Rival’s Olin Buchanan has a piece up about struggling with a true freshman quarterback. (Cool trivia: name the only college team that’s won a MNC starting a true freshman QB.)
There’s a lot in his article about Matthew Stafford and what he (and the Dawgs) went through last year.
… No quarterback on Georgia’s 2006 roster had significant playing experience, so the Bulldogs did not have the luxury of redshirting Stafford. Despite the ups-and-downs of his inaugural year, Stafford is glad he received on-the-job training.
“Personally, I was better served to go out and play,” Stafford said. “I learned by trial and error. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
Richt sees improvement:
“He is really good,” Richt said of Stafford during spring drills. “Even last year he understood things, but he did not understand the speed of the game, the speed of the athletes, when to sling that sucker out of bounds and how to manage the bad plays.
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“Those little fundamental things are what gets you beat, but I think he understands it pretty well now.”
Stafford senses a difference, too.
“I think the hardest part is to come in as a freshman and lead the team off the bat,” Stafford said. “It’s tough to step in and play well enough to gain respect. Once you do, it’s a great feeling when the team is behind you. After the Auburn game everybody realized we can play well together.”