JT Daniels doesn't waste much time patting himself on the back for the progress he’s made over the past year.

With one exception.

The next time you’re at Sanford Stadium, when the players stroll to the end zone for their pre-game prayers, you might catch a glimpse of Daniels standing by himself reflecting.

“I think about that during pre-game. That’s usually when I take some time to feel gratitude,” Daniels said after practice Wednesday. “I didn’t even know Georgia was good in high school. I'd never talked to coach (Kirby) Smart, I’d never heard of coach (Todd) Monken. I committed to USC at a young age, and I thought that was it. I didn’t follow college football.

“So, to see where my whole progression has come from then to now, and everything that’s happened, I do feel a little proud of myself for adapting and coming a long way from where I thought I would.”

California to Georgia is quite the change in culture, but that didn't affect Daniels.

Along with having an optimum knowledge of what Monken wants to be done offensively, Daniels’ California-cool persona translates to the field.

“He’s a leader. He tells us what we have to get done in the huddle, lets us know all of our assignments,” running back Kenny McIntosh said. “He lets us know to go out there and play as hard as we can, and be prepared. He’s that type of guy to carry the team in any way he wants to.”

Statistically, Daniels is off to another solid start.

Daniels has completed 45 of 61 passes for 438 yards and three touchdowns in two games, with all three scores coming last week after missing the game against UAB with a strained oblique.

Speaking of which, Daniels confirmed that he first began having trouble with the oblique back in fall camp, before re-aggravating the injury in the opener against Clemson.

“It’s getting better. It’s something that started during fall camp, it went away, and then you play Clemson and there’s a little dip, so we focused on rehabbing that next week,” Daniels said. “Last week we had as much as we could, and this week it’s been the same plan; it’s going to keep getting better and better.

“The more you’re throwing, the worse it’s going to get, if you’re not combatting that with rehab, which we are doing a great job of right now.”

As a result, Georgia’s offense appears to be on track heading into Saturday’s game at Vanderbilt (Noon, SEC Network).

Which brings up another example of how Daniels’ composure comes into play.

Scoring touchdowns will always be the No. 1 stat for the quarterback. However, having a high third-down percentage rate ranks high on his list of priorities, too.

“Third downs are huge for me personally, and I think for quarterbacks everywhere,” Daniels said after practice Wednesday. “A lot of third down is drop-back passing, something I’ve always prided myself on and something I’m always looking to improve on. Third down passing is an indicator of how I'm doing and how well our offense is doing in terms of execution.”

So far, so good.

In Saturday’s 40-13 win over South Carolina, the Bulldogs converted 9 of their 12 third-down attempts, with Daniels proving a calm influence on the rest of the Georgia offense.

Three games into the season, the Bulldogs rank second in the SEC in third-down conversions, converting 22 of 38 percent for 57.89 percent. Auburn is No. 1 at 58.82 (20 of 34).

“There were still a couple of decisions there that he's got to make better decisions with the ball, but you can’t argue with how he played on third down,” Smart said. “He was efficient with the ball, made good decisions.”

Offensive lineman Warren Ericson said it’s not an accident that Daniels and the offense have been so efficient.

“I think that reflects on our practice and how we do everything,” he said. “We have third-down specific periods every single day in practice. It’s definitely a point of emphasis for us and a huge factor in the game. If we excel on third down, that improves our opportunity of winning the game.”

The Bulldogs are 6-0 in games Daniels has started and are favored by 35 points to dispatch the 1-2 Commodores Saturday afternoon.

With a national ranking of No. 2, Georgia is primed to make a championship run. Whether or not that occurs will depend largely on the play of Daniels.

Pressure? For some, perhaps. But Daniels sees the rest of the season as a journey that he plans on enjoying every Saturday he takes the field.

“When I look back, I see a lot of growth on my part, significantly in terms of my leadership, my ability to build a connection with the whole team. I think I’ve gotten better in that. I think I’ve gotten better in understanding the game of football,” Daniels said. “In terms of what’s left, I’m just going to keep taking it week to week. I always have, always will. That’s a big emphasis for us. Right now, I’m just focused on Vanderbilt and not worried about what comes after that.”