I know what you’re thinking.

Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett IV, who we (meaning I) thought reached his ceiling last year, stepped in on Saturday against UAB in the Bulldogs’ home opener and had an absolutely other-worldly performance. As in 5 touchdowns, tying a single-game program record.

He certainly proved me wrong, that’s for sure.

And many others as well, including those who booed when he was announced as the starter and not redshirt freshman Carson Beck. And still others on social media.

I guess Kirby Smart knows what he’s doing after all, huh? Bennett’s day ended in the 3rd quarter but not before making Dawgs fans eat their words.

First of all, no, there’s no quarterback controversy. JT Daniels is the starting quarterback until proven otherwise.

Second of all, the skeptics will immediately point out that “it was only UAB.” And they have a point.

Yes, it was an opponent from Conference-USA, and Georgia should win games like this handily. I suppose that’s mostly what motivated Smart to go with Bennett: considering the flaws that the former walk-on had demonstrated during his spell as a starter last year, it was a fairly low-risk proposition compared with taking on a Florida or Alabama, for example.

On the other hand, the Blazers, resurrected in 2017 and led by Bill Clark, aren’t a slouch by any stretch.

This was a 6-3 football team a year ago, the defending C-USA champs that had a bowl game against South Carolina canceled. UAB has talent and returned many of its key players from 2020.

So let’s give some credit to Bennett and the Bulldogs’ offense. Both points don’t need to be mutually exclusive.

And while the gulf in talent between the teams is wide, if Clark would have had a do-over, there’s a good chance his team could have been able to keep it within a few more touchdowns. The message in the Blazers’ locker room almost certainly centered the number of mistakes they made that helped Georgia roll up the points.

But let’s talk about this offense, that, without its starting quarterback and with a few other key players still banged up, lit up the scoreboard. Either way, it looked much stouter than it did against Clemson a week ago, and the onus is on Daniels to not exactly replicate what Bennett did, but make his own mark and play to his strengths.

I’ve repeatedly mentioned the favorability of the Dawgs’ schedule, and with a very winnable contest against South Carolina up next, followed by a trip to Vanderbilt and a home date against Arkansas, it’s an opportunity to iron out some of the wrinkles and get healthy before things get a little tougher.

That said, wins aren’t guaranteed in this sport. Just ask No. 8 Notre Dame, which was pushed to the limit in South Bend against Toledo. Heck, Florida State just lost to Jacksonville State. Arkansas? All it did on Saturday was earn a signature win for Sam Pittman against No. 15 Texas in Fayetteville.

If there’s one thing I noted during Georgia’s game — at least early on — it’s that the running game took a little bit to get going. Credit the coaches for making adjustments, though, as the Dawgs eventually finished with 163 yards on 38 carries.

And, as usual, the defense kept up its end of the bargain, allowing just 178 yards. Much of that was with the game well in hand. If you’re counting, that’s 3 points allowed by the defense in the early stages of the season. (UAB’s only points came on a pick-6.) Kelee Ringo made a perfect adjustment on his man for his first career interception, while Jamon Dumas-Johnson wrapped up the Georgia scoring with a house call to make it 56-0.

Let’s appreciate, then, the fact that the Bulldogs did exactly what they were supposed to do: beat a team it very well should have beaten in preparation for when the road gets tougher later in the season. And let’s also appreciate that Bennett treated us all to one of the most memorable performances by a Georgia football quarterback in a long time.