Tag: stetson bennett uga

Twitter reacts to Stetson Bennett’s curtain call with Georgia football

UGA quarterback Stetson Bennett was a key part of the Georgia’s dominant national championship victory over the TCU Horned Frogs.

Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett was a key part of the Bulldogs’ dominant national championship victory over the TCU Horned Frogs. Bennett finished the national championship with six total touchdowns and 343 total yards.

Bennett and Georgia are back-to-back national champions. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound quarterback from Blackshear, Georgia, walked on to Georgia in 2017. He transferred away from Athens to Jones College, but returned for the 2019 college football season.

Georgia constantly told him he couldn’t start, but Bennett did not give up. He ended his college career 29-3 as the starting quarterback. Bennett, who was never highly recruited, now looks to get a shot in the NFL.

Here’s what former Georgia players had to say about Bennett as he played his final snaps as a Georgia Bulldog:

UGA football Twitter buzzing during SEC media days

Georgia Bulldog fans, media, players, and coaches have a lot to say heading into the 2022 college football season.

Georgia Bulldog fans, media, players and coaches have a lot to say heading into the 2022 college football season. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart made it clear this year’s edition of the Dawgs still have to prove themselves.

Georgia football’s player representatives for the event are linebacker Nolan Smith, quarterback Stetson Bennett and center Sedrick Van Pran. The players are all happy to win a national championship, but it is a new season and none of Georgia’s freshmen have won a game yet.

Here are some of the top quotes and moments as the Bulldogs took the podium at SEC media days:

Stetson Bennett announced as Georgia’s starting QB vs UAB

Stetson Bennett announced as starting QB

With JT Daniels nursing a minor oblique injury, Georgia will turn to a former starter to lead the Dawgs on Saturday against UAB.

UGA announced that Stetson Bennett will start at quarterback rather than redshirt freshman Carson Beck, who many expected to get the nod.

Bennett started five games for the Dawgs in 2020. Bennett had some up and down performances. He was a steadying presence in Georgia’s season opener against Arkansas.

Last year, Bennett completed 55% of his passes. Bennett contributed 10 total touchdowns and threw six interceptions. He threw for 1,179 passing yards on the season and looked particularly sharp against the Auburn Tigers.

Bennett arrived in Athens as a lightly recruited three-star prospect. He redshirted in 2017, while playing scout team quarterback. He then transferred to Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Mississippi. He helped Jones County win their conference, scoring 20 total touchdowns and accumulating almost 2,000 total yards in the process.

Following his junior college season, Bennett transferred back to the University of Georgia and enrolled for the spring semester of 2019.

Georgia gives up 38 points to Florida in brutal first half

The Georgia Bulldogs have been absolutely shredded by Kyle Trask and the Florida Gators during the first half.

The Georgia Bulldogs have been absolutely shredded by Kyle Trask and the Florida Gators during the first half. Florida will take a 38-21 halftime lead that should be an insurmountable deficit for the Bulldogs.

Georgia’s defense performed well to start, but has been Swiss cheese since the opening drive. Florida quarterback Kyle Trask has four touchdowns in the first half, while UGA quarterback Stetson Bennett has four completions.

It is apparent that the Bulldogs won’t be able to make a comeback with their passing game. Eric Stokes did record on pick-six on Trask. That’s the Dawgs’ lone score since opening the game with a 14-0 lead.

Florida outscored Georgia 38-7 since the opening minutes. Georgia has been unable to slow down the game on the offensive end, recording numerous three and outs, which haven’t all been Stetson Bennett’s fault.

UGA tight end John FitzPatrick had a key drop after Florida took a 28-21 lead. Georgia would’ve gained about twenty yards on the wide-open play.

Additionally, Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken has dialed up some wide open deep shots, but Stetson Bennett has missed these throws by several yards.

Georgia’s defense has failed to pressure Kyle Trask, who has sat back and picked his favorite match-up against the Georgia secondary. He often finds open targets against linebackers, who have to travel massive swaths of turf to cover a skill position player or against Tyson Campbell, who hasn’t been able to turn his head on several chuck plays.

In defense of the UGA defense, they are missing several starters and haven’t gotten much help from the offense (14 offensive points in the first half).

