Alabama coach Nick Saban provided his assessment of Georgia quarterbacks Jake Fromm and Justin Fields on a Sunday night SEC Championship Game teleconference.
Not surprisingly, it was glowing.
The No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide (12-0, 8-0 SEC) plays the No. 5-ranked Bulldogs (11-1, 7-1) at 4 p.m. in the SEC Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta next Saturday.
Alabama, which has won every game this season by 20 points or more, is a double-digit favorite over Georgia.
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Even so, Saban made it clear he has great respect for both UGA quarterbacks.
“Both guys are outstanding players,” Saban said. “Jake does a great job of managing their offense, he’s very accurate, very poised in the way he executes.
“He’s got a lot of confidence in the system and scheme and does a good job of helping the skill players that they have make plays, whether it’s running or throwing.”
Saban, of course, got a first-hand look at the FWAA Freshman All-American version of Fromm in the College Football Playoff Championship Game last January.
Fromm was 16-of-32 passing for 232 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in the title game against Alabama, also rushing three times for 19 yards and getting sacked four times.
Indeed, Fromm did enough to beat the Tide.
Georgia had a 23-20 lead in overtime before a broken assignment in the Bulldogs’ secondary resulted in the Tide completing a 41-yard, game-winning touchdown pass.
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Saban was also complimentary of freshman quarterback Justin Fields, who has appeared to be an answer to Georgia’s Red Zone and short-yardage woes with his tremendous athleticism and dual-threat passing ability.
“He’s certainly got an outstanding skill set,” Saban said. “I mean, the guy is a very athletic guy. He’s a good runner, but he also has a capacity to make any throw that he needs to make.
“He’s got a strong arm, and he’s fairly accurate and a very athletic guy in the pocket.”
Alabama leads the SEC in pass efficiency defense and ranks seventh in the country, recording as many interceptions (14) as it has allowed TD passes (14) this season.
2018 scores, schedule: Alabama | Georgia - More UGA on ajc.com
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