Not only is ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit an astute observer of the game, but he’s also a former quarterback at Ohio State. So, he has some keen insights into the psychological side of the position.
That’s why Georgia fans might want to sit up and listen when Herbstreit talks about what he thinks quarterback Stetson Bennett’s state-of-mind might be as the No. 5 Bulldogs (4-1) face off against No. 8 Florida (3-1) on Saturday in Jacksonville (CBS, 3:30 p.m.).
“He went from being everybody’s favorite son to, ‘this guy is a bum!’” Herbstreit said of Bennett on ESPN earlier this week. “That affects your mindset; that affects who you are. They’ve got to get his mojo back and get his confidence back.”
Bennett, a junior who took over as Georgia’s starter in the season opener, has thrown five interceptions and completed just 51 percent of his passes in the past two games. He’s preparing for his first playing time of any kind in the Georgia-Florida game, which is a significant thing for a kid that grew up only 80 miles up the road from TIAA Bank Field in Blackshear.
Meanwhile, Herbstreit appears to be spot-on in his assessment of Bennett’s state of mind. People familiar with the Bulldogs' inner workings said Bennett made the mistake last week of peeking at social media to see what folks had to say about him and the Bulldogs' offense.
Bennett didn’t stay on very long, but it might have chipped away some at his confidence.
“He’s as confident as he can be with all the things he gets to hear,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said on his radio show Thursday night. “He obviously knows that early on we didn’t have a lot of confidence in him because we didn’t put him in there initially.”
But here’s the other side of that story. While everybody else has been complaining – maybe even panicking -- about Georgia’s offense and quarterback play, in particular, the Bulldogs and Bennett have been doing the opposite. That is, the coaching staff has been working overtime with Bennett, and Bennett overtime with himself.
Georgia coaches reminded Bennett this week that “he earned (his status) in practice and by leading, by being around the team and showing them he can make good decisions,” Smart said.
Smart’s endorsement comes amid a growing swirl of speculation that the Bulldogs may play D’Wan Mathis on Saturday, or that they’re getting ready to surprise the Gators by unleashing the mysterious Southern Cal transfer JT Daniels. But there is no evidence to suggest that is anything but innuendo.
Inside the Butts-Mehre football complex, there has been mostly constructive criticism, encouragement, review and revision. In other words, coaching.
A lot of people will be watching Saturday to see if there has been improvement.
“Where is Georgia with Stetson Bennett and the balance of this offense?” Herbstreit asked. “They could run the ball but, against Florida, they’re going to need to be able to stay up with (Kyle) Trask. That means Bennett is going to have to make plays. And he was before. That dude plays with a chip on his shoulder, and he plays with an attitude.”
That is why the Bulldogs' focus this week has been on tightening Bennett’s game. In addition to much placing emphasis on fundamentals and decision-making, the Bulldogs are encouraging Bennett to be more assertive and vocal in his leadership.
As for the quarterbacks as a group, in every discussion Smart has had about the pecking order this week – and there have been many – he has insisted Bennett has been working with the “1s,” Mathis with the “2s” and Daniels with the scout team. If the Bulldogs are planning to do anything along the lines of what Mark Richt did with Faton Bauta in 2015, Smart is being deceptive about it.
That said, don’t be surprised if Georgia coaches have a shorter leash this week. While the Bulldogs stuck with Bennett to the end of subpar performances against Alabama and Kentucky, they likely won’t have much patience if Georgia is unable to keep pace with the high-flying Gators. This game is, after all, a de facto Eastern Division playoff for the SEC Championship game.
The Bulldogs, who average 29.2 points per game, can’t afford to fall too far behind Florida, which averages 42.
Georgia’s biggest problems have been in the red zone. The Bulldogs generally have moved the ball well between the 20s, averaging 404 yards per game. But they rank 10th in the SEC in red-zone scoring percentage (58). Florida leads the league at 76 percent.
Georgia must cash in on scoring opportunities when they have them.
“He’s got to be smarter with the ball, at the end of the day,” Smart said. “You can’t turn the ball over physically -- meaning, him fumbling it -- and then also from decisions about where to throw it. Now, interceptions are going to happen. We saw that with Jake (Fromm), who was a very low-interception guy. (Fromm) had tipped balls, too. He had things happening, he had it go through receivers' hands, so sometimes things are going to happen. But you can’t have poor decisions.”
Florida has been somewhat vulnerable on defense this season, but its poor showings might be a bit deceiving. The Gators' recent COVID-19 outbreak, which sidelined 36 members of the football program and forced a game postponement in October, has been particularly unkind to the defense. Fourteen scholarship players missed Florida’s game against Missouri on Saturday, including starting safeties Shawn Davis and Donovan Stiner and cornerback Marco Wilson out against Missouri. The Gators won anyway 41-17.
Those players will be back for Georgia.
“I can’t wait until we get to play a game with a full defense,” Florida coach Dan Mullen said. “It kind of seems like we’re playing with a partial defense every game. We’ve just got to make sure we have the guys in the right position to make plays.”
Smart feels the same way about Georgia’s offense. The Bulldogs are hopeful, but not confident, that receiver George Pickens (upper-body injury) will return against the Gators. Tight end Tre' McKitty came back last week, and they still await the return of running back Kenny McIntosh.
Meanwhile, Smart believes he’s playing the best guy available at quarterback. And he thinks Georgia’s offense is oh-so-close to playing significantly better than it has.
“I hope one day we get to show it,” Smart said. “I hope we get an opportunity, because we get to go against a pretty good defense every day. I see them pass (protect), I see them throw and catch the ball. I see them run. I see us play-action. I see good things out of our offense.”
Saturday would be an excellent time to show everybody else.