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Georgia vs Auburn: Halftime stats and thoughts

Georgia leads Auburn 24-3 at halftime. Here are the key players and team stats so far.

No. 4 Georgia leads No. 7 Auburn 24-3 at halftime after dominant first half by the Bulldogs.

Georgia’s most valuable players of the first half were junior quarterback Stetson Bennet, who is making his first career start for the Bulldogs, and redshirt sophomore running back Zamir White and sophomore receiver Kearis Jackson.

Player stats:

  • Bennett – 12/22, 155 yards with one touchdown
  • White – 17 carries for 76 yards and two touchdowns
  • Jackson – 7 receptions for 104 yards

Team Stats:

  • 1st downs: UGA 15, Auburn 5
  • Total yards: UGA 288, Auburn 81
  • Passing yards : UGA 158, Auburn 54
  • Rushing yards : UGA 130, Auburn 27
  • Time of possession: UGA 18:04, Auburn 11:56
  • Penalties : UGA 6 for 49 yards, Auburn 4 for 30 yards

Georgia’s offensive line is doing whatever they want with Auburn right now, and the Bulldogs running backs are taking advantage.

Bennett has been sharp and decisive with the football, especially on third downs.

All good news for Georgia so far, tune-in for the second half coming up on ESPN.

 

 

UGA vs Auburn: Georgia rolling with second quarter TD dime from the Mailman

Georgia has found a starting quarterback in junior Stetson Bennett. Watch his touchdown pass to star receiver George Pickens here.

Junior quarterback Stetson Bennett is dealing right now. No. 4 Georgia is up 17-0 over No. 4 Auburn and the game is currently only in the second quarter.

Watch this sweet dime by Bennett to star receiver George Pickens here:

Bennett has totaled 107 yards on 10/18 passing with a touchdown so far.

 

 

 

Interview: Aaron Murray says what Georgia should do at quarterback ahead of Auburn

We sat down with former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray to get his thoughts on Georgia’s unique quarterback situation. Details here

No 4. Georgia is still looking for its starting quarterback ahead of Saturday night’s matchup with No. 7 Auburn.

Redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis started the game last week versus Arkansas, but was abruptly pulled for junior Stetson Bennett after just five offensive drives.

Mathis, who was cleared for football activities in May after surgery to remove a brain cyst kept him out in 2019, didn’t get much help from his teammates in the short time he was under center versus the Razorbacks.

Preseason second-team All-SEC center Trey Hill surprised with multiple bad snaps, plus the Bulldogs totaled 11 penalties for 98 yards in the first half.

Former Georgia quarterback, now CBS Sports college football analyst Aaron Murray believes Mathis was fighting from behind even before the first snap.

“To be able to master a playbook, and then to get the timing down with your receivers and running backs and the communication with your offensive line. It takes a lot of time. I don’t think he has had a lot of time to do that. So, I think expectations were high, but obviously it comes with the position here be a starting quarterback and Georgia. People expect a certain level of play. I just think those expectations were unrealistic.”

Georgia was forced to scramble to find a signal-caller just a few weeks before the season after Wake Forest transfer quarterback Jamie Newman, the projected starter and Heisman Trophy hopeful, decided to opt-out of the 2020 football season because of Covid-19 related concerns.

The Bulldogs’ decision then was between Mathis, Bennett and redshirt sophomore, USC transfer J.T. Daniels, the only current Georgia quarterback with Power 5 experience.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart expected Daniels to be cleared by gametime last week, but after traveling with the team to Fayetteville, Daniels was still not cleared for gameplay, throwing Mathis into the starting role at-least for week-one.

“The cards were stacked against him (Mathis). He hasn’t played football in a while, didn’t have spring, wasn’t a starter and really had limited reps in the offense or in fall camp. So to me, hen is someone that I wish they would have given at least the first half, get through the first quarter, you know, make a couple of mistakes, and then see how he rebounds, especially mentally and how he can handle it and then go from there.”

Smart announced on Monday that Daniels is now cleared for gameplay and Murray believes his experience at USC in 2018 can set him apart from Mathis and Bennett moving forward.

“He (Daniels) was an 18 year old kid playing college football at USC, and I thought he did pretty good for being a young pup playing out there. Start the season off strong through the first half of last season in that first game. And then obviously, the ACL injury happened. He is a big kid, he has a good arm, he’s played football.”

