ATHENS – The No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs played without starting quarterback JT Daniels, but made easy work of Alabama-Birmingham, nonetheless, winning 56-7 before a capacity crowd of 92,746 at Sanford Stadium.
Key play
On the second play from scrimmage, starting quarterback Stetson Bennett hit flanker Jermaine Burton with a deep pass down the hashmarks, and Burton took the ball the rest of the way for a 73-yard touchdown only 38 seconds into the game. The play served notice to UAB and everybody tuning in on ESPN2 that Georgia wasn’t going to call a conservative offensive game despite Daniels being out.
Key stat
Bennett would throw two more touchdowns in the first quarter to an a 61-yarder on the first play of the second quarter to go 5-for-5 for 245 yards and four touchdowns in the game’s first 16 minutes.
Game ball
Bennett’s work was done by the 8:43 mark of the third quarter. But thanks to his incredible performance in that span, he may have turned a good offensive day for the Bulldogs into a quarterback controversy.
What we learned
We learned that Carson Beck truly is not Georgia’s second-string quarterback. Coach Kirby Smart proclaimed that several times during preseason practice and even in two different media appearances earlier this week. But when it became clear that Daniels’ upper-body injury was serious enough to keep him out of Saturday’s game, Smart went instead with Bennett, a 5-foot-10, 190-pound fifth-year senior. When the Bulldogs did put the redshirt freshman Beck into the game in the first quarter, they called three consecutive running plays and had to punt. On three first-half series, Beck was 0-for-2 passing for zero yards to Bennett’s 8-of-9 for 269 yards and five touchdowns.
They said it
“It does seem like I’m always fighting for my supper. I was so nervous before the game I couldn’t even eat. I knew I needed to play well. It helped that I had Jermaine Burton running wide open down the field on the second play. That got the jitters out.” -- Bennett
“For people who say Stetson can’t throw deep, he’s got one of the strongest teams I’ve ever seen.” -- Smart
“It’s crazy. I don’t ever think I’ve seen a stat like that. I’ll be glad to say 20 years later that I watched him do that. ... When Stetson needs to show up, he always does.” -- Georgia offensive tackle Jamaree Salyer on Bennett’s scintillating start
What’s next
Georgia: The Bulldogs (2-0) play host to South Carolina (2-0) Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN). It’s each team’s SEC opener. The Gamecocks rallied from 14 points down and kicked a 36-yard field goal as time expired to defeat East Carolina 20-17 on Saturday afternoon in Greenville, N.C.
UAB: The Blazers (1-1) are back on the road Saturday at North Texas (7:30 p.m.)
About the Author
