Georgia vs. Clemson Position Breakdown: QB Hutson Mason
Georgia quarterback Hutson Mason had his first home start in the season opener against the Clemson Tigers, and helped lead the Bulldogs to a 45-21 win to kick off the season.
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So how did Mason fare in his third overall start as the Dawgs play-caller?
Taking a look at the film, and his stats, we’ll break down the good and the bad and see what improvements will need to be made to take on another tough opponent on the road in two weeks, South Carolina.
Stat Line: 18-for-26, 131 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 49.6 QB rating
When a team is running the ball as well as Georgia was running the ball against Clemson, there’s not a lot of need to put any undue pressure on the quarterback. Mason made no real mistakes and did nothing to give the game away. On the flip side, he spent most of the night sticking the ball in the gut of running backs.
What Mason Did Well:
Mason made very good, clean accurate throws. His passes are obviously easy for receivers to see and catch, with an nice spin and clean arc. Mason was exceptional at touch passes, and putting the ball into small spaces where only his receiver could get it.
While not known for his running ability, Mason did an excellent job of recognizing when the middle of the field was there for the taking, and made nice runs (and slides) keeping himself out of harms way.
Mason also showed some veteran football presence and intelligence on the field. There were some broken plays (a couple where freshman Sony Michel was at fault) where Mason could have panicked and made a huge mistake. Instead he calmly tucked the ball, or found an alternate receiver. That type of leadership will go a long way to helping the Bulldogs this season.
Where Mason Needs to Improve:
While throwing a pretty ball is usually a good thing, Mason has to recognize that there are times when some zip on the ball is needed. A few of his passes were lollipopped into the middle of the field, and a defense with good linebackers would be able to jump the route and pick off those passes in a hurry.
Aug 30, 2014; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Hutson Mason (14) runs with the ball against the Clemson Tigers during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Georgia defeated Clemson 45-21. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Communication with the running backs needs to be better, especially the freshmen. If a back is the safety valve on a particular play, Mason needs to be sure that back is one-hundred percent aware that the ball might come to them quickly. Twice the ball was thrown at the back of Michel’s head, and could have had disastrous results. Georgia got lucky in both cases.
Mechanically, Mason looked a little stiff. His release was a bit slow at times, which could come back to haunt him against faster defensive lines. There were several throws where Mason had time and space, but didn’t step into the throw, leaving it behind the intended receiver. A little work on the mechanical fundamentals over the next two weeks would be worth the investment.
For Mason’s Next Game:
The South Carolina defense was absolutely humiliated by Texas A&M. Gamecocks’ head coach Steve Spurrier and defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward are not going to take that kind of butt-whippin’ lying down. Rest assured, they’ll have a hard look at the tapes from Georgia’s win over Clemson and will have plenty in store for Hutson Mason.
A Lorenzo Ward defense blitzes, and generally does it well. The lapses in both effort and preparedness that were seen against TAMU will more than likely be fixed, and Mason will need to be ready for quick decisions. Some of the soft rainbow passes that were completions or harmlessly fell to the ground against Clemson could very well end up being a pick-six against Carolina.
Chances are, Georgia will rely on the running game once more, but if called on Mason is going to have to show he can find a way to hit receivers deep down the field. It’s unlikely that Justin Scott-Wesley and Malcolm Mitchell are going to be available, so he’ll look to Chris Conley and Michael Bennett as his two primary targets once again.