Stetson Bennett woke up Saturday knowing he would start Saturday against UAB.

However, he never predicted the results would be like this.

With starter JT Daniels out with an oblique injury, Bennett sparked the Georgia by completing 10 of 12 passes for 288 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs to a 56-7 win.

“I was told Thursday morning. They told me and Carson (Beck) before practice that morning,” Bennett said. “It really didn’t matter to me what the outside people were talking about, but I honestly just prepared like I did last week before Clemson, and those games I played since I’ve been here. I was just prepared to go out there. It didn’t matter what everybody else said.”

All five of Bennett’s touchdown passes—which tied a school record—came in the first half. He joined a group that includes David Greene, D.J. Shockley, Joe Cox, and Aaron Murray (twice). Murray was the last Bulldog quarterback to accomplish this feat, throwing for five scores against Nebraska in 2013.

Ironically, the first time Murray did this in 2011, he threw all five in the first half.

Bennett’s were not cheapies, either.

His first touchdown throw came on the second play of the game, a 78-yard strike to Jermaine Burton for a quick 7-0 lead.

After a 12-yard swing pass to Kenny McIntosh went for Bennett's second touchdown throw, he hit tight end Brock Bowers on a wheel route that the freshman took 88 yards for his first collegiate score.

His next two touchdowns were a 61-yard bomb to Arian Smith and a 9-yard touchdown throw to Bowers.

“It seemed that was an Oklahoma stat line, when they play some—North, South, West Texas,” Bennett said.

Head coach Kirby Smart said Bennett’s experience was the primary reason he got the start.

“The decision to go with Stetson—we’re really young offensively, we have a lot of guys who are injured and out,” Smart said. “We just thought it would give us a calming effect to have him in with his experience, his ability to play in games, and he played really well.”

Nevertheless, Bennett’s start does raise a question.

On Tuesday, Smart told reporters that Beck “had been” the team’s No. 2 quarterback, a job he won with a solid spring that culminated in completing 22 of 31 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns at the G-Day game.

However, when the time came to name a starter, Smart and offensive coordinator Todd Monken went with the experienced Bennett over Beck, whose only previous action came in last year’s game at Missouri.

Beck saw two series in the first half before playing the majority of the second half. He connected with a wide-open Justin Robinson for a 12-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Beck completed 5 of 11 passes for 97 yards and the one touchdown on the afternoon. The only real blot on his day came in the fourth quarter when he threw a 61-yard pick-six for UAB’s only points.

“The plan was to play both of them, to give both of them reps,” Smart said. “I’m really proud of Stetson. Nobody has been better for the University of Georgia than Stetson in terms of his work. He doesn’t get as many reps as a lot of other guys, so I was proud of him and his success today.”

Daniels, meanwhile, dressed out for Saturday’s game. The junior took part in pregame warmups, working with Jamaree Salyer as the third-team quarterback.

Although Daniels didn't play, he seemed to throw the ball well and did not appear hampered by the injury.

“JT got better as the week went on,” Smart said. “We didn’t know anything was really wrong with him on Monday, just that it was bothering him some. As the week went on, Tuesday it started bothering him more. Today, he was better than he was earlier in the week and felt good. Today was the first day he was actually able to throw some balls down the field in warmups. We hope he continues to improve.”

However, when asked what Georgia’s quarterback situation might look like this next Saturday against South Carolina, Smart predictably did not respond.

“It’s a day-to-day evaluation, you know that,” Smart said. “It depends on JT’s injury, it depends on how they practice during the week. We thought Stetson practiced really well this week, and that’s why we made the decision to go with him. We’re not getting into hypotheticals today—I’ll let you guys do that.”

Bennett didn't bite, either.

“I can’t answer that. Whoever gets it, we’re all ready,” Bennett said. “Everybody on the team has confidence in everybody in our quarterback room. We’re all good friends, we all prepare the same way. You knew you were going to get that answer.”