Or, as we like to think of it around here, Just Another Day To Ask Questions About Georgia’s Starting Quarterback.
Jesse Palmer, as usual, gets it bass-ackwards.
“He’s enough for them against good defenses I think like Kentucky or Auburn or Arkansas,” ESPN analyst Jesse Palmer said on air, “but against elite defenses, he’s thrown five interceptions now against Alabama in two games the last two years. Is Stetson Bennett enough in the playoff against a Michigan defense or against the Bama defense or against Cincinnati?”
Stetson Bennett’s problem isn’t with elite defenses. It’s with elite offenses. Allow Marc Weiszer to explain.
Bennett averages 19.3 pass attempts per game this season. When he’s had to throw 30 or more times a game at Georgia, he’s 0-2 — 18 of 40 last season and 29 of 48 this season — both against Alabama with 5 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.
Georgia’s defense had been so dominant this season that Bennett threw just 11 fourth-quarter passes all season before attempting 19 against Alabama in the final 15 minutes.
Stetson wasn’t throwing that much against ‘Bama because of their defense, Jesse.
Again, this all gets back to what I’ve been saying since the SECCG. Kirby’s first decision isn’t JT or Stetson. It’s whether Georgia’s defense can figure out a way to hold down elite offenses better than it’s shown over the past two seasons. You have to admit the track record isn’t particularly encouraging so far.
Then again, maybe Smart doesn’t have a decision at all. Seth Emerson ($$):
It’s been speculated that Daniels, who dealt with oblique and lat injuries early in the season, is still not at full strength. Smart has not addressed that, and he dodged the subject when asked whether he was confident Daniels could perform to last year’s level if called upon.
There’s a certain amount of tea leaf parsing you have to do reading that, because Seth is being cautious with his phrasing, but if you want to speculate about why Stetson continues to hang on to the starting position, that makes more sense than this does.
All that being said, I wouldn’t put Michigan’s offense in the same class as Alabama’s, so I’m not certain that a decision to start Stetson in Miami is a definitive indication of who starts in Indianapolis, especially if Seth is correct about the state of JT’s health and what might be in store with another three weeks of rest and rehab.
In other words, it’ll be Tuesday again, for sure.
Get The Picture 
Let’s hear it from the Jesse Palmer disciples.
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For whatever weird reason and weird way in which my brain works, an image of Kirby Smart as Robert Smith from the Cure singing, “It’s Saturday for Stetson” to the tune of “Friday I’m in Love.”
Make it stop. Please.
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P.S. That was due to the last line of this post, I should add, to make sure that there is some context.
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Wasn’t it pretty recently that we were certain that elite defenses wouldn’t stop high powered, star studded offenses any longer? And that championship teams don’t exist without all-world QBs? Now we’re saying that undersized, weaker armed QBs don’t shoulder any blame, that it’s the damned defense’s fault?
I am continually confused about what I’m supposed to think.
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Don’t know who this “we” is that you’re referring to, but that’s not what I’m saying.
I can see why you’re confused. 😉
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I guess my reading comprehension isn’t what it used to be. Most of what I have seen on here is giving Stetson a pass on his mighty struggles against Bama and summing it up by saying he doesn’t need to be better, because it’s the defense’s fault.
I see them both to blame. But despite his good numbers against a very weak division, playing Stetson over and over against better teams and expecting something different seems, well, foolish.
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I’m not giving Bennett a pass. It’s pretty clear by now that he doesn’t have the game to keep up with an opponent’s prolific offense.
But there aren’t many of those, and he’s been more than serviceable otherwise this season.
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This is true, after the runs of bama, clemson, and lsu we came to this conclusion. For some reason beating up the eastern division we were told we were good.
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Just when I thought it was safe to say we’ll never see JT again…
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JT could be banged up now, but his parents sure were expecting him to play at Tennessee.
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You know there is a possibility that his parents were deluded by their own optimism, rather than some signals from the coaching staff.
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Kryptic Kirby Kwarterback Konfusion, Kontinually!
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I ain’t at practice so I don’t know who the better, healthier quarterback might be.
I’ve got one thing on my
Mind:
Beat Michigan.
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We’re gonna regularly substitute for a stud like Jordan Davis come hell or high water – whatever the score is.
But getting our backup QBs some meaningful playing and development time in blowout games is too much to ask.
We should’ve seen a lot more of our backup QBs this year. Vandagriff’s 1 attempt in 2 games is an embarrassment to our coaching. The kid’s a friggen 5-star recruit! He got more opportunities at G-day. The way we handle QBs is completely ass backwards.
