Georgia Football: Today is the perfect day for Justin Fields

Georgia Football take on U Mass today in a game that probably won’t be that exciting but it will give UGA the chance to give Justin Fields lots of reps.

Over the course of the 2018 season, Georgia Football fans have clamored to see more of Justin Fields. The Harrison High School product was the #1 overall recruit in his class according to some major media outlets. He was the first quarterback who would classify as a dual threat – equally dangerous as a runner and a passer – to sign with Georgia since D.J. Shockley. After a whirlwind recruiting process which saw Fields decommit from Penn State, flirt with Florida and Florida State, and then finally sign with the Dawgs, Georgia fans have wondered how long it would take Fields to implement his talents in Athens.

After seeing action in the team’s first three games, Fields played all of one play against Missouri. This caused fans to wonder aloud whether he was being used correctly. The calls for a quarterback change reached a fever pitch after Jake Fromm had the worst performance of his young career on the road against LSU. After a bye week, however, Fromm had a stellar game against arch rival Florida in Jacksonville where the Bulldogs won 36-17 behind three touchdown passes on third down. Even still, in the immediate aftermath of the game there was still debate about whether Fields could have been used in situations near the goal line, where Georgia has struggled to score as of late. Head coach Kirby Smart and staff tried Fields out against Auburn in a few goal-to-go spots, but the freshman showed he still has plenty of maturing to do as a quarterback, taking two big sacks and a delay of game penalty. It has also appeared at various times throughout the season that Fields is too quick to abandon his reads in favor of running.

There is one remedy to all of these problems: live reps. Saturday presents the perfect chance, as 4-7 Massachusetts travels to Sanford Stadium. Fromm and the rest of the starters should get the first few series in order to stay warm for upcoming contests with Georgia and Alabama. But Fields should see time in three of the four quarters of play Saturday at least. Various starters such as D’Andre Swift, Elijah Holyfield, Riley Ridley and JJ Holloman should also see reps with Fields to establish familiarity. But the fact of the matter is this: Fields needs to be as ready as he can possibly be. Georgia just might need this young man if it wants to beat Alabama for the SEC Championship in three weeks. Massachusetts is a far cry from Alabama and even Georgia Tech on defense. The Minutemen rank 115th in total defense and 124th in scoring defense. The bevy of athletes the Dawgs possess should be in line for a pre-Thanksgiving feast.

No one knows what Georgia’s plans are for the next three weekends, but this much is almost a certainty: If they want to end the season ranked number one, the young man who wears number one will play a big part in getting them there.