JT Daniels brings a deep threat. How it elevates Georgia’s receivers late in season
Each time Georgia quarterback JT Daniels dropped back into the pocket against Mississippi State, the Sanford Stadium crowd gasped. A receiver streaked down the field and that reaction of amazement turned into cheers of approval.
Welcome back, Georgia football’s deep threat. It has been a while. There’s that explosiveness that head coach Kirby Smart has long searched for and found in the seventh game of the season.
Daniels proved to be the reason why.
“He’s a Cali kid. He has a bigger arm when throwing the ball in the air,” wide receiver George Pickens said. “It won’t be too flat or too low. It’s going to get there.”
Smart said Georgia has seen the offensive capabilities in practice. No one outside the program is permitted into team practice, so that element has gone undocumented. Over previous weeks on the public stage, the Bulldogs’ passing attack stagnated under the quarterback duo of Stetson Bennett and D’Wan Mathis. Bennett led Georgia to a handful of wins, but in his two losses, the absence of a deep threat proved costly.
Against Florida, specifically, Georgia’s offense had the plays. The quarterback situation, which was in flux, couldn’t execute. The Bulldog receivers were open, but Georgia couldn’t connect on passes time and time again. Many different deficiencies could validate the loss to the Gators, but the inconsistent offense held Georgia back.
No. 18, Daniels, stepped into the starting quarterback saddle, and everything flipped. He had 401 yards and four touchdowns. That hadn’t been done in Athens since Aaron Murray in 2013 — seven years ago.
A handful of those passes went for more than 40 yards, which proved to be equally as significant. He found Pickens, and the sophomore returned to form. He targeted freshman Jermaine Burton, who came eight yards short of the program’s single-game receiving record with 197 yards and two touchdowns. Kearis Jackson joined in on the party. Suddenly, the Bulldogs receiving corps went from a weakness to legitimate threat.
“If you have George Pickens and Jermaine Burton, if you’re not going to throw it up to them, don’t recruit them,” Daniels said. “If you’re gonna give a one-on-one with George, Jermaine, Kearis and all our guys, I’m probably going to make you want to try and stop it.”
Ever since the likes of NFL talents Riley Ridley, Terry Godwin and Javon Wims left the program, the receivers have been a question mark. Smart called it a “by-committee” effort last season, but Pickens emerged. There were high hopes this season with Burton in the fold, but the results happened in spurts. Nobody emerged.
There were dropped passes, overthrown balls and plenty of inconsistency. They needed a spark.
Daniels gave that to Georgia and answered some questions. The Bulldogs have three games remaining in 2020 — including the make-up contest at Missouri — along with its bowl game. The offensive strides, however, hold their value in trying to earn a New Year’s Six bowl bid and evaluating the options for 2021. Georgia opens next season with a neutral-site game against Clemson.
“He did a good job of working the receivers, making them believe, too, he was going to get them the ball and make plays and re-energize that group, which is really important,” Smart said of Daniels.
One of the biggest takeaways for Georgia’s offense is Burton. He’s beginning to realize the potential and expectations he had as a former five-star prospect out of Calabasas, California.
Burton came to Georgia as one of its prized last additions on National Signing Day in February. They saw Burton as a weapon, and saw his “lightning-fast speed,” as tight end John FitzPatrick put it, almost immediately. Pickens likens Burton to himself as a freshman with approach and ability.
Burton logged a lot of snaps for the Bulldogs early on. Bennett even favored the freshman, too, but the consistent connections weren’t happening. Burton dropped a pass at Alabama, fell victim to some overthrows and underthrows and hadn’t emerged as a viable threat yet.
Smart emphasized that the freshman was getting “better and better” behind closed doors. Last Saturday, with Daniels calling the shots, Burton found his niche. It became his show. A two-headed monster might’ve been formed with Burton and Pickens.
“The things the public sees are awesome, so I want him to be the complete player he can be,” Smart said. “I want him to help benefit our team in terms of second-level run game, getting runs started. The thing about Jermaine is, he cares. That’s important to him. He wants to do those things right, and on top of that, he’s got good ability.”
Burton, Pickens or Jackson. Take your pick. Even Demetris Robertson joined in for the first time in a while. There’s a deep threat at Georgia, and it shows a lot about the receiving corps.
Each time Daniels steps back, it’s a moment that Georgia hasn’t experienced in years. A consistent deep threat.
“You have to respect the run and the pass with who we have back there now,” offensive guard Justin Shaffer said.
No. 13 Georgia (5-2) at South Carolina (2-6)
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC
TV: SEC Network
Line: Georgia by 21.5