Wednesday News and Notes

So, what’s the difference in quarterback Stetson Bennett compared to this time a year ago?

Right tackle Warren McClendon and linebacker Quay Walker were asked to give their opinions following practice Wednesday afternoon.

"I’ll start by saying he knows his role. He pretty much understood that last year, but after practice, leading up to game week, it will be after practice, and I see Stetson still here,” Walker said. “By the time I get done watching film, he’ll still be in there watching film. He’s made a big jump from last year to this year. We’re real proud of Stetson.”

His recent statistics are proving Walker correct. Bennett’s last three games have seen him complete 35 of 52 passes for 553 yards and five touchdowns.

“Probably confidence,” said McClendon, when asked to give the biggest difference in Bennett between this year and last. “His confidence is there now and having him get the reps, that’s there now. We believe in him; we trust him.”

McClendon was asked the best way Bennett has gone about earning that trust.

“Just being a leader on and off, and knowing what he’s talking about,” McClendon said. “It’s about knowing points and stuff, and on the field; just leading by example.”

Of course, the question Georgia fans continue to ask is, how will Bennett continue to be the starter, once JT Daniels is sufficiently recovered from the Grade One lat strain that has cost him the past three games?

During Wednesday’s SEC teleconference, head coach Kirby Smart said Daniels put in the most he’s had since the injury.

"Yeah, he took more reps with the groups yesterday than he has in the past. He did a good job with those reps,” Smart said. “I mean, the first day there is going to be a little rust there from not having taken as many 11-on-11 reps or good-on-good reps. We will see how he responds today, and see if there is any soreness and what his pitch count will be, and how many reps he will get."

Smart wouldn’t say if he thought Daniels might play against arch-rival Florida in Jacksonville a week from Saturday.

"To be honest with you, we haven't even started preparation for Florida. We watch all of our opponents coming up in the future in the morning, and we've been really focused on trying to get better at the things we can get better at. We'll start heading in that direction this afternoon and tomorrow. I don't control who starts. They have some similarities, and obviously, you've seen both of those guys,” Smart said. “I recruited Anthony (Richardson) and I know a lot about all those guys that have played there. Emory (Jones) is from our state, so we've seen him play. They have a really good football team, and I have a lot of respect for both of those quarterbacks. We will have to plan for both."

Georgia has been the nation’s top-ranked football team for weeks. But according to Smart, it’s not even a concern.

"We don't address it, as far as ranking. What we address are our strengths and weaknesses. We are very technical in our approach of why. Why have we had success? Why have we struggled in some areas? What can we do about those?” Smart said. “I think the more interaction you have among the team, they tell you why. You know where their pulse is and whether they actually understand. There hasn't been a lot of conversation about the ranking. Our guys realize it doesn't matter. It's just a number. What does matter is what we do well and what we do poorly."

… On the keys to building a sustainable program: "I think infrastructure, in terms of personnel, is key. Meaning you have staff members that buy-in, not just the on-field coaches. It's everybody. That's the recruiting organization, the player development organization, and the training staff. It takes a village. We've been pretty sustainable in terms of keeping guys, and our administration has helped us do that. That's number one. Number two is recruiting good players but demanding excellence out of them. I think a lot of teams across the country can recruit good players, but demanding excellence from them and holding them to a standard is important. I think discipline within our program is important. When you lose discipline, you see mistakes. You see errors. You see inconsistencies in performance. Discipline is the key to that. We really try to hone in on that with our players. It's the little things that you do right, week to week, that hold people accountable to do what they're supposed to do on the field."

… On what he likes about this year’s team: "The joy with which they come to practice. The fun we have coaching them, and the buy-in we get from them, in response. The fact they're well connected. We feel that we, as a coaching staff, are connected to them. It makes it fun to coach them. You keep the culture positive."

… On team leadership: "They've done a good job to set the standard of what the expectation is in practice and how we work. They've done a good job so far; we just have to continue that."

… On recruiting being back to normal: "Yeah, I think so. It's as normal as normal can be. Some of the high schools were affected by COVID in cancellations, which in turn can affect us with where we go or who we see. There's not a lot you can do this weekend, because no one is coming to our campus with the game being off. We can go out to others and watch and evaluate and see guys play. We will do that."