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ATHENS – Jake Fromm had a chuckle when asked to reflect on his last performance against Notre Dame in 2017.
"I did not think at all that I was playing my best game," said Fromm, who replied to the quarterback in a 20-19 win against the Irish at South Bend on his first start as real recruit. "I just put it on the back of Nick and Sony and I told him," Hey guys, you have to help me here. "
Two years later, it's Fromm who leads the Bulldogs to 3rd place in a national clash with Notre Dame No. 7 at 8 pm. Saturday night at Sanford Stadium.
"There is a world of difference," said Georgia coach Kirby Smart, comparing the current version of Fromm to the real freshman from two years ago. "He was a nervous, composed young student, and now he is confident and experienced, and he keeps getting better, he makes good decisions."
The numbers reflect as much. Fromm entered the 2019 campaign with the second highest pass efficiency, and is currently 8th in the country with 5 assists in TD, no interception and a mark of 194.60.
Irish coach Brian Kelly said he was not surprised after recognizing Fromm's ability in the first meeting of the teams.
"I thought it was extremely effective, it's been about football, "Kelly said during his conference call on Sunday. "You see someone when he's a freshman, and when he introduces that type of traits, you know you're going to have someone who will be a special payer."
"So I had a glimpse of that the first night we saw him when he played with such balance, such self-confidence, he was not afraid of the present moment. He stepped up big. So, this does not surprise me, he plays at the level at which he plays. "
The Bulldogs relied on the legs of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel in this last victory over Notre Dame, the duo totaling 136 yards in 26 attempts.
But Fromm – 16 of 29 for 141 yards with an interception at the last game – was delivered to the call. Fromm led the winning run in the final minutes, scoring 3 of 4 passes for 45 yards to score Rodrigo Blankenship's 30-yard goal with a time remaining of 3:34.
The Georgian defense forced a fumble against the ensuing possession, Lorenzo Carter getting back to Notre Dame 25 and Fromm and the Bulldogs having exhausted their time.
"The defense played well that night and it was unbelievable, Fromm said. "Now they come here and we will be ready to play, we have to go to work this week."
Fromm was not trapped by the hype that characterized Notre Dame at the time, and it certainly is not now.
"It's only a football game I've been playing football since I was 7. You can make it as big as you want," Fromm said. the 2017 season. "I had excellent teammates around me, so I followed them."
Fromm's approach stayed the same with Big Game Week, finally here.
"You do not really care about the atmosphere, what it's going to be, "said Fromm. "You know it will be one of the biggest games of all time, but you do not think of it like that, come on, go to work."
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