Best Under Kirby Smart: Passing
In parts one and two of this series, UGASports has shown you the rushing and receiving leaders under Kirby Smart, but what about the Bulldog passers? The Dawgs have done a great job in recruiting some of the best talent in the country under the current regime; keeping them is another story. In four of the six seasons under Smart, the quarterback that has started Game One for the Bulldogs did not start game two. Which Georgia quarterback had the best game for the Dawgs? Best season? Best career? Check out this statistical look at who had the best passing stats under Kirby Smart (not counting stats under Mark Richt, Bryan McClendon or at other schools).
| Game | Season | Career |
|---|---|---|
|
Jacob Eason - 55 (2016 vs. Missouri) |
Jake Fromm - 385 (2019) |
Jake Fromm - 982 (2017-19) |
|
Jake Fromm - 51 (2019 vs. South Carolina) |
Jacob Eason - 370 (2016) |
Stetson Bennett - 469 (2019-present) |
|
Stetson Bennett - 48 (2021 SEC Championship vs. Alabama) |
Jake Fromm - 306 (2018) |
Jacob Eason - 377 (2016-17) |
|
Jake Fromm - 42 (2019 SEC Championship vs. LSU) |
Jake Fromm - 291 (2017) |
JT Daniels - 213 (2020-21) |
|
Jacob Eason - 40 (2016 vs. Vanderbilt) |
Stetson Bennett - 287 (2021) |
Justin Fields - 39 (2018) |
|
Jake Fromm - 40 (2020 vs. Alabama) |
Stetson Bennett - 155 (2020) |
D'Wan Mathis - 30 (2020) |
|
JT Daniels - 119 (2020) |
Carson Beck - 23 (2021-present) |
Two of the nine times in which a Georgia quarterback has thrown over 50 attempts in a game have occurred under Smart. Unfortunately for Dawg fans, six of those nine games were in games that Georgia lost.
In the career category, Jake Fromm’s total is fifth all-time in Georgia history and was five short of Matthew Stafford’s total of 987.
| Game | Season | Career |
|---|---|---|
|
Jacob Eason - 29 (2016 vs. Missouri) |
Jake Fromm - 234 (2019) |
Jake Fromm - 621 (2017-19) |
|
Stetson Bennett - 29 (2021 SEC Championship vs. Alabama) |
Jake Fromm - 206 (2018) |
Stetson Bennett - 291 (2019-present) |
|
Jake Fromm - 28 (2019 vs. South Carolina) |
Jacob Eason - 204 (2016) |
Jacob Eason - 208 (2016-17) |
|
JT Daniels - 28 (2020 vs. Mississippi State) |
Stetson Bennett - 185 (2021) |
JT Daniels - 148 (2020-21) |
|
Jacob Eason - 27 (2016 vs. Vanderbilt) |
Jake Fromm - 181 (2017) |
Justin Fields - 27 (2018) |
|
JT Daniels - 26 (2021 Sugar Bowl vs. Cincinnati) |
Stetson Bennett - 86 (2020) |
D'Wan Mathis - 12 (2020) |
|
JT Daniels - 81 (2020) |
Carson Beck - 10 (2021-present) |
The 621 career completions ranks fourth overall by a Bulldog behind Aaron Murray, David Greene and Eric Zeier.
In terms of completion percentage, there is a minimum of ten attempts in a game, 50 attempts in a season and 100 attempts in his career.
| Game | Season | Career |
|---|---|---|
|
Jake Fromm - 90.9 (10/11 in 2019 vs. Murray State) |
JT Daniels - 72.3 (68/94 in 2021) |
JT Daniels - 69.5 (148/213 in 2020-21) |
|
Stetson Bennett - 90.0 (9/10 in 2019 vs. Arkansas State) |
Jake Fromm - 67.3 (206/306 in 2018) |
Jake Fromm - 63.2 (621/982 in 2017-19) |
|
JT Daniels - 90.0 (9/10 in 2021 vs. Vanderbilt) |
JT Daniels - 67.2 (80/119 in 2020) |
Stetson Bennett - 62.0 (291/469 in 2019-present) |
|
Jake Fromm - 83.3 (15/18 in 2018 vs. South Carolina) |
Stetson Bennett - 64.5 (185/287 in 2021) |
Jacob Eason - 55.2 (2016-17) |
|
Jake Fromm - 83.3 (10/12 in 2018 vs. Middle Tennessee State) |
Jake Fromm - 62.2 (181/291 in 2017) |
|
|
Stetson Bennett - 83.3 (10/12 in 2021 vs. UAB) |
Jake Fromm - 60.8 (234/385 in 2019) |
|
|
Jake Fromm - 82.8 (24/29 in 2019 vs. Tennessee) |
Stetson Bennett - 55.5 (85/155 in 2020) |
|
|
Jacob Eason - 55.1 (204/370 in 2016) |
In Georgia's official media guide, they have 300 attempts as a minimum for career completion. Hutson Mason is the overall leader at 65.0 percent followed by Fromm.
