Georgia Football's Kirby Smart Comments On Florida Quarterback Race
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ATHENS - Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs don’t know which quarterback will take the field first for the Florida Gators this weekend.
Florida started junior Aaron Philo through the first six games but missed the Texas game with a shoulder injury. Backup Tramell Jones lead the Gators to victory over the Longhorns and is competing for the starting job again this week.
Both quarterbacks were listed as “questionable” on Wednesday’s injury report. On Monday Georgia football coach Kirby Smart spoke about how they prepare this week without knowing which quarterback will take the first snap.
“Both are very talented,” Smart told reporters. “One beat Ole Miss and one beat Texas on the road. I mean, they're both completely capable, good players, knowing about both of them for a long time, and in terms of their ability, they're both plenty capable, especially in in Buster's offense. It's quarterback driven, but it doesn't require the quarterback to be perfect. He gives them so many options, and he can play to the strengths of each guy.”
Florida coach Jon Sumrall told reporters in Gainesville that the skillsets of both quarterbacks are similar, so the game-plan won’t change much from one quarterback to another. Last week Sumrall told Jones he would get the start against Texas the Friday before, and that will likely be the situation this week as well.
According to Sumrall, both quarterbacks got first-team reps this week in practice.
"Yes, they're both taking some reps with the ones and the twos. Tramell has gotten reps, plenty of reps as we've gone the last several weeks before the Texas week. I didn't come out the Monday of the Texas week and tell you guys fully Philo's situation, because, you know, it didn't help our team win the game. I respect you all if you'd asked me, but I'll be honest, I didn't lie to anybody, I just didn't tell you everything I knew."
“The offense doesn't change really with one or the other,” Sumrall added. “I mean, Tramell, Philo both have similar skillsets. One may do one thing a little better, one may do the other thing a little bit better. It's not like they're drastically different players where you're playing with a true run-threat quarterback that can't throw it, and then you have another guy that's a pocket passer that can't run.”
“They're both skill sets that have more similarities and differences. So, while that doesn't put stress on the other side from maybe having to game-plan totally different, because the offense is kind of the offense, I do think for us it's nice because we don't drastically have to change who we are. We may lean into one guy doing certain things a little differently than the other, but it doesn't like all of a sudden completely give us a different type of team."
Philo, an Athens-area native sho started his career at Georgia Tech, has completed 105 of his 149 passing attempts this season with nine touchdown passes and three INTs. Jones, who led the Gators to a road win over Texas, was 22/35 in that game for 155 yards and two touchdowns.
