Georgia football fans can relive some of the top moments in UGA history each week with the Classic Moment presented by Classic City Lager. The Bulldogs have one of the most storied histories in all of college football, and DawgNation loves celebrating it. This week’s classic moment looks back to win then-Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason accused Kirby Smart of “coaching dramatics” in 2017 for the way he was handling his quarterbacks at the time, Jake Fromm and Jacob Eason.
Classic Moment: Looking back to when Vanderbilt’s coach accused Kirby Smart of ‘coaching dramatics’ with his QBs
Georgia always seems to have something interesting happening at quarterback.
Whether the debate is about who should be playing, how much they should be playing or when they should play, UGA coach Kirby Smart’s decisions about the position always seem to be in the spotlight.
That’s still true this season as much as it has been in recent years for the Bulldogs despite the fact that JT Daniels is the clear starter and performing like one of the top players in the country.
The interest now is in who plays when Daniels takes a rest -- either due to injury, as was the case two weeks ago vs. UAB, or when Daniels’ services aren’t needed, such as Saturday’s game at Vanderbilt, because the Bulldogs built a 35-point lead in the first quarter.
Should the No. 2 quarterback in those situations be last year’s starter, Stetson Bennett, or touted redshirt freshman Carson Beck? Fans debate that topic as if it was a matter of national security, and every move Smart makes around the subject is scrutinized.
There was a similar scenario in 2017 when Smart was in his second season as Bulldogs coach and the discussion centered around Jake Fromm and Jacob Eason, the Bulldogs’ signal callers at the time.
Smart was attempting to keep secret his intentions about whether Fromm, who became UGA starter when Eason was injured, or Eason, who had recovered from his injury, but hadn’t regained his starting role, would play in that season’s game vs. Vanderbilt.
That drew the ire of then-Commodores head coach Derek Mason.
What Mason said back then, and Smart’s terse response are the subject of this week’s edition of the Classic Moment. Take a look at the video, linked below, for more.
NOTE: This edition of the Classic Moment was recorded prior to Saturday’s game vs. Vanderbilt.