BUCK BELUE
ATLANTA, Ga – It seems there are a lot of Jake Fromm doubters right now. Critics are chiming in all over the place.
I hear it at the Coffee Shop. When I turn on the TV, the national College Football talking heads are pointing out all of his shortcomings this season. On the local scene, it’s the same nonsense. Jake Fromm is not the quarterback they saw play the last two seasons.
Let’s cut to the real news on Jake Fromm. He is still the same quarterback. The best I can tell, the situation at wide receiver has let him down. More on that in a moment.
Most of his critics are pointing out the recent trend of 4 consecutive games under 50% accuracy. They say that’s lousy. You hear them say, “Fromm is playing poorly.” That’s the fake news.
In fact, in that same time frame, Jake has 10 TD passes and 0 interceptions. Since the South Carolina debacle (where he got tagged with 3 interceptions), Fromm has 12 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. And the Bulldogs are 6-0. Jake was playing smart football.
Yes, he did miss a few open receivers. It’s true. A few of them could have gone the distance. I’m not saying Jake has been perfect. It’s tough being perfect playing his position. No one has done that. My explanation on the missed opportunities: a part of it has to do with a loss of confidence/or lack of game-time chemistry with this WR group.
The Bulldog Nation is counting on Jake Fromm leading the way this Saturday, against mighty LSU. So are his teammates and the coaching staff. So, what does he have to do at MBS on Saturday?
Leading into the big game, Jake’s big-game experience provides confidence within the team. Plus, his preparation is pro-like. The team loves that too. These two things are big.
In-game, Fromm has to execute The Plan. Use his big-game experience to get out of bad plays and get into better plays. When the big play opportunities come, he must connect on them. Hopefully, he learned from his mistake of holding onto the ball too long in the pocket in Baton Rouge last season. Throw the ball away. Or pull it down and get what you can get running with it.
Yes, I’m saying risk a 5th straight game with under 50% accuracy, by protecting the ball. Don’t take the sack. Or throw it into trouble. Remember, the ‘Dogs defense is tough to score on.
Don’t know about you, but I’m betting on Jake Fromm to deliver a big-game performance. He’s done it before.
