Pair of UGA running backs helping Eason learn to scramble better
By no means is Jacob Eason a dual-threat quarterback, and he even said as much.
Eason’s strength is standing in the pocket, going through the progression and delivering throws to his receiving targets. But in Friday’s 31-23 Liberty Bowl win over TCU, Eason made a few impressive plays with his legs.
On a play when Eason found receiver Isaiah McKenzie, who turned it into an electrifying 77-yard gain, the freshman quarterback rolled away from pressure and bought some extra time to find his receiver breaking off his route and running into open space over the middle.
Eason later had a 15-yard scramble on third-and-16 where he came up just short of the first down. He also had a first-down run, which was aided by a block from running back Sony Michel.
“That’s definitely not one of my strengths, but like (Friday), there were definitely some times where I could scamper for some yards and get some first downs,” Eason said. “That’s a big help.”
Throughout the season, Eason has shown a knack for evading pressure and extending plays. While Georgia isn’t poised to run the read-option multiple times a game with Eason, having the ability to scramble out to buy some extra time is huge in this offense.
Michel and running back Nick Chubb have been working with Eason on how to run with the football, which is something head coach Kirby Smart commended them for.
“These two guys have been working with him on it — they’ve been over there teaching him where to cut, where to turn,” Smart said. “They just didn’t teach him how to get a first down on like third-and-(16),and leave me sitting there having to decide whether to kick it or go for it. He's got to understand where the sticks are.”
Eason noted how Chubb and Michel’s teachings have benefited him in this area.
“With the two best running backs in the nation, it’s not that hard to learn from them and see what they do,” Eason said. “Obviously I’m not going to run like them but they can give me an idea.”
Eason only finished with 7 rushing yards, but that included three sacks factoring into his six-carry total.
Eason’s game passing, however, was a bit inconsistent. While he finished 12-of-21 for 164 yards and two touchdowns, McKenzie, who had the aforementioned 77-yard play, and Michel, who took a safe pass in the flat for a 33-yard touchdown after breaking four tackles, did a lot of work with runs after the catch.
Eason finished the 2016 season completing 55.1 percent of his passes for 2,430 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions and said he’s going to spend the offseason doing his part to improve in various areas heading into the 2017 campaign.
“My first year, there were some ups and some downs, some wins and some losses, some things I definitely want to take back,” Eason said. “I learned a lot though and that was the biggest part. Moving onto next year, I want to learn from the mistakes I made and learn from the good things I did.”
This story was originally published December 31, 2016 at 1:22 PM with the headline "Pair of UGA running backs helping Eason learn to scramble better."