“You just try to make the best decision you can to give your team an opportunity to win.”

Chip Towers summarizes the hand Kirby Smart currently holds at the quarterback position.

• Junior Stetson Bennett, who started the last five games, did not practice last week due to a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder. The time off this past weekend might facilitate a comeback. But, besides that, he has thrown six interceptions in Georgia’s last three games (against 3 TDs) while completing only 46 percent of his throws.
• Redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis has struggled even more, completing just 40 percent of his passes for 38 yards with three interceptions and one TD.
• The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Daniels, who started 12 games at Southern Cal, has taken first-team snaps in practice for the first time in the past week.
• True freshman Carson Beck continues to practice with the scout team.

As well as key offensive stats.

The Bulldogs enter the seventh game of this 10-game regular season ranked 60th in scoring (29 ppg), 76th in total offense (382 ypg) and 80th in passing (209.3 ypg).

None of those represent much of an improvement over 2019, if at all.  And that’s with an upgrade at offensive coordinator.  That should give you a good idea of how great the lack of production has been at the quarterback position.  Worse, that’s been in a state of decline since the Tennessee game.  Georgia’s passer rating in its last three games:  102.99, 114.32 and (gulp!) 65.54.  (What stings particularly about that last number is that it came against a mediocre Florida secondary.)

Obviously, that isn’t sustainable.  And while Kirby is saying all the right things to avoid throwing any of his kids under the bus, there’s only so far he can go without looking like an idiot.

While Daniels is getting first team reps for the first time this season, I don’t want to pretend that means anything more than making sure he’s ready to go into a game if other options aren’t productive.  There has to be a reason it’s taken the time it has to give Daniels the chance to work with the first team.  That also means we should expect some issues with timing and communication that come with being the new kid on the block.

That being said, if Bennett remains the starter, honestly, I will be depressed.  Not because I don’t like the kid, but because I can only surmise that means Smart and Monken have determined he remains the best choice for Georgia to win, and what that says about what they have in the quarterback room.