Can Stetson Bennett Make One Last Push at Georgia History?
It was a bit surprising when Stetson Bennett announced his decision to return to the University of Georgia for one more season. Why not just end it as a national champion and why risk diminishing an already incredible legacy and story? With the 2022 college football season nearing its final days, Bennett's decision is now seen as one of the best choices he could ever have made.
13 wins later, a conference title, the No. 1 spot in the college football playoff and a Heisman finalist, Bennett's impression on the University of Georgia only continues to grow. While winning a national championship is the main priority for both Bennett and the Bulldogs, being in the playoffs also gives him one last chance to make a push at etching his name at the top of the Georgia football history books.
So far this season, Bennett has thrown for 3,425 yards and 20 touchdowns. That puts him 563 yards past the season total mark from a season ago and in one less game. It also has him listed fourth on the all-time single-season passing yards list in Georgia history and with one guaranteed game left and potentially two, Bennett has a shot at pushing his name all the way to the top of that list.
The current leader is Aaron Murray who threw for 3,893 yards in 2012 which leaves Bennett 468 yards away from hitting that mark. While it is unlikely that Bennett would be able to break Murray's record in just one game considering he has never thrown for over 400 yards in a game, another national championship game appearance could help him surpass Murray on the list.
If Georgia were to make the national championship, Bennet would need to average 234 yards in both playoff games for him to become the new number one on the list. This a very plausible number for Bennett considering he is averaging 263 passing yards per game and has passed that number in 10 out of 13 games this season.
Bennett has exceeded all possible expectations during his final season at Georgia. Sure a shot at winning another national championship always seemed to be within striking distance, but becoming a Heisman finalist and putting up the numbers that he has this season has been a very pleasant surprise for Georgia fans.
Regardless of what this season had in store for Bennett, he would always be remembered for his relentless perseverance. A season like Georgia had a season ago never gets forgotten. But now he gets to end his career as arguably one of the greatest ever to do it in program history and might even add a second national title to his list of accolades.
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