Since the Georgia/Florida game, the Bulldogs have desperately needed a change. They aren’t known for starting off on the wrong foot, so Coach Kirby Smart knew he needed something that the team was missing, especially following Jake Fromm’s departure to the NFL. The first six games were played mainly with quarterback Stetson Bennett which resulted in losses to Alabama and Florida. As the season went on, they finished 8-2 winning every other game in the season after their long-awaited change finally occurred! 

JT Daniels was the USC Trojans quarterback for two seasons of his college football career. Fortunately, he transferred to Georgia in the midst of his second season to make his first appearance as a Bulldog on November 21st against Mississippi State. Since his solid win against Mississippi State, he started a huge streak for Georgia to finish the 2020 season. With a total of 28 completions, four TD passes, and 401 passing yards versus Mississippi State, everyone could finally tell that Georgia was back on track and headed down a successful path! Roswell freshman, Marley Smith says, “I’m so excited JT Daniels is our new quarterback. I think he can really help the team while he plays for us!” 

A Bulldogs Touchdown

Celebration at Sanford Stadium after Georgia scored a touchdown against Mississippi State! This was JT Daniel’s first appearance as a Georgia Bulldog.
Video Credit: Drew Maddox

It’s not just JT’s playing techniques that impress Georgia, he is also an outstanding leader on the offense. Tight end, Tre’ McKitty, has formed a great bond with JT. During the game against South Carolina, he and JT hooked up twice resulting in the first reception going for 40-yards.

The second play led to Georgia’s opening score of the game. “Right now, him as the starter he’s just taken command of the offense and everyone is following his lead,” McKitty said. “He’s doing a really great job right now.” Running back James Cook has also said that JT has confidence in what he’s doing and does his job as a leader very well. “Just having confidence is everything,” Cook says. 

Not only did just Georgia’s quarterback position improve, but many other areas on the offense stepped up their game as well. George Pickens, a sophomore wide receiver on the team has always been one of Georgia’s star players, currently scoring the most receiving touchdowns on the team. Comparing Pickens stats before and after JT made an appearance on the team, shows he has tripled his production with JT running the offense. Tre’ McKitty and James Cook have also connected on the field with JT which raised the bar for the Dawgs and made many game-changing plays.

Fortunately, Georgia had the opportunity to play in the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl game this year even though they didn’t play their best at the beginning of the season. The competition was against the Cincinnati Bearcats. Cincinnati was a tough team to beat, especially on their defensive side which is one of the top 10 in the country. As a result, many people had doubts about Georgia’s offense. This was a good matchup for JT to further prove himself. Many star senior players opted out of the bowl game in order to prepare for the NFL draft; they didn’t want to risk getting hurt. This also put Georgia fans on the edge not having some of their best players. Throughout the entire game, Cincinnati had the lead and Georgia played a bit scrappy; it was extremely stressful and had me on the edge of my seat. Georgia’s kicker, Jack Podlensky, hit a 53-yard field goal at the end of the game to bring the score up to 24-21! This was Podlensky’s longest kick of his career. Georgia survived the Cincinnati Bearcats by only three points! This win was a huge success for Georgia, made them feel extremely accomplished, and set them up for a promising 2021 season. 

Coach Smart has entrusted Daniels with the leadership of this team, and thankfully JT has now announced that he will be returning to the team next season, and hopefully for many more to come! The Dawgs are currently ranked number nine in the country, but Georgia fans are hoping JT’s phenomenal work with the offense will continue next season and possibly bring the Bulldogs ranking up even higher in future seasons, maybe even a national championship win! 

Make sure to check out What the Georgia Bulldogs need to succeed in part 1 to connect some information about the beginning of the season together! 

What the Georgia Bulldogs need to succeed