Georgia Names Stetson Bennett Starting Quarterback Vs. Florida Gators

A starting quarterback has been named. No, not by the Gators.

On Friday evening, the Georgia Bulldogs announced that they would be sticking with Stetson Bennett at starting quarterback for Saturday’s bout with Florida, Matt Zenitz of On3Sports reports.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Dawgs Daily, first-team reps were split evenly in practice this week between Bennett and JT Daniels until Thursday. From that point on, reps shifted in Bennett’s favor. Now he gets the green light as QB1.

Thrust into the lineup when Daniels went down with a lat injury in late September — and has been sidelined since — Bennett has shown significant development from last season to lead Georgia’s offense to 269 yards and nearly 39 points per game this year.

Accounting for 1,144 total yards, 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions, Bennett has been an efficient complement to the nation’s top-rated defense.

While he doesn’t possess the talent of Daniels as a passer, Bennett’s versatility rushing the football adds another dimension to the Dawgs offense. As a result, their already strong rushing attack — highlighted by Zamir “Zeus” White and James Cook — is strengthened with him in the game.

His prowess to tuck the ball and scamper for positive gains forces defenses to always account for him, so he can’t extend drives with his legs.

Last year, Bennett was stifled by the Gators’ defense, posting just 78 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 5-for-16 passing. He was benched in favor of backup D’Wan Mathis for the second half, and the Bulldogs fell to the Gators 44-28 despite a 14-0 lead just four minutes into the game.

Todd Grantham’s unit hopes to have similar success against the walk-on in 2021.

Stay tuned to AllGators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @SI_AllGators on Twitter and Florida Gators on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.