Georgia QB Hutson Mason Is Getting Hot at the Right Time
A month ago, Georgia quarterback Hutson Mason was viewed more as a liability than a weapon. Over the last month, though, the redshirt senior signal-caller for the Bulldogs has caught fire during an important time in his one and only season as Georgia's starting quarterback.
My, how things have changed.
Mason has completed 68.4 percent of his passes this season (160-of-234) for 1,825 yards, 19 touchdowns and only three interceptions—with his last pick coming on Oct. 4 in a win over Vanderbilt.
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He has thrown nine touchdowns in the month of November and has averaged more than 10 yards per attempt in three of the last five games.
He's not a game manager anymore. He's a difference-maker.
He showed it early and often against Charleston Southern on Saturday, throwing for 187 yards and three touchdowns on only 12 attempts.
"I'm not trying to go for big stats or anything," Mason said in quotes released by Georgia. "As long as we get it done then it feels good. I just try my best to operate and get it done with the play that's called."
As Radi Nabulsi of UGASports.com points out, Mason's season is comparable to that of Heisman Trophy front-runner Marcus Mariota of Oregon in some aspects:
Is Mason going to join the Heisman discussion? Of course not.
But he is getting hot at the right time for a Georgia team with at least a small glimmer of hope in the race for the inaugural College Football Playoff.
That's important, because while Georgia had always planned on being a run-first team—whether that was with Todd Gurley, Nick Chubb or somebody else—Mason needed to establish a threat downfield in order for the Bulldogs to truly ascend to contender status.
Now he has.
Earlier in the year, Mason seemed reluctant to throw deep. When he did, the passes didn't have the zip on them that they had Saturday.
Take the first touchdown of the game, for example. Not only were the Charleston Southern linebackers and safeties sucked in by the play action, but Mason delivered the ball deep downfield with authority and hit Chris Conley in stride for the score:
He's going to need to do more of that down the stretch because style points can be had against a Georgia Tech pass defense that is giving up 223.3 yards per game and 7.2 yards per attempt through the air.
The same can be said if the Bulldogs get to the SEC Championship Game against a Mississippi State crew that ranks last in the SEC in pass defense (281.4 YPG). If it's Alabama instead, well, the game probably will fall on Mason's shoulders.
Mason's success, combined with the presence of veteran receivers Conley and Michael Bennett, the return of Justin Scott-Wesley and Malcolm Mitchell and the emergence of Jonathon Rumph, has transformed Georgia's offense into a force to be reckoned with.
If Missouri falls to Arkansas on Black Friday, which would allow Georgia to waltz into the Georgia Dome, don't be surprised if the Bulldogs make some noise.
Mason is a difference-maker now, and that could cause more college football chaos if he gets hot in the Georgia Dome.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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