THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Stetson Bennett, the two-time national champion quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs, has a smorgasbord of fond college memories. But his favorite might not be what one would expect.
During a conversation with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday, Bennett, the new Rams signal-caller, shared the No. 1 football memory of his storied Georgia career after pausing for reflection.
“I think Tennessee is going to try to forget it, but I think we’re going to be talking about that game (in 2022) for the next 20 years, at least our class,” Bennett said. “Just how excited they were for it, and then immediately just had those dreams crushed.”
Wait, a victory at home over the Volunteers instead of finally toppling Alabama, rallying against Ohio State or humiliating TCU by 58 points?
“Well, those are clichés,” Bennett said, laughing. “I mean, I have a lot of good memories. I was blessed. But yeah dude, I was so happy we beat (Tennessee).”
It was a walloping. The Volunteers entered that game ranked No. 1, having scorched the SEC with a magnificent offense that drew comparisons to legendary 2019 LSU. They were 8-0, enjoying their best season in decades while having also defeated mighty Alabama to snap a 15-game losing streak to the Crimson Tide.
Georgia, the defending national champion, likewise was 8-0, but ranked No. 3, seemingly lacking Tennessee’s pizzazz. The Volunteers and their fans logically felt this was the moment their program truly could be resurrected, but it didn’t go accordingly.
The Bulldogs led 14-3 after a quarter. The vaunted Tennessee offense produced only two field goals through three quarters in an eventual 27-13 loss. It’s understandable why that was extra sweet for Bennett, considering his phone number was leaked and he was overloaded with hundreds of messages from Volunteers fans the day before.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Even sweeter for Bennett and Company, Georgia won its next six games to repeat as national champion. Tennessee finished 11-2 with an Orange Bowl victory over Clemson, though falling short of the College Football Playoff was a disappointment.
It’s quite possible Georgia and Tennessee will have a game with similar stakes this November, as they’re expected to be the two best teams in the SEC East. On paper, the Volunteers should be the Bulldogs’ greatest opponent in an unimpressive regular-season schedule.
“I’m going to try to watch all of (the Bulldogs games),” Bennett said. “I don’t know what the schedule will be like on Saturday nights yet or any of that stuff, but I’m definitely going to try to watch them all.”
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