For Georgia Bulldogs QB Stetson Bennett Some Trophies Are Better Than Others
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NEW YORK CITY - Georgia Bulldogs QB Stetson Bennett, who is here in New York as a Heisman Trophy Finalist knows exactly when his teammates were set to practice Friday.
It was at 3 PM. Bennett said he wishes he could have been there. Bennett talked about watching Johnny Manziel, who won this award a decade ago, the Peach Bowl matchup with Ohio State and overcoming tons of odds to get where he is today.
He also talked about losing the staring job at Georgia in 2020 - and how he felt at the time.
“Coach Smart delivered that one,” Bennett said. “He was very nice about it. I got hurt in the Florida game, and eventually pulled. Then I could see it. I really didn’t understand it in the moment.”
Georgia’s 2020, which was a roller coaster to start with, was going sideways quick in Jacksonville. The Dawgs played two quarterbacks - neither played particularly well - and were smothered by a Gator bunch that fizzled down the stretch.
But the message had to be delivered to Bennett - it was time for a change.
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"He came in, and he was real nice. He told me: ‘We are going to go with J.T. (Daniels) this week, and we will see how this goes,’” Bennett recalled.
It went well - nearly legendary in fact. Georgia exploded on offense. We had not seen that sort of firepower from Georgia’s passing game since Aaron Murray left Sanford Stadium hurt in 2013. Georgia’s limited student section chanted Daniels’ name as the final moments clicked off the clock in Georgia’s 31-24 win over Mississippi State. The USC transfer was the third quarterback to start for the Dawgs in 2020 - it looked like he would be the only one to start that season and in 2021.
“Freaking JT went and three for four hundred (yards),” Bennett said with a laugh. “I was like: Alright dude. You couldn’t give me a shot?’”
Stetson had a shot - he wasn’t guaranteed another one.
"I was like: ‘That’s what happens.’ At that moment I wasn’t… I saw that… We’ve lost two games. That doesn’t happen here.”
Not any more. Bennett gave way to Daniels, and then Daniels gave way to Bennett. Georgia has gone 31-1 since the last Saturday before Thanksgiving in 2020.
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Here at the Crossroads of the World it is unlikely many people know who Stetson Bennett IV is. Few people think he’s going to win the Heisman Trophy. You can tell he’s already thinking about what he’s got in front of him at the Peach Bowl.
No, it is unlikely Bennett will posed for photos with the iconic trophy Saturday night. But the oddsmakers say his team could hoist another trophy - this one gold and sliver and one he’s already kissed.
In one month, Bennett can do what few starting quarterbacks in college football history have done - win multiple national titles. Some trophies are better than others.