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As much as I am in the “Trust Kirby” camp, I must admit I am puzzled by what you mention. For me, the most logical explanation is that Kirby wanted to pad the stats of his Defense (points allowed, etc.) by keeping his “best offense” on the field as long as possible. The prospect that he may have chosen to do so at the detriment of developing his QBs is not surprising, but indeed worrisome.
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I’m in the same place, Jared. I couldn’t and don’t understand why the backups weren’t allowed to play more meaningfully.
I hope it wasn’t just to pad D numbers because the only number that matters is the scoreboard.
While I too trust the coaches on who to play, I’d like to know what the deal is with the backups….And I actually trust that there’s even a good reason for keeping that hushed up. But, human nature being what it is, I’d like to know.
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Kirby allows the defensive substitutes to run the same schemes the starters do. He doesn’t seem to do that when the offensive subs come in. That’s how you get “I handed off good as ——“ and JT getting one series that we’re all runs against Fech.
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Disagree. We’ve started a backup every game.
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By that I mean both of our backups have plenty of starting experience.
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The talent will win 10-11 games a year easily. The other 2-3 going to require 30+ points against an elite roster. No way around that.
That’s offense, defense, special teams, coaching, whole 9 yards.
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Sorry, not buying what Mr. rooms to go is selling, dude who tries to sell me a suit while hosting cooking shows from north of the border has a little brain freeze going on and can’t be trusted…
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We’ve gone over this ad nauseam around here. Even our elite, other worldly defense isn’t going to keep an offense like Alabama’s from scoring somewhere in the neighborhood of their season average. Our offense with Stetson at the helm isn’t designed to outscore a team like Alabama. Kirby will play Stetson. So, to win, we have to hope Alabama has a bad game. It’s depressing but true. There’s always next year. We’re Georgia fans. We survive on the promise of next year.
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Just so we’re clear. I’m sure there’s a reason we continue to play Stetson. I don’t know what it is and it’s frustrating not to know. But it’s our reality this season.
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So how did Auburn and LSU do it?
https://www.espn.com/college-football/game/_/gameId/401282146
https://www.espn.com/college-football/game/_/gameId/401282120
Our defense isn’t as good as those two or did our strategy and preparation in the SECCG just stink?
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eethomaswfnc could be neither. Maybe Alabama had bad games against those two. They were somewhat inconsistent at times. Something we have to hope they will be again. Or Stetson loses to Alabama three times in 15 months.
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Although to be fair to your suggestion, if comments by Cine are to be believed our strategy might have stunk as well.
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We netted 17 points v Bama (24 – pick 6). Jesse is half there, not backwards. If SB can’t get us to 20 points, he cuts everyone else’s margin of error to nil
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If you’re going to factor in the pick 6, shouldn’t you factor in the dropped pass in the endzone?
Like a lot of the other JP disciples, you use a salad-bar approach to choosing facts.
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No. Dropped passes are super common. Pick sixes are not. That’s a super critical mistake. One that he made twice and got away with on the first.
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He’s not built to chase another team’s offense. That’s why you saw the pick six.
You really think the SECCG is the same if UGA scored 24, but circumstances only required that Bennett throw the ball 20 times?
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I have been very critical but I have also posted that if the pass is caught, the INTs weren’t thrown, that is a 14 point swing, which allows UGA to possibly go for FGs to win. Also if you fall on the fumble. For UGA to beat Bama with SB4, UGA needs to be perfect, SB4 hasn’t been perfect in the closer games he’s been in.
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And JT doesn’t have to be.
To win a natty with Stet, no one has a margin of error. Against a team that forces errors, thats very unlikely.
Of course there remains the possibility that Cincy wins Friday…
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LOL. No, there is no possibility that Cincy wins Friday. That game will be a lot like the UGA – Hawaii game.
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I think his performance was even worse than his stats show. He threw two would-be pick sixes (one was luckily dropped).
May be confused, but not sure how you’re isolating the opposing offense here. He struggled against UF. He struggled against Bama. Good defenses fuck him up.
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I’m not isolating the opposing offense.
The issue isn’t whether Stetson has issues against a good defense. It’s whether Georgia can win with Stetson as the starter.
Sure, he struggled against UF, but so what? Last time I looked, Georgia won that game comfortably.
Stetson’s relevant attribute is simple: he doesn’t have the skill set to chase another team. As far as I know, that involves the other offense scoring a bunch of points.
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Kirby has the evidence of the last two meetings with Alabama that Saban can in fact score on his defense. With the firsthand knowledge of two loses, why would Kirby not start the QB most capable of chasing points? The answer has to be one of three things
1). JT is still banged up
Or
2). JT is in the doghouse after his family physician overrode Courson’s diagnosis clearing him (rumor)
Or
3). Kirby simply does not view the defense as being vulnerable.