| Game | Season | Career |
|---|---|---|
|
JT Daniels - 401 (2020 vs. Mississippi State) |
Stetson Bennett - 2,862 (2021) |
Jake Fromm - 8,224 (2017-19) |
|
JT Daniels - 392 (2021 Sugar Bowl vs. Cincinnati) |
Jake Fromm - 2,860 (2019) |
Stetson Bennett - 4,301 (2019-present) |
|
Jacob Eason - 346 (2016 vs. Vanderbilt) |
Jake Fromm - 2,749 (2018) |
Jacob Eason - 2,458 (2016-17) |
|
Stetson Bennett - 340 (2020 SEC Championship vs. Alabama) |
Jake Fromm - 2,615 (2017) |
JT Daniels - 1,953 (2020-21) |
|
Jake Fromm - 326 (2017 vs. Missouri) |
Jacob Eason - 2,430 (2016) |
Justin Fields - 328 (2018) |
|
Stetson Bennett - 313 (2021 Orange Bowl vs. Michigan) |
JT Daniels - 1,231 (2020) |
Carson Beck - 176 (2021-present) |
|
Jacob Eason - 308 (2016 vs. Missouri) |
Stetson Bennett - 1,179 (2020) |
D'Wan Mathis - 89 (2020) |
|
JT Daniels - 303 (2021 vs. South Carolina) |
Matthew Downing - 88 (2018) |
|
|
Jake Fromm - 301 (2018 SEC Championship vs. Alabama) |
Greyson Lambert - 56 (2016) |
The 401 yards passing came in JT Daniels' Dawg debut. The 392 yards passing was the third most in a bowl game by a Bulldog behind Murray and Hines Ward.
A term that Bulldog fans like saying about Georgia Tech is that Georgia "runs" the state, but in terms of touchdown passes in a game - the Dawgs have that pretty much covered as well.
| Game | Season | Career |
|---|---|---|
|
Stetson Bennett - 5 (2021 vs. UAB) |
Jake Fromm - 30 (2018) |
Jake Fromm - 78 (2017-19) |
|
Jake Fromm - 4 (2018 vs. Georgia Tech) |
Stetson Bennett - 29 (2021) |
Stetson Bennett - 39 (2019-present) |
|
Jake Fromm - 4 (2019 vs. Georgia Tech) |
Jake Fromm - 24 (2017) |
JT Daniels - 17 (2020-21) |
|
JT Daniels - 4 (2020 vs. Mississippi State) |
Jake Fromm - 24 (2019) |
Jacob Eason - 16 (2016-17) |
|
Stetson Bennett - 4 (2021 vs. Georgia Tech) |
Jacob Eason - 16 (2016) |
Justin Fields - 4 (2018) |
|
JT Daniels - 10 (2020) |
Carson Beck - 2 (2021-present) |
|
|
D'Wan Mathis - 1 (2020) |
||
|
Kenny McIntosh - 1 (2019-present) |
Stetson Bennett's five touchdown passes in a game tied a school record that he is sharing with Greene, D.J. Shockley, Stafford, Joe Cox and Murray.
In 15 of the 20 times that a Georgia quarterback has thrown at least three touchdown passes in a game since 2016, he also had zero interceptions.
The 30 touchdown passes in a season by Fromm was just the third time that a Bulldog quarterback had at least that many (Murray had the first two).
Kenny McIntosh became the first Georgia running back to throw a touchdown pass since Thomas Brown completed one to Joe Tereshinski III against Florida in 2005.
Speaking of touchdown passes, what about the most games with a touchdown pass?
| Season | Career |
|---|---|
|
Jake Fromm - 15 (2017) |
Jake Fromm - 41 (2017-19) |
|
Jake Fromm - 13 (2018) |
Stetson Bennett - 18 (2019-present) |
|
Jake Fromm - 13 (2019) |
Jacob Eason - 11 (2016-17) |
|
Stetson Bennett - 12 (2021) |
JT Daniels - 8 (2020-21) |
|
Jacob Eason - 11 (2016) |
|
|
Stetson Bennett - 5 (2020) |
|
|
JT Daniels - 4 (2020) |
|
|
JT Daniels - 4 (2021) |
The three games that Bennett did not have a touchdown pass last season were Clemson (did not play), South Carolina and Arkansas.
In terms of pass plays, these numbers should go up especially under Todd Monken's offense.
| 20+ Yard Pass Plays | 40+ Yard Pass Plays |
|---|---|
|
Jake Fromm - 119 (2017-19) |
Jake Fromm - 28 (2017-19) |
|
Stetson Bennett - 62 (2019-present) |
Stetson Bennett - 14 (2019-present) |
|
JT Daniels - 32 (2020-21) |
JT Daniels - 9 (2020-21) |
|
Jacob Eason - 31 (2016-17) |
Jacob Eason - 8 (2016-17) |
|
Justin Fields - 5 (2018) |
Justin Fields - 2 (2018) |
|
Carson Beck - 4 (2021-present) |