FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Throughout summer and fall camp, Stetson Bennett barely received a mention when it came to Georgia’s quarterback competition.
In fact, he was basically an afterthought behind Jamie Newman, JT Daniels, D’Wan Mathis, and even, to an extent, freshman Carson Beck.
However, when the Bulldogs needed a spark following a poor start by Mathis, who did Kirby Smart turned to? None other than the junior known as the “Mailman,” who helped deliver the Bulldogs to Saturday’s 37-10 win over Arkansas.
“It felt nice. It feels better than if I hadn’t,” Bennett deadpanned to reporters after the game.
With Georgia trailing 7-2 after Mathis struggled to generate any movement for the Bulldog offense, Bennett entered the game. He didn't exactly get off to a quick start. But after leading Georgia on a last-minute drive late in the second quarter to set Jake Podlesny up for a 38-yard field goal, Bennett found his groove, enabling Georgia to outscore the Razorbacks 32-3 in the second half.
The Blackshear native completed 20 of his 29 attempts for 211 yards and two touchdowns on throws to George Pickens and John FitzPatrick. Bennett also scored to convert a two-point play.
“I don’t know if it was any easier coming off the bench. I can’t speak to that, because I’ve never started a game,” Bennett said. “But it was easier starting the second half. The two-minute drill really boosted my confidence before half.”
Head coach Kirby Smart credited Bennett’s experience for helping Georgia ultimately win the day.
“I would just say the No. 1 thing is experience. Experience at that position is at a premium. I think you see that, across the SEC, when you see the quarterbacks that are here and those that are not here,” Smart said. “Stetson has played in a lot of football games. Everybody forgets he went to Mississippi and played in, I think, 10 games and got to play a whole season. The value of playing that season is immense in terms of getting reps. Then he came here and took every single rep for an entire year behind Jake Fromm as the 2.”
Although Smart wasn't pleased with all the mistakes that plagued the offense—especially early on—he did credit Bennett for ultimately providing the energy the offense would need.
"I'm proud and happy for Stetson. I wouldn't take that moment away from him. No way in the world. He did a great job, and he rallied the guys around him. They saw his competitive spirit on some of those scrambles and the two-point play,” Smart said. “That’s the juice we needed—he gave us the juice we needed. He's a great competitor. I spent a whole year with him on the scout team the one year he was here, and I got to see the guy. He was very composed and had very good poise.”
As for Mathis, it just was not his day.
The redshirt freshman completed just eight of 17 passes for 55 yards and an interception. He did return to play later in the fourth quarter.
“That’s tough for a guy like D’Wan who has given everything he can to this program. Today just was not his day. He didn't have a great day. Some of it was what they were doing, some of it was what we were doing, so not all of it (fault) was his,” Smart said. “When you've got a man in zone, he's supposed to break in and (if) he does not do it, sometimes that can throw things off. It's not all on the quarterback. To the average fan’s eye, I get it. But it’s up to me and our staff to help our quarterbacks be successful.”
Bennett credited new offensive coordinator Todd Monken for the game plan that allowed him to succeed.
“He’s one of the smartest coaches I’ve ever been with,” Bennett said. “He’s a stickler for details. That's the only way you can play quarterback and be successful. I love having him; he’s been awesome.”
Smart said Bennett’s decision-making is certainly one of his strengths.
“He's very decisive with the ball. He makes good decisions. He understands what the defense is trying to do to him. Getting to watch them a little defensively I think helped him. Right now, going forward, we'll decide this week how we will go forward,” Smart said. “We've got to go back and watch the tape. Not all of those things that went wrong were D'Wan's fault. I know a lot of people will blame D'Wan—fans, media, whatever—but at the end of the day, it's on all of us to get it right. Not all of those were bad decisions; not all of those were bad throws. He made some good throws, but we've got to get better, that's for sure."
JT Daniels update
Southern Cal transfer JT Daniels was not cleared for Saturday’s game, although he did dress out.
During his post-game Zoom with reporters, Smart was asked whether Daniels would figure into the quarterback scenario for next week’s game against Auburn. "He can factor in as soon as he gets cleared, and I think he's got a lot of confidence as well. When you say the two most experienced guys, probably JT and Stetson in terms of having played football games,” Smart said. “But regardless of who the quarterback is, guys, we can't hold people, we can't line up in the backfield, we can't jump offsides, we can't turn the ball over. So a lot of that doesn't have to do with the quarterback position. I know that's the one everybody wants to talk about, and I respect that. But I'm also smart enough and wise enough to know that not all the malfunctions we had were just on the quarterback."
