Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett had quite the self-deprecating initial assessment of Saturday's 14-3 win over Kentucky at Kroger Field in Lexington.
"I thought we played well except for me," the redshirt junior said on a Zoom call.
Bennett completed 9 of 13 passes for 131 yards but was intercepted twice, which turned what was expected to be a relatively low scoring game to very low scoring. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder quickly realized he was a bit harsh on himself but knows two interceptions again this week against Florida in Jacksonville would be more troublesome.
"I don't think I played horrible, but those two passes were just bad," the former walk-on said. "I've got to find the window on one, and then the second one was just unfortunate. I was actually trying to throw it away and didn't throw it far enough.
"We've just got to score more points. We'll be all right. We just need to have a good week of practice and play more disciplined next Saturday."
Bennett's first interception was batted and snagged by Wildcats defensive tackle Phil Hoskins. Batted balls were an issue for Bennett during the 41-24 loss at Alabama on Oct. 17, but he had just the one Saturday.
Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said there were no discussions to replace Bennett with D'Wan Mathis or JT Daniels or even give him a brief rest against the Wildcats, with the two interceptions giving Bennett five in the past two games.
"A batted ball on a pass he's got to get around a guy is not a real struggle," Smart said. "You can say what happens once, shame on me, and what happens twice, shame on you, but he's got to wrap the ball around it and he's got to throw the ball away on the other one. He also did a lot of good things in the run game. He pulled the ball and scored with it.
"He put us in the right run plays. He handled the clock. He did some good things. He didn't get a chance to throw the ball a whole lot today because we were able to run the ball."
Including the second half at Alabama, the Bulldogs have scored just 14 points in the past six quarters, but Smart does not believe his offense is limited in any way.
"I do not, and I hope one day we get to show it," he said. "I hope we get an opportunity, because we go against a pretty good defense every day, and I see them. I see them throw and catch the ball, and I see them run the ball. I see us do play-action. I see us do a lot of good things on offense, but unfortunately we haven't been able to see it yet.
"A lot of that today was due to ball control and ground-and-pound by them."
A 'costly' win
Georgia sustained a slew of first-half injuries that resulted in defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Julian Rochester sitting out the second half, as well as safety Lewis Cine. Smart described the win as costly and did not have immediate updates as to their health moving forward.
"That's what you have other players for," he said. "They give us 85 scholarships, and you've got to use those and get the next guy up and go play."
The losses of Davis and Rochester resulted significant playing time in the defensive interior for freshman Jalen Carter and senior Devonte Wyatt.
"We can't play them more because the other guys are out. We have to play more guys," said Smart, who added that freshmen Nazir Stackhouse and Warren Brinson did get some snaps.
Odds and ends
Georgia increased its overwhelming series advantage to 60-12-2. Junior linebacker Quay Walker and freshman receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint made their first career starts for the Bulldogs, while junior receiver Trey Blount made his first start of the season and the second of his career. Sophomore receiver George Pickens did not make the trip due to an upper-body injury. Redshirt sophomore kicker Jack Podlesny was successful on both of his extra-point tries, extending Georgia's NCAA record to 308 consecutive made attempts The Bulldogs picked up their 18th commitment for the 2021 recruiting cycle, receiving a nonbinding pledge from four-star defensive tackle Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins of Gaffney, South Carolina. The 6-5, 298-pounder is the nation's No. 14 defensive tackle and the No. 1 player from the Palmetto State.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.