The biggest question heading into Saturday’s opener against Austin Peay had nothing to do with who was expected to win. No, the most-asked centered on freshman quarterback Justin Fields.

One, would he play? Two, how much? It turned out quite a bit.

Starter Jake Fromm opened the first three series for the Bulldogs before Fields got the call with 11:39 on the clock in the second quarter.

Fields would ultimately play four offensive series for the Bulldogs, with Georgia scoring in three of them. The final touchdown came on a 12-yard pass to Isaac Nauta for the freshman’s first collegiate score.

He also rushed three times for 33 yards, his longest run going for 17 yards.

“I thought early in the game he was a little nervous. He had a couple of plays where things broke down and he created—he maybe didn’t go to his first read and took off,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “I encouraged him to not take a hit, and his first play he ran over, like, two guys, so that’s not really what we were looking for. He took better care of himself the rest of the time. That’s a conversation we have with both quarterbacks. We’ve got to be careful—we’ve got (only) two quarterbacks right now.”

Fromm, meanwhile, was his typical efficient self.

The sophomore completed 12 of 16 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns on throws of 10 yards to Riley Ridley and 59 yards to Mecole Hardman.

Fromm, who replaced Fields again in the second quarter before remaining on the sideline the entire second half, said his rhythm was never really affected.

“Not too much,” Fromm said. “I think the offense as a whole was clicking today, so it really didn’t matter. The offensive line was pushing those guys, and really the receivers and running backs were making plays.”

Given Smart's policy regarding freshmen, Fields was not made available for post-game interviews.

“We learned last year, guys, that the quarterback situation can change with an injury,” Smart said. “We want to be prepared. It’s no different than last year with Jacob (Eason) and Jake. If we get a lead that we felt comfortable with, we want to play Justin, along with some other players. We’ll continue to evaluate it that way.”

Although Smart naturally didn’t drop any hints what he has in mind for his quarterbacks moving forward, it certainly sounded evident that both will continue to get their shots.

“I thought both did a great job,” Hardman said. “Nothing changes for us (the receivers). It’s all about executing the offense, and I think both guys did that.”

Smart seemed to agree. “I think you guys make a bigger deal about it than it is,” Smart said. “We’ve got two good quarterbacks, and I think both of them got better today. The way you get better is by playing. We make those decisions based on every day.”