Kirby Smart 'appreciative' of Stetson Bennett's legacy at Georgia

Kirby Smart and Stetson Bennett will be forever intertwined at Georgia.

The duo ended the lengthy title drought for the Bulldogs, and have them back looking for a second in two seasons. Ahead of the showdown against TCU on Monday, Smart took a moment to appreciate what Bennett’s legacy will be in Athens.

“I got a long story to tell you, I can assure you that. You think about the things he and I have been through, decisions made. I mean, from the recruitment process to his official visit to what will happen Monday night. I mean, where to begin?” stated Smart. “It will be a long round of golf because there’s a lot of history there for he and I.

“I’m just appreciative of the way he’s handled everything and really what he stands for.”

Who knows what Stetson Bennett’s NFL career will look like, but he’ll always be beloved at Georgia. Heck, Hollywood may want their hands on his story eventually.

At the least, he’ll never have to buy a beer in Athens again.

Kirby Smart compares Stetson Bennett’s approach in fourth quarter comeback to famous movie

Continuing, there are very few words or things to describe Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett leading the team on a huge fourth quarter comeback to win the Peach Bowl and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff National Championship. However, Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart found a comparison for his quarterback.

After their victory, Smart compared Bennett’s approach in the fourth quarter comeback to a famous movie.

“Did you ever see the movie Cool Hand Luke? The guy has no conscience,” said Smart. “He makes a mistake, makes a poor play; he wipes it off, and he comes right back.

“These players believe in him, and I believe in him. Our defense believes in him, and he keeps making us believers.

Alas, Ohio State took a 38-24 lead into the fourth quarter and looked to be in full control of the game, but that was nowhere near the case as Bennett led the Bulldogs on three great scoring possessions in the quarter. The first was a 31-yard field goal. That was followed by a 76-yard touchdown pass to Arian Smith, topped off with a two-point conversion.

Stetson Bennett finished the game with 398 passing yards, completing 23 of his 34 pass attempts, three touchdown passes, one interception, and a rushing touchdown.

On3’s Justin Rudolph contributed to this article.