Kirby Smart reveals why he stuck with Stetson Bennett over JT Daniels

Georgia football coach Kirby Smart knew the questions about Stetson Bennett were coming. Smart made the decision to start Bennett over a healthy JT Daniels on Saturday against Florida.

Bennett, who had started the past three games against Arkansas, Auburn and Kentucky with Daniels injured, finished with 161 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

“Probably the biggest thing was continuity,” Smart explained. “Stetson has done a really great job. The next biggest thig was JT has not been in practice as much as Stetson. So went went with the guy that has been practicing the most and been out there the most. JT felt good last week and took quite a few reps this week. But at the end of the day, we went with the guy who had the most continuity and we though we’re playing well with him.”

Daniels has been dealing with a lat injury that has kept him out since Sept. 25 against Vanderbilt. Smart acknowledged that though the injury is slowly getting better, Daniels has not gotten as much practice time as the Bulldogs would like.

“We felt like he could play if he needed to,” the coach said. “He practiced well and didn’t feel like he had much pain. Again, we went with the decision of continuity. JT has not really been able to practice. He took a few reps last week and he took more reps this week. When you go three weeks without taking reps, it’s hard to do. We have two really good quarterbacks and I’m really pleased with both guys. I’m pleased with the way JT handled things today. He was over there helping Stetson the entire time.”

Following a disappointing performance against the Gators, it will be interesting to see if Kirby Smart continues to stick with Stetson Bennett. If Daniels can continue to improve in practice, could we see him take over again?

No matter who ends up as the starter next week against Missouri, the Bulldogs will be the clear favorite thanks to a historically good defense. They rank No. 1 in the country in points allowed, giving up less than a touchdown per game on average.