UGA football: 3 Plays that changed the 2019 season

It was a tough year for UGA football fans in 2019, and these three plays were season-changers for the Bulldogs.

UGA football had a season that would have been looked at as incredible ten years ago. An overall 12-2 record with a win over ranked Baylor in the Sugar Bowl would have had the Bulldog Nation on a week-long party not that long ago.

But not in the year 2019. Not after what fans could see being built and accomplished.

A loss to an unranked and middling South Carolina team raised a lot of questions about the Bulldogs for the rest of the season, and then being next man up for a beat-down by LSU and Joe Burrow was not the way UGA football fans wanted to see the season close.

But really, Georgia wasn’t that far away from reaching their goals of another College Football Playoff appearance and possibly a national title shot, and there were three plays that put the Dawgs where they didn’t want to be.

UGA football season-changing play No. 1  – Jake Fromm Intercepted vs South Carolina

With just 1:12 to go in the first half of what had been a defensive struggle against South Carolina, the game was tied 10-10, and Georgia had the ball just shy of midfield. This could have been the back-breaking drive that sent the Gamecocks into the locker room with their heads down. Instead, it was the wake-up call telling them they could steal this game.

Jake Fromm took the ball in a shotgun formation and the protection began to break down almost immediately. Rather than look for his hot read or simply move to his right or left, Fromm tried to complete the pass to his primary target — freshman receiver George Pickens — with disastrous results.

The pass was thrown off Fromm’s back foot, and South Carolina defensive back Israel Mukuamu had read the play perfectly and was already on his way to jumping the route before Fromm ever released the ball.

Had Fromm reacted a little better, he had D’Andre Swift open as a safety valve in the middle of the field for a short gain. Instead, it was an interception and six points for the Gamecocks giving them a halftime lead.

Head coach Kirby Smart maintained that Fromm was trying to throw the ball away, but a closer look shows he was probably trying to hit Pickens on the back shoulder. This was one of the few true mistakes by Fromm all season.

UGA football season-changing play No. 2  – Tyler Simmons’ stone hands

After the Israel Mukuamu pick-six in the second quarter, the South Carolina DB picked off Jake Fromm a second time on what could have either been an errant pass or a bad route, but even then the Bulldogs were still in the game.

After tying the game in the 4th quarter, Georgia once again had the ball and was driving for a go-ahead score in the first overtime period.

Fromm, once again out of the shotgun, took the snap and had perfect protection. He put the ball right in the hands of senior wide receiver Tyler Simmons, only to see it bounce off his fingertips and into the waiting arms of Mukuamu for this third pick of the day.

The ball was placed perfectly, but you can see that Simmons was already looking at where he was going to run before he had secured the ball. This interception changed the entire face of the overtime and led to yet another injection of confidence into the Gamecocks when they needed it most.

UGA football season-changing play No. 3  – George Pickens’ freshman mistake

The third play that really impacted Georgia’s 2019 season actually came on a Bulldogs touchdown against Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

Fromm tossed a beautiful touch pass to wide receiver Dominick Blaylock in the back of the end zone, and the Dawgs began to celebrate. However, while that celebration was going on, George Pickens and Yellow Jacket defensive back Tre Swilling were doing a little dance of their own.

Pickens was ejected for throwing a punch, and because the ejection happened in the third quarter he was also ineligible to play for the first half of the next game. Unfortunately, the next game just happened to be the SEC Championship game against undefeated juggernaut LSU.

Obviously, there’s no way of knowing what kind of impact Pickens may have had in the game against LSU had he played in the first half, but it was clear the Tigers secondary wasn’t respecting the remaining Georgia receivers at all, allowing them to load the box and key in on D’Andre Swift and the rest of the backfield.

This was a dumb, freshman mistake and it will probably haunt Pickens for the rest of his days wondering if his presence on the field might have kept the game within reach for Georgia and possibly even helped them to a win over LSU.