Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart on Why Stetson Bennett Started and J.T. Daniels Didn't
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ATHENS - By the time former Georgia Bulldogs QB J.T. Daniels was healthy, Stetson Bennett had “won the job” Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart told reporters.
Bennett has had the job since Daniels left the Vanderbilt game injured - something Smart relieved publicly for the first time at Media Days. After a handoff to Ladd McConkey that resulted in a touchdown, Daniels didn’t play a significant snap for the remainder of 2021.
“(Daniels) went out and started, and he threw three touchdowns really fast,” Kirby said. “And his injury - his rib and his side - was bothering him. And we had to pull him in that game. It wasn’t: ‘Oh, we're going to take him out because we're winning.’ It was because he was injured. And, by the time that he was not injured and able to go, we felt like Stetson had won the job.”
Daniels came into the 2021 season after a string of victories late in 2020 - including a come-from-behind win over top-ten Cincinnati in the Peach Bowl. But he started the year limited because of injury.
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In Georgia’s 10-3 win over No. 3 Clemson Daniels didn’t attempt long-distance throws. He had a rib protector below his shoulder pads. Seven days after that win, Bennett and the Dawgs zoomed past UAB. Daniels returned for the South Carolina game, and shared first-half snaps with Bennett in that blowout win.
Then came the Vanderbilt win, and Bennett’s start against No. 8 Arkansas in early October. The Blackshear native never looked back - winning eight games in a row before the 41-24 loss to No. 4 Alabama in Atlanta.
“(Bennett) gives us the best chance to win the next game, and as long as he was the best one to win the next game, he was going to be the one out there,” Kirby said reflecting on staying with Bennett during the 2021 season. “There was thought among the staff that (Bennett) was the best guy at the beginning of the season. There were opinions that felt that way. It was not a consensus (that Daniels should start).”
In getting ready for the Orange Bowl matchup with No. 2 Michigan, UGA offensive coordinator Todd Monken was firm about where he stood with his quarterbacks at the time.
“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,” he said.
Bennett blistered the Wolverines - going 20 of 30 for 313 yards with three touchdowns and 32 yards rushing - to earn MVP honors in South Florida. The game set up another clash with the Tide.
Looking back, Kirby said at Media Days that the decision to go with Bennett during the season, and the playoff run, was a simple one
“You want to go with the guy that gives you the best chance to win the game. We weren't trying to win just those games at that time — we were trying to win every game,” he said. “So you have to be able to look outside of who we have to play and who we have to beat. Who gives us the best chance to do that? And we ultimately felt like it was Stetson that gave us the best chance to do that."