Kirby Smart discusses Georgia's rout of UAB, decision to start Stetson Bennett
When JT Daniels suffered an oblique injury, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart had an important decision to make: Who should start at quarterback for Saturday’s home opener against UAB?
Smart’s choices were redshirt senior Stetson Bennett, who began the 2020 season as the Bulldogs’ starter, or redshirt freshman Carson Beck, who had never thrown a college pass. And even though Smart said Beck was the No. 2 QB earlier in the week, he went with the experienced Bennett instead.
It was a decision that panned out, considering Bennett matched a school record by throwing 5 touchdowns (all in the first half) in a 56-7 win over the Blazers. After the game, Smart explained to the media why he went with Bennett over Beck for the start:
Kirby Smart on why starting Stetson Bennett over Carson Beck:
“We’re really young offensively, a lot of receivers out," Smart said. "We thought it would give us a calming effect to have him in. His experience, and his ability to play in games.”
— Seth Emerson (@SethWEmerson) September 11, 2021
It was a choice that helped Georgia begin the season 2-0. And while this game wasn’t as challenging as the Bulldogs’ Week 1 matchup — a 10-3 win over Clemson — it was still a chance for them to show exactly why they’re the No. 2 team in the country.
Here’s more of what Smart said to the media after the latest victory:
Kirby Smart: "Our team started fast today and that's what we challenged them to do."
— Anthony Dasher (@AnthonyDasher1) September 11, 2021
Kirby Smart: "Nobody has ever been better to the University of Georgia than Stetson Bennett."
— Lance McCurley (@lancemccurley) September 11, 2021
Kirby Smart starts his press conference by thanking the fans as well as all the men and women who served the country during 9-11. "That moment always sticks with me."
— Anthony Dasher (@AnthonyDasher1) September 11, 2021
Kirby Smart: "I'm really confident in our quarterback room."
— Anthony Dasher (@AnthonyDasher1) September 11, 2021
KIRBY: There is no situation where JT was 100%. He was not 100%. 100% – that wasn't the case.
— DawgPost (@Dawg_Post) September 11, 2021
KIRBY: I didn't have many conversations with Stetson. I don't spend a lot of time in there (with the QBs). We told the QBs exactly we were going to do, and we do that based on the way they would practice.
— DawgPost (@Dawg_Post) September 11, 2021