Georgia QB Jacob Eason out with a knee injury vs. Notre Dame

The Georgia Bulldogs will be without their starting quarterback as they take on Notre Dame on Saturday. On Monday, Dawgs head coach Kirby Smart announced that sophomore Jacob Eason, who suffered a knee injury early against Appalachian State last Saturday, is out for the game against the Fighting Irish.

True freshman Jake Fromm, who took over for Eason against the Mountaineers during the Bulldogs’ 31-10 win, will be the starter. He threw for 143 yards and a touchdown with the victory. For the second year in a row, the Bulldogs will be starting a true freshman at quarterback in the wake of Eason’s injury. Last year, when Eason was a true freshman, he made his starting debut with Georgia’s 26-24 home win over Nicholls State.

Fromm is a former four-star quarterback from Warner Robbins, Ga., who was featured in a documentary produced by Friday Night Lights’ Peter Berg:

In FNL, Berg’s world was his own. Dillon’s first star quarterback, Jason Street, was more or less in the same position as Fromm: a heavily recruited celebrity in a small Southern town, tasked with leading a state title contender. When Street was injured at the end of FNL’s pilot, it was crushing, but it also made for a storyline that drove parts of that series for years. QB1 had to find stories without conjuring such drama.

Unsurprisingly, with the injury news, Notre Dame has opened as a 6.5-point favorite over the Bulldogs.

Eason, the former five-star quarterback, started for the Dawgs as a true freshman last fall, and he threw for 2,430 yards, 16 touchdowns, and eight interceptions during UGA’s 8-5 season. Georgia scored a touchdown to go up 7-0 over App State after the injury to Eason.

For Georgia to win the SEC East this season in Kirby Smart’s year two, having Eason along with some talented wide receivers and running backs around him will be key.

At the very least, it’s a good thing that Eason will be back at some point this season, but the question is how long will he be out.