Georgia head coach Kirby Smart confirmed Tuesday that Bennett will start in the College Football Playoff, and that if quarterback J.T. Daniels enters the game, it will be situational. During a recent press conference, Georgia running back James Cook threw his support behind Bennett.
“I mean, he’s been doing what he’s doing all year, so I mean, it ain’t nothing new, or the stage ain’t too big for what he just got to do extra,” Cook said. “Just continue to do him and play football and put him in the right situations for us to win.”
Bennett completed 64% of his throws this season for 2,325 yards and 24 touchdowns. One of his seven interceptions this fall was returned for a touchdown by Alabama’s Jordan Battle in the second half of the Crimson Tide’s 41-24 win in Atlanta earlier this month. Bennett’s play against Alabama fueled incessant noise from national media members, many of whom believe Daniels should be the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback.
In five games this season, Daniels threw for 722 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions. “I’ll be honest with you, I’ve been really confident in Stetson,” Smart said. “I’m confident in Stetson now and I’m confident in JT. I thought Coach Monken did a great job addressing that yesterday, and we’ve got confidence in all our quarterbacks.”