Bennett Holds the Confidence of Georgia's Coaching Staff

What a season it's been for Georgia at the quarterback position. JT Daniels came into the season the unquestioned starter before starting in three of the first four games for Georgia and never regaining his job after his replacement Stetson Bennett won the job in his absence due to two injuries.

Georgia would then finish with a 12-0 regular-season record, the first time in nearly four decades that Georgia finished the regular season unbeaten, and to top that off with a consensus number one ranking in every poll was historic. Then, all that was left to do was beat then-No. 3 Alabama in Atlanta for the SEC Championship before moving onto the College Football Playoffs.

Many believed it was the year for Georgia, where they would finally get over the proverbial hump of Alabama and win the program's first national championship since 1980. But, as we all know, December 4th, 2021, was not that day for Georgia.

The Crimson Tide rolled past Georgia yet again, beating Georgia 41-24 in the process off the back of a Heisman clinching performance from quarterback Bryce Young. The Alabama starter threw for 421 yards and three touchdowns, completing 26 of 44 passes versus a Georgia defense that hadn't surrendered more than 17 points in a game to that point.

Instantly many knew that the wrath of a reaction that would come in the days and weeks ahead would be aimed at Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett and head coach Kirby Smart. But, right or wrong, the formula for beating Alabama is not giving up over 500 total yards and 40+ points, at least not with Georgia's current offense.

Bennett showed a lot of maturity and growth in this most recent loss to Alabama. The Blackshear, Georgia, native threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns with two costly second-half interceptions. However, the key stat to look at in the box score for Bennett is not the interceptions. Rather, it is the fact he threw 48 passes.

Both Bennett and Georgia's staff as a whole know exactly what led to the loss versus Alabama and, in their eyes, still hold confidence in their decision to start Stetson Bennett over former starter JT Daniels.

For the first time all year, Todd Monken spoke to the media, albeit via Zoom; due to the COVID-19 protocols being put into place for the College Football Playoffs this year, Monken gave the same "company line" response as Kirby Smart did all season long when asked about who will start at quarterback.

"First off, the reason Stetson Bennett plays is we think he gives us the best chance to win. Without getting into too much detail, we think he gives us the best chance to win, and that's really the end of that question."

Monken even took his response to the multitude of questions regarding the play of Stetson Bennett a step further by saying he believes that Bennett is a national championship-caliber quarterback for Georgia.

"There's no doubt in my mind we can win the National Championship, and we have -- there's no doubt in my mind we can win it with Stetson Bennett. There's no question."

These latest comments from Monken make it crystal clear that, as of right now, Stetson Bennett holds the confidence of not only Kirby Smart but the coaching staff as a whole, as Georgia is just days away from playing No. 2 Michigan in the CFP Semifinal on Friday.

You Might Also Like:

Join the community

Follow Brooks Austin on Twitter: @BrooksAustinSI

Subscribe to our YouTube Page HERE

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @BulldogMaven & follow us on Twitter at @BulldogsSI.