The Mailman Delivers
We knew exactly what the defense was going to be, returning 8 of 11 starters from the No. 1 scoring defense in the nation in 2019. What we didn't know, how would this offense fare under new OC Todd Monken and who would be under center. As we predicted, D'Wan Mathis took the first snap.
In the opening drive, Mathis looked solid with a few well thrown balls and some great runs but it all came crumbling down after a huge hit on the boundary by Arkansas' Bumper Pool. (Yes, that's really his name). After that hit, he was clearly shaken, even choosing to run out of bounds early instead of extending for a first down on the following drive. In comes Bennett.
The Dawgs went into the half looking absolutely hopeless on offense down (5-7). People would pay large sums of money to find out what Kirby said in that locker room because an entirely different team walked back out onto the field led by Stetson Bennett IV. He was on fire, going 20/29 with 211 yards and 2 TDs. He even made some incredible escapes from the pocket and rushed for an additional 20 yards. So what made the difference? Timing.
Bennett got the ball out of his hands, something Mathis was just failing to do. He held onto the ball way too long whereas Bennett was making quick decisions and quick releases. With how well he played, it will be interesting to see what happens when JT Daniels is likely medically cleared this week as the Dawgs prepare for Auburn in Week 2.
Again, the defense did exactly what we expected and special teams was an absolute delight with some booming punts from Camarda as well as a few great returns from Kearis Jackson and Tyrique Stevenson. But the unlikely hero of the day, Athens' own, The Mail Man.
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