How QB Stetson Bennett’s ‘juice’ saved the day in Georgia’s win over Arkansas

Stetson Bennett expected to play.

The Georgia quarterback spent two seasons in his No. 13 uniform as a reserve. He came to the program as a walk-on, transferred and then returned on scholarship. Bennett ran with the second- and third-team offenses throughout preseason practices. His name never became a prominent part of the competition.

Bennett’s name presumably fell fourth in the race. All of the chatter centered around Jamie Newman (graduate transfer and eventual opt-out), J.T. Daniels and D’Wan Mathis, who started at QB in the Bulldogs’ 37-10 win Saturday at Arkansas. The odds were against Bennett, but his belief stemmed from having confidence in close relationships and people within the program.

Bennett’s expectation to play has never wavered. That’s the only way he can think.

“If you don’t,” Bennett told reporters after the games, “it’s going to be poor when you do (come in).”

Six series elapsed before Bennett got his chance Saturday. Georgia looked stagnant and far from the No. 4 team in the country against Arkansas, which had lost 19 consecutive conference games and welcomed a new leader in former Georgia offensive line coach Sam Pittman. At that moment, Georgia’s lone two points came via a safety.

Two. So much for that potent Todd Monken-led offense. It didn’t show early on, and Georgia needed life.

“We didn’t have a lot of rhythm,” Smart said. “He’s different than D’Wan in his experience. He gave us a spark.”

Bennett led the charge in what turned from a possible upset to a Georgia win. In short, he saved the Bulldogs’ day.

Until Saturday, he had only played in mop-up duty as a Bulldog. Bennett’s best highlights came in the G-Day spring game. But the coaches had an ample amount of trust in the 5-foot-11 quarterback from Blackshear.

Mathis struggled after receiving a start in his first-ever game. Daniels, the transfer from Southern Cal with at least a bit of experience under his belt, wasn’t cleared for contact after suffering a torn ACL at the beginning of the 2019 season. He had an additional procedure in December that delayed his timetable for clearance. Georgia put Daniels on the team plane in hopes of last-minute clearance, but it wasn’t to be.

Bennett had to be thrust into meaningful action if the Bulldogs wanted to gain offensive traction. The small-town kid known as the “mailman” answered Smart’s call. His gridiron post office was fully operational with deliveries to his receivers.

He gained momentum with a two-minute drill that led to a 38-yard field goal by new place-kicker Jack Podlesny. Bennett felt confident after having time to build a stronger connection to his receivers. It allowed Georgia’s proverbial offensive flood gate to open — which isn’t to say the Bulldogs don’t have a slew of offensive questions.

On Georgia’s second offensive drive, Bennett found wunderkind sophomore receiver George Pickens for a 19-yard score. Bennett followed it with a two-point conversion on a quarterback scramble. His teammates rallied around him after Bennett gave Georgia a lead. They pushed him around on the sideline. Smiles were aplenty.

For this game, at least, Bennett was determined to be the guy.

“I’m proud and happy for Stetson,” Smart said. “I wouldn’t take that moment away from him. No way in the world. They saw his competitive spirit, and that’s the juice we needed.”

The difference-making plays by the pride and joy of Pierce County called for a celebration back home. Those close to Bennett were surprised, just like everyone else watching Georgia’s events unfold Saturday afternoon. But they saw Bennett shine on Friday nights and on the college showcase circuit — including the Elite 11.

“He tore it up like he did in high school,” Bennett’s close friend, Clay Denison, told The Telegraph. “Nobody is more deserving than Stet. He knows he can play with everybody in the country.”

Georgia’s decision, without Daniels’ clearance, became pretty easy. All four of the competing quarterbacks traveled with the team to Fayetteville, but a track record made it an easy call to insert Bennett over true freshman Carson Beck. Bennett a year ago took all of the No. 2 snaps behind recent Buffalo Bills draftee Jake Fromm. A lot of Bennett’s in-game progress came in 12 starts at Jones County Community College in Ellisville, Mississippi, where he threw for 1,640 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Bennett left Georgia in 2018 with no intention of returning. He never saw hope to play as a Bulldog. He originally planned to sign with Louisiana and begin his quest to become a starter in the Sun Belt. A last-minute offer, however, altered his approach.

He faced his demoralizing moments. For the quarterback with success at every other level, things became hard at times. He overcame the mental toll, however, and Bennett went into the last two quarterback battles with the same goal — win. Albeit in the strangest of circumstances, that opportunity came to fruition Saturday.

“Experience at that position is a premium. Stetson has played in a lot of games,” Smart said. “That value of reps is immense. We knew and felt comfortable with what we had in Stetson.”

“Once I came back,” Bennett said, “I thought I would be (playing).”

Bennett’s final stat line gave him 211 yards to his name in his first bit of meaningful in-game action at Georgia. His knack for strong decision-making showed with an efficient 20-for-29 clip, something that Pittman could’ve predicted after seeing him work for two seasons on the Bulldogs’ scout team.

A composed quarterback made plenty of difference for Georgia. All facets of its offensive game plan were involved, including Bennett finding 10 different receivers.

“I’ve seen him sling it a lot,” said safety Richard LeCounte, who faced Bennett in high school as a two-way player at Liberty County. “I’m a big fan of his.”

Bennett’s tale continues back to the practice fields when a quarterback competition resumes Monday. Smart said coaches will re-evaluate the position headed into Georgia’s matchup with cross-divisional rival Auburn this coming Saturday. Daniels will factor into the decision if cleared for contact, Smart said.

Bennett doesn’t know what’s next. He could be the offensive leader for Georgia. He’ll have to earn it.

Nonetheless, he never had a doubt that this chapter of his career could be written.

“It feels nice (to lead Georgia to victory),” Bennett said. “It felt better than not doing that.”

Next week: Georgia vs. Auburn

Where: Sanford Stadium in Athens

When: 7:30 pm Saturday, Oct. 3

TV: ESPN