FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Stetson Bennett transferred away from the University of Georgia after a freshman football season spent far down the depth chart. Back then, in early 2018, the quarterback didn’t think he’d ever get a chance to lead his home-state Bulldogs to a win.
Things change.
Bennett wasn’t expected to play in the Bulldogs’ season and Southeastern Conference opener Saturday, with outside observers spending the whole week wondering whether Southern California transfer JT Daniels or redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis would get the call against Arkansas.
However, when Daniels wasn’t cleared because of injury and a slow start by Mathis led to the Bulldogs trailing against an opponent that hadn’t won an SEC game since October 2017, it was Bennett who got the chance to come full circle – back from the junior college ranks – and deliver by rallying Georgia to a 37-10 victory.
Bennett entered in the second quarter and led Georgia to a field-goal drive late in the first half, and he marched the Bulldogs on three straight touchdown drives in the second half, breaking open the game and leading to an unlikely hero on a road trip that looked devastating for a half with the No. 4 team in the country trailing 7-5 at halftime.