Stetson Bennett Deserves Heisman Buzz, says Kentucky's Brad White

The Georgia defense receives most of the attention, but opponents cannot overlook the Bulldogs’ offense. Ahead of Saturday’s matchup at Kroger Field, Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White is impressed with what he’s seen on film, particularly from quarterback Stetson Bennett.

“He is playing at an extremely high level right now. I’m quite frankly really surprised that he hasn’t had much Heisman buzz,” White told reporters Wednesday.

Bennett’s numbers have been good, but not exactly been eye-popping — 2,895 yards, 14 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 67.8 completion percentage. However, he is orchestrating an offense that ranks sixth in scoring and third in total offense while averaging 7.1 yards per play.

“He does not get the credit he deserves in terms of his command of the offense; his ability to distribute all over the field; his ability to create with his legs; check plays out of certain coverages, looks; he knows where to go with the ball; he’s been in the offense as long as he has, so he’s in real command back there.” White says, “He makes the right reads. He’s playing as well as anybody and is the best quarterback we’ve probably faced all year.”

Wow, Stetson Bennett is better than Hendon Hooker. You heard it here first, folks.

Unfortunately, as soon as those words left White’s mouth, he knew people like me would run with it, so he added this caveat.

“No disrespect to anybody… Hooker’s playing at a high level, he’s done great there as well. No disrespect to anybody else, more of how well (Bennett) is playing at quarterback right now.”

Brad White is such a big fan because of the tools between Bennett’s ears. While Hooker thrives in a system that stresses defenses, the Georgia quarterback knows his offense well and knows how to beat anything a defense throws at him. Kentucky’s defensive coordinator compared it to his time with the Indianapolis Colts.

“When you faced the Rodgers and the Bradys and the Breeses, that’s part of what makes those guys so special is their mind. They’ve seen so much and Stetson’s seen everything thrown at him. He’s able to process through it and put the ball in the right spot, get it to the right person, right playmaker. That’s a real challenge,” he said.

“We’ve got to try to do a good job of giving him something he hasn’t seen, but he’s probably seen most things over the last three years. We just have to do it really fundamentally sound and play at a high level, play with great energy. It’s not going to be perfect. They’re going to make plenty of plays, but we have to continue to fight and make plays of our own to give us a chance.”

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