Bennett, a former JUCO star at Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Mississippi, came in for Mathis and showed promise, throwing for 211 yards on 20/29 passing with two touchdowns and a two point conversion run.

“I do think Stetson came in and played really well. I mean, it’s another guy who probably had absolutely no opportunity with the ones at all during fall camp to get the reps and get the timing with those guys. So, the fact that he was able to go 20/29, get a couple touchdowns take care of the football was was really darn impressive to watch. And I think he’s someone that’s going to take care of the football, he’s going to be accurate, he’s played, he just looked like he was more comfortable out there”

The defense’s three interceptions, one for a pick-six, and safety were a large part of the Bulldogs’ resurgence from a abismal first half, but Bennett’s poise helped Georgia find at least some identity in its season opener.

This weeks matchup with No. 7 Auburn will be much more difficult for the Bulldogs. The Tigers come to Athens off of a 29-13 win versus Kentucky where sophomore quarterback Bo Nix threw for 233 yards on 16/27 passing with three touchdowns and led team in rushing with five carries for 34 yards.

Auburn’s defense is as talented as always. The Tigers defensive front is led by defensive end Big Kat Bryant and at linebacker, senior K.J. Britt, who had 11 tackles versus Kentucky and is always around the ball. And in the secondary, the Tigers are lead by junior cornerback Roger McCreary, one of the best lock-down corners in the SEC.

The question remaining is,  how does Georgia come away with a win versus a top-10 Auburn team without a solidified starter at quarterback?

“Just lean on the defense, that’s all I got to say. People just want points, points, points. We want 4,050 points a game. Screw that man, just win. I just think that’s the issue right now – everyone wants these these explosive offenses. Everyone wants to go be entertained with high scoring games, just just be grateful that you’re winning ballgames. Be grateful that we won a road game against an SEC opponent, and we covered the spread.”

Listen to our full interview, including an Auburn preview, with the SEC’s all-time leading passer here:

 

 

Georgia vs Auburn: Previewing The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry

Georgia football has a big game this weekend: UGA vs Auburn. Here’s a preview of the 2020 edition of The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.

The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, Georgia versus Auburn, comes early this year with the SEC’s conference-only schedule.

And it’s a matchup of two top-10 programs – Georgia comes in ranked No. 4 after a 37-10 win versus Arkansas in Fayetteville and Auburn sits at No. 7 after a 29-13 win versus Kentucky.

The biggest question once again for the Bulldogs is who will start at quarterback?

USC transfer J.T. Daniels was cleared Monday after missing 2019 with an ACL tear, so we may finally get to see what Daniels can do under center for Georgia on Saturday.

If Daniels doesn’t get the start, we will either see junior Stetson Bennett or redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis.

Mathis started the game at Arkansas but was quickly relieved of duties just five drives. Bennett, who went 20/29 for 211 yards and two touchdowns, replaced him and led Georgia back from a 5-point deficit.

Hear what former Georgia quarterback, CBS Sports analyst Aaron Murray thinks about the Bulldogs’ quarterbacks here:

Regardless of who winds up at quarterback, Georgia will have its hands full with a loaded Auburn team.

The Tigers are led by sophomore quarterback Bo Nix, who was responsible for most of Auburn’s offense versus Kentucky.

He threw for 233 yards on 16/27 passing with 3 touchdowns and led team in rushing with five carries for 34 yards.

Nix didn’t get much help from the Tigers’ backfield, but he did establish a connection with junior receiver Seth Williams, who went off with six receptions for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns.

They will face a Georgia secondary coming off of a three interception performance versus the Razorbacks, returning one for a touchdown and adding a couple of passes defended.

Preseason All-American safety Richard LeCounte had two of those picks and looks like the unquestioned leader of the 2020 Bulldogs defense, who’s depth and talent across the board is among the best in the nation.

The Bulldogs have big junior tackle Jordan Davis in the middle of its defensive front and senior defensive end Malik Herring setting the edge with star linebackers Nolan Smith and Azeez Ojulari cleaning up. And don’t forget about senior linebacker Monte Rice at the mike linebacker spot.

