JT Daniels time? Kirby Smart updates Georgia’s QB situation ahead of Auburn game
By Keith Farner
Published:
Georgia coach Kirby Smart proactively addressed the quarterback situation on Monday as the Bulldogs prepare to take on Auburn in Athens on Saturday.
Smart said that JT Daniels will be cleared to play this week, but he’s not sure how much that changes the predicament. On the latest depth chart, all four QBs were listed as “or.” D’Wan Mathis started, but struggled in the win at Arkansas, while Stetson Bennett IV relieved him, and Carson Beck is also in the mix.
Daniels is working to get the medical clearance through a series of tests around his knee following an injury suffered last year at Southern Cal.
“We’re going to continue to work with all the guys we’ve got to put the best guy in there that gives us the best opportunity to win the football games,” Smart said. “D’Wan did not play as bad as it seemed to some. I thought he did some good things watching the tape, and he had some unfortunate bad breaks to happen while he was in at quarterback. JT will be cleared, but I don’t know how much that changes the picture in terms of reps and development. … We always thought he’d be cleared by this time anyway.”
Doing those workouts in a game-like and practice-like situation is not easy.
“I thought Stetson did a good job when he came in, he’s played a lot of football,” Smart said. “He had a lot of composure, he handled the pocket well, he handled the protections well. Stetson has seen a lot of football in his time. The stuff he sees from our defense day in day out, taking all the reps last year, he’s very calm and posted, and D’Wan did a lot of good things, guys. It’s not his fault a play got called back for holding. It’s not his fall a guy missed a pickup on third down and he almost turned that into a first down. So he did a lot of good things early on there, and we just never could put good things back to back. Every drive he had came to a stop for some reason or another.”
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
