As Stetson Bennett faced his usual postgame crowd of reporters and TV cameras, Kenny McIntosh walked by.
"It's the most famous walk-on ever!" McIntosh called.
It's hard to argue with that, at least in recent memory. Bennett's story is well-chronicled by now - from Georgia walk-on to junior college and back again, winning Georgia's quarterback job not once but twice and piloting the Bulldogs to a national championship.
On Saturday, the Bennett saga added another chapter as the senior played his final game in Sanford Stadium - for real this time.
"I’m not a real big fan of Senior Day, honestly," Bennett said. "Yeah, it is hard to play. I’ve had to freakin’ do it twice now."
Bennett didn't have his finest day in his Sanford swan song. He completed 10-of-18 passes for 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns. At halftime, Bennett had managed just 28 yards through the air.
The emotions of Senior Day might have had a bit to do with that, at least in Bennett's mind. But it also served to honor a group that has gone 46-5 in their collegiate careers.
"We’ve got some good dudes, man. Play hard, go out, execute," Bennett said. "We practice hard. Y’all don’t see how we practice. I don’t practice that hard, right, I don’t have to hit. We have team run Tuesday/Wednesday, we’re full pads almost every single day. Those guys are out there getting it. That’s why when you hear George (Pickens) say something like practice here was harder than there (with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL), it is. We play football every single day."
As the quarterback with the catchy Mailman nickname, Bennett is the face of that senior group. He is also a symbol of the Georgia program on and off the field.
Center Sedrick Van Pran said Bennett "is what this program is about." Receiver Ladd McConkey called Bennett "the definition of a hard worker." Even his head coach Kirby Smart said Bennett "embodies our team with his competitive toughness."
"It means a lot because I know how hard those dudes work and I know what they put in every single day, what they bring to this team and the leadership and the mentality and just football players," Bennett said. "They’re just football players. When you hear football players say stuff like that about you, it makes you feel good."
Bennett's legacy goes beyond his stats on the field. Players like him - guys that have come into the program and worked their tails off to earn their role - are up and down this Georgia roster. Even though the players don't necessarily bring up Bennett's status as a former walk-on, his unspoken background shows what can be accomplished with hard work.
Bennett is already a legend at Georgia for what he's done. Now he's out to further cement his place among the all-time greats by adding a second national championship ring to his collection.
"We didn't come into this season trying to go 12-0," Bennett said. "We're trying to go 15-0."
