Kirby Smart dishes out high praise after Stetson Bennett's performance

Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett heard all the noise.

Bennett, a former walk-on from Blackshear, Georgia, took the reins as Georgia’s starter early this season while JT Daniels, the Bulldogs’ routine starter, nursed a lat injury. Bennett never gave up his starting spot, and he guided Georgia’s offense to a perfect regular season, including an SEC regular-season crown. However, Bennett was unable to get the job done against Alabama in the SEC Championship, throwing for 340 yards and three touchdowns but adding two crucial interceptions. After his SEC Championship loss, Bennett had his fair share of skeptics heading into the Orange Bowl matchup against No. 2 Michigan.

He put those concerns to bed early in Friday night’s contest, as Georgia routed Michigan, 34-11, behind Bennett’s 20-of-30 performance, good for 313 yards and three touchdowns.

“I thought he performed at a really high level today,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said after the win. “He’s been really focused the last couple weeks. I think it’s amazing to have a guy his age block out all the noise and just focus harder. It’s almost like every time he hears noise he just focuses harder on the game plan and what he has to do to execute. You look at some plays he made out there with his feet, they couldn’t account for his mobility and some of the plays he made with his feet, and just really proud of the way he prepped for this game.”

Bennett is a far more mobile option than Daniels, and he typically extends plays with his athleticism despite pressure from opposing defense. Last night, Bennett rushed for 32 yards on three carries and in several instances bought extra time in the backfield before finding an open receiver.

“Yeah, like Coach Smart said, this game is all about how well you play,” Bennett said. “There’s really nothing – I didn’t go out there and play well today in spite of people. I came out there and played well and worked hard throughout the few weeks we had off because my teammates needed me to do that, and we needed that to win.”

Now, Bennett has finally proven himself as Georgia’s starting quarterback. Up next, however, he’ll have a rematch with the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide in the national title game, the same team that gave him fits on Dec. 4. Bennett won’t be trying to make a statement of any sort; he’ll just be sticking to his guns.

“So as far as a statement, that’s my goal every week is to play that well,” Bennett said.