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Published Apr 22, 2022
Not a one-man show
Anthony Dasher  •  UGASports
Editor

Perhaps the most interesting question posed to Kirby Smart following Saturday’s G-Day game was one regarding Stetson Bennett and whether or not he was going to be the starting quarterback this fall.

Do bulldogs gnaw on bones?

“You said it, so there you go,” Smart responded incredulously.

Was there ever a doubt?

Yes, Carson Beck and Brock Vandagriff received some reps with the first team offense during the spring practice. Per Smart, both took positive steps and impressed. Smart and offensive coordinator Todd Monken wanted to see how each would respond.

Statistically, Beck had a good G-day, completing 14 of 26 passes for 274 yards. Bennett, meanwhile, completed less than 50 percent of his passes (15 of 35) for 273 yards for three touchdowns and threw two interceptions.

But any notion that somehow Georgia’s plans at quarterback might be up in the air were quickly quashed by Smart. Yes, Bennett, who completed 37 of 56 passes for 537 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions in the playoffs, was not in danger of losing his starting quarterback job.

“I don't read into the statistics and say, okay, what was the completion percentage. It's a decision-making process. Did his eyes go to the right place, did he do right thing. Same thing on defense; did I make the right call, did I play the right technique,” Smart said. “You're evaluating decision-making process, and a lot goes into that. Can I get the signal? Can I fix things, because every now and then you got a guy that doesn't know what to do out there and your job is to get him fixed because if you don't, it could cost you a big play.

“We had several situations out there where I thought the quarterbacks went over and said, 'Hey, you've got to do this.' They helped the wide out, they helped the back out. There's so much more so being the quarterback at Georgia than just numbers.”

No, Bennett will not be any taller and his arm strength will be the same.

However, he does expect to improve and believes that he will.

“There’s more pressure, yeah, but I don’t think about that. Do more people watch me? Yeah. But I don’t worry about them. If you worry about them then you’re not doing as well as you can in the here and now,” Bennett said. “I signed up for this, I’m good enough to do this. Really, all it comes down to is will you put in the work to be prepared.”

That’s why Smart was so emphatic brushing off the notion that Bennett’s performance during G-Day had somehow left a crack in the door to determine next year’s starting quarterback.

“When you put them in a situation where it's pass-happy type environment, it changes the D-line's demeanor, so there's no real run game to slow guys down and everybody is pinning their ears back,” Smart said. “You have two two-minute situations which are actually three-minute, but it was a three-minute two-minute and then another three-minute two-minute, and you're up tempo going, that makes sometimes for tougher passing situations.”

In Smart’s opinion, all Georgia’s quarterbacks performed well.

“I really thought those guys made some plays,” Smart said. “Standing back there with them, they stood in the pocket, made good decisions with the ball, made some vertical plays down the field. Our style is, hey, we're going to make shots.”

Bennett also brushed off the notion that there’s even more pressure on his shoulders considering the talent the Bulldogs will be losing on both sides of the ball.

“I think everybody can see who leaves the room, so you can see who needs to step up and fill those shoes and who needs to step up to make sure we can be the best we can be,” Bennett said. “Do I think I need to be better than last year? Yeah. Do I think I’m going to need to go out there and win every single game? No.

"This is still the University of Georgia. We’re still going to have great players, we’re still going to have a great offensive line, we’re still going to have great backs, great linebackers, great D-line, great DBs. I’m going to be better than last year, but this isn’t going to be the Stetson Bennett show, it’s going to be the University of Georgia football team.”

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