With the current quarterback mess, Georgia will have to lean on these talented guys on the Bulldog defense to get a win versus a tough Auburn team, but Auburn coach Gus Malzahn always seems to have issues scoring versus Georgia coach Kirby Smart’s defenses, so look for a low scoring punt-fest this Saturday.

What Auburn football media is saying about Georgia ahead of Saturday’s matchup

No. 4 Georgia takes on No. 7 Auburn Saturday at 7:30 p.m., see what Auburn media is saying about the Bulldogs here.

The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry is here a bit early.

Because of the SEC-only schedule this season amid the Covid-19 pandemic, No. 4 Georgia and No. 7 Auburn matchup in just their second games of the season.

Once again we are in the dark about who will start at quarterback for the Bulldogs.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart and staff elected to start redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis against Arkansas, and then abruptly pulled him after only five drives for junior Stetson Bennett.

Bennett played well, using his championship run experience at Jones County Junior College in 2018 to lead the Bulldogs back from a 5-point deficit to beat Arkansas 37-10.

There was a chance we would see USC transfer J.T. Daniels if he was cleared from an ACL tear from 2019, but he wasn’t cleared before kickoff like Smart hoped.

Then, on Monday, Smart announced that Daniels had been cleared for gameplay and now the Bulldogs once again must make a decision on who will start at signal caller.

Here is what the Auburn media is saying about Georgia and its quarterback situation:

“A defense that led the nation in points allowed last year (12.6 per game) and rushing defense (75 yards per game), the Georgia Bulldogs bring back plenty of talent from that 2019 group led by a deep and talented front seven along with a secondary that has one of the best college football players in the country in senior safety Richard LeCounte.”

“We recruit the state; I think a third of our team is from the state of Georgia,” Malzahn said. “You can look at it since I’ve been at Auburn, it’s always been very, very important and the winner’s usually gone on to do really well. It’s a big one.”

“Smart has had to worry about his own quarterback situation this week after redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis started but struggled against the Razorbacks and junior Stetson Bennett entered the game in relief. The availability of Daniels, a former five-star recruit, has muddied the picture going into Saturday’s game, and Smart has been hesitant to tip his hand one way or the other.”

“No. 7 Auburn at No. 4 Georgia (-6.5): The wrong team is favored here. I don’t buy that JT Daniels is 100% following his knee injury last season or that he has the same ceiling as he did prior to it. Whether it’s Daniels or Stetson Bennett IV, Auburn’s defense won’t be threatened by an offense that struggled to find its sea legs. Auburn has its work cut out for it on offense, though. Quarterback Bo Nix looked better after some halftime adjustments last week, and there’s no doubt that coach Gus Malzahn and offensive coordinator Chad Morris held back much of the offense against Kentucky. Take those points, but you won’t need them. Auburn will win this game outright. Pick: Auburn (+6.5)”

 

 

UGA football player card: QB Stetson Bennett

Georgia Bulldogs junior quarterback Stetson Bennett transferred to UGA from Jones County Junior College.

Stetson Bennett, Quarterback (#13):

Class: Junior

Height: 5-11

Weight: 190 pounds

Hometown: Blackshear, Georgia

High School: Pierce County High School

Georgia Bulldogs junior quarterback Stetson Bennett was Georgia’s primary back-up behind current Buffalo Bills QB Jake Fromm in 2019. Bennett played in five games last season.

He threw for 260 yards completing 20/27 of his passing attempts. Bennett also passed for a pair of touchdowns and one interception. He rushed for twelve yards and scored one rushing touchdown.

Bennett is projected to be the back-up behind Jamie Newman in 2020 and will compete with D’Wan Mathis, and Carson Beck. Bennett has the most experience in UGA’s system, but lacks the physical talent that Mathis, Beck, and Newman all have.

Bennett came to Athens as a lightly recruited three-star prospect. He redshirted in 2017, while playing scout team quarterback. He then transferred to Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Mississippi. He helped Jones County win their conference, scoring 20 total TDs and accumulating almost 2,000 total yards in the process.

Following his junior college season, Bennett transferred back to the University of Georgia and enrolled for the spring semester of 2019.

Jones quarterback Stetson Bennett (5) runs the ball against East Mississippi during MACJC Championship Game action held Saturday November 10th, 2018 in Ellisville, Mississippi.(Photo/Bob Smith-For the Clarion Ledger)

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