JACKSONVILLE, Fla., – Seconds after No. 8 Georgia defeated the No. 6 Florida Gators for a third consecutive try, Georgia coach Kirby Smart found his quarterback Jake Fromm and gave him a hug that a father would give to his son.
It had been a trying month for the Georgia quarterback after a four-turnover performance against South Carolina and just 35 passing yards against Kentucky. In his post-game press conference, Smart said he and Fromm had multiple lunches this week to talk about things.
“He and I are wired in very similar ways. We’re both very competitive, we both want to win,” Smart said. “There’s a lot of same hard-wiring there. And I think him being able to talk to me and me being able to talk to him, see where we can help him and what we can help him do from a confidence standpoint, I’m just proud of him. Every time his back’s against the wall he just comes out swinging.”
Related: An emotional Kirby Smart to his QB: ‘Don’t ever doubt Jake Fromm’
With questions swirling about his ability, Fromm once again delivered against the Gators. He completed 20 of his 30 pass attempts for 279 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-17 win. For the first time in his Georgia career, the Bulldogs won a game in which Fromm threw the football 30 times.
“I’m ready to do whatever it takes to win a football game,” Fromm said. “I think that’s what makes this offense special. We’re very versatile, and we can do whatever we want to do to win football games.”
If third down is the money down than Fromm was an ATM against Florida. The Bulldogs converted 12 of their 18 third downs, and one of those was when the Bulldogs had to just run a play to make sure the clock ran out.
Fromm’s first touchdown pass came on a third-down, as he found freshman Dominick Blaylock for a 3-yard pass. He also hit Lawrence Cager for a 52-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to give the Bulldogs a 24-10 edge. He finished 10-of-13 on third down for 119 yards.
But Fromm’s biggest throw of the night came on third down late in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs needed seven yards to essentially end the game. A failed conversion would give the Gators the ball back with time to potentially tie the game. Against Notre Dame, Georgia and Fromm weren’t able to convert in a similar situation and needed the defense to bail them out.
With 2:53 left in the game, Fromm was able to find tight end Eli Wolf for a 22-yard pickup. It was a perfectly placed ball, delivered just before the Florida pass rush — which leads the SEC in sacks — could make a play.
Georgia needed a big play. Jake Fromm delivered it. pic.twitter.com/x6Am1o8OZ3
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) November 2, 2019
“He’s always big. Super smart guy and gets us in the best position possible,” Wolf said of Fromm. “In a game like this, it’s super crucial.”
After Fromm embraced his coach and spoke with CBS, he made a beeline for the Georgia fans who stuck around to bask in the glory of another Georgia win. He was lifted into the stands to celebrate and those around him could not believe that they were in the presence of Fromm after the game he played.
This was Fromm’s third win over the Gators, making him just the fourth quarterback in program history to accomplish such a feat. In his last two games against Florida — in which the Gators were both ranked in the top-10 — Fromm completed 37 of his 54 pass attempts for 519 yards. He’s thrown 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.
Prior to his arrival at Georgia, Fromm filmed a commitment video where he dressed as Santa. He was with Richard LeCounte, and LeCounte said the two were going to get back-to-back wins over the Gators, even though Georgia had lost three-straight games to Florida at the time. The two leaders have now flipped this rivalry, and Fromm has once again flipped the narrative about himself.
Fromm’s demeanor never changed while soaking in the win. He had a smile on his face the entire time. You couldn’t tell that he had been publicly questioned in the run-up to this huge game.
It was a day Fromm and the Georgia program can be proud of for a long time. Because against the Gators, Fromm answered any and every question detractors could have about him.
“I’m just proud of the support that our fans provided for us, even if they did think Jake couldn’t throw the ball,” Smart said.
Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm recaps win over Florida
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