Somewhat lost amid the Stetson Bennett grass stains and the smothering defense for Georgia on Saturday was the fact that offensive coordinator Todd Monken helped the Bulldogs find a new gear.

A program known for its run-the-ball reputation turned in the best rushing effort of the season. For just the 3rd time this season, Georgia had more than 40 running plays, with 41 for 274 yards and a season-high 6.68 yards per carry. Monken has stated his case as the best Georgia offensive coordinator at least since the early days of the Mark Richt era, and the hand-off to Mike Bobo, but a legitimate case could be made that Monken is the best OC in program history.

The reason it reflects on Monken is it wasn’t until this game, in Week 11, that Georgia felt comfortable to stick with its former backup quarterback. There’s no superstar on the offense, and most of the key players are down the list among SEC leaders individually.

Georgia ran the second-most plays it has had all season (70), and built off that solid rushing attack with a 6.96-yard average overall. The season average is 6.9, which checks in at No. 8 in America.

“I don’t know how to really quantify taking what they give you, but if they give you something, I’ll take it,” Stetson Bennett said.

What Bennett’s touchdown run revealed is his decision-making to improvise when needed — and being comfortable with it. Ad-lib running is one of Bennett’s unique traits, and the primary thing that separates him from JT Daniels. The ability to do that at the very least keeps a defense honest, and may even cause hesitation or caution in the linebacking corps to protect against a freelanced running play.

That’s a primary reason Georgia is tied for No. 2 in the country in sacks allowed at 7 this season. Without Bennett’s running ability, the story of him being arguably the best quarterback in Georgia history is never told. A 5-11 and 190-pound quarterback does not lead the top-ranked and undefeated team in the country with that frame alone.

Georgia, through Monken, has built and added on to the offense to feature more packaged runs where Bennett can make a read and decision. But it doesn’t do the offense any good if the QB isn’t a legitimate threat for the defense. Bennett has simply made defenses pay for chasing a running back.

What Bennett didn’t speak to was that Tennessee yielded big time to avoid the deep-threat damage Georgia used to exploit the Missouri defense the week before. Bennett found openings in the short to medium distance, and when needed, scampered for green grass, as he put it.

It is easy to overlook, or forget, the kind of talent missing from the Georgia offense that was projected to be there to begin the spring. What Monken has done is find wrinkles and elements, and the Tennessee game proved that the red zone offense can improve.

As one of the few blemishes for the No. 1 team, Georgia converted 3-of-4 chances in the red zone for touchdowns and upped the season average to 58%.

Much was made before the game about Tennessee’s offense offering a blueprint for Georgia’s defense, but what Monken proved again was the versatility — a very underrated aspect — of the Georgia offense.