Stetson Bennett goes in depth on his mindset going against a Dan Lanning-led defense

Stetson Bennett knows Dan Lanning’s defense all too well. It’s the defense that he practiced against everyday and eventually helped him win a national championship. It’s also the same defense Bennett willl face in Georgia’s opener against Oregon this weekend with Lanning now the head coach of the Ducks.

When he met with the media on Monday, Bennett says he and his offense can’t read too much into their familiarity with Lanning. They don’t know for certain what he’s going to throw at them this weekend. All they can do is lock in on their game plan and execute it the best they can.

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“I guess he’s probably more familiar with the way we go about day-to-day things than any other DC that we’ll face this year. I could be wrong but we can’t let that affect (us) too much,” said Bennett. “Either way, we could overreact because we think that he thinks this. Or we could think we know what he’s doing and overreact. At the end of the day, you gotta be able to block counter and you gotta be able to fill counter. So that’s what we’re going to work on.”

Bennett says it’s been hard to prepare for Oregon’s defense considering all the changes in their program. Lanning, his new transfers, and the Ducks who remained have created a completely new blend of a defense. Nonetheless, Bennett says he and his team are prepared for the challenge. He say he’s especially ready to face a new opponent besides his own defense.

“They’ve got a few transfer guys. It’s weird watching four different teams play football to prepare for one because the year is always different and with new guy(s). (We’re) watching a lot of different stuff,” Bennett said. “I’m excited to get out there and play somebody other than No. 5 on our team.”

No opposing coach or coordinator will have an advantage over their opponent all season like the one Dan Lanning will have this weekend. Even so, neither side can overreact. They’re all aware of the familiarity and believing it’ll be a factor could be costly for both. All the Dawgs and Ducks can do is focus on what they know and go from there. Stetson Bennett knows that and will have his offense ready to take on that challenge come Saturday afternoon.