victory over the Blue Devils on Jan. 9, 2010 — almost 10 years ago to the day. The Yellow Jackets rallied from a double-digit deficit but couldn’t make a basket in the closing minutes, missing 14 of their last 15 shots. Jones led the Blue Devils with 16 points, including a pull-up jumper that snapped a 61-all tie and another floater in the lane that extended the edge to 68-64. Cassius Stanley and Vernon Carey Jr. added 14 apiece.