#1 makes the most logical sense, but #3 is a strong possibility.
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Skep, that’s why I keep saying Kirby’s first decision has to be about how his defense will play in a rematch with ‘Bama.
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And I completely understand the question. What I do not understand is why it even has to be asked. We have now seen Saban go north of 30 points on Kirby’s defense twice in the last 12 months, and Kirby has witnessed it with a front row seat. Why would he go into yet another game with one arm tied behind his back? Even with all of this discussion, we know that Stetson will start In both games if there are two games to be played.
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Eh, after a season like this, I get why he’d ask it.
Anyway, that’s not the big deal. Being honest about the answer is.
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1 is out. JT’s family went to Knoxville expecting to see him take significant snaps.
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Otto, I can not speak for JT’s family, but I fully expected him to start the Mizzoy game. When Stetson ran out I knew he was the guy from that point on. I would certainly to know that Mr and Mrs Daniels think now. It is impossible for me to believe that Stetson Bennett is a better QB than JT Daniels.
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I don’t think that’s correct. The issue IS that SB has issues with good defenses (or at least that’s half of it) bc it requires everyone else play perfectly.
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Whatever you say, hoss.
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Huh. Has he EVER played well against a good D? What are you even arguing?
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That I care more about wins and losses than Stetson’s stats.
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SB turns it over outside of point-chasing scenarios. The common denominator isn’t good offenses (see UF). It’s good Ds.
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Name any player other than Brock Bowers that did have a good SECCG.
Defense got handled.
OLine was inconsistent. Receivers didn’t separate.
Stet didn’t play great but assuming he does play great in a rematch and the remainder of team doesn’t improve, we still don’t win.
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I think the factors work together.
Alabama’s defense is as liable to force Stet to make errors as any in the country. They aren’t the best in country and not what they’ve been on that side of the ball, but they’re capable.
If you’re having to match scores, Stet is going to end up making more mistakes because he has to put the ball up vs. a legit defense. In short, give Bama, say Missouri’s defense and we might well get to the number we’d need even with Stet.
They aren’t entirely independent factors, but yes the most pressing factor is:
What number will we need?
If its over 30 we probably can’t get there with Stet vs. Bama.
I hope we don’t need 30 to beat UM.
If he’s got JT under glass as a “break in case of emergency” because he isn’t in a position to take a lot of shots, maybe CKS has eaten a TON of unnecessary shit.
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That’s a good way to describe the situation with JT.
“Emergency Use Only”.
If so (and I think it is so), why?
I think if we knew it would change opinions (of the ones that can factor..for some it’s a bridge to far).
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The health issue referenced in the senator’s post would be the “why.”
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JT went down. Beck disappointingly but clearly not ready. SBIV does the job and needs all the reps he can get while waiting for JT to come back. Stetson earned SECCG start. Why not bring JT in down 14 or even after? Ask Kirby. But more playing time for Beck and BVG was never an option…Stetson needed those reps. Why did JT make a few appearances? Ask Kirby…likely to keep him engaged with game action, but still not healthy. So the recurring and obvious theme is…Stetson is our best #2 and gets work to be better. JT has not been ready. Kirby has had no alternatives. If JT can prove without question in practice he’s ready, then I would expect to see him.
Now a fair question is whether a less than 100% JT is better to start knowing you have SBIV as your backup? In the SECCG, probably not. Again, Stet earned that start. But for the playoffs? If I’m Kirby I’m not announcing until game time and still letting JT show he’s fully ready. That’s why JT is still here and seemingly engaged. Occam’s Razor.
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You make a compelling argument. But if SBIV is going against our (and the nation’s #1) first team D all week in practice, why is it important to get him even more reps in mop up duty against defensive players that wouldn’t merit a scholly at UGA?
So I have to agree with those that say Kirby cares far more about the D pitching shutouts than he does about developing QBs.
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It’s not Kiby’s responsibility to develop QB’s – that is the responsibility of the offensive staff.
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Umm, HC isn’t responsible for QBs. Okay.
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FPD,
I agree with everything you have here.
I’ll add my two cents. If JT starts and SBIV comes off the bench it needs to happen before your two scores down or it’s too late for him to help.
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Speaking of starting QB’s, I just saw the Giants have shut down Daniel Jones for the rest of the season. Mike Glennon was beyond bad for them on Sunday. Could this finally be Jake Fromm’s chance to get a start? This late in the season with the record that they have, what have the Giants got to lose giving him a look-see?
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i think we are off topic, but yeah, and now we could get fromm v fields on jan 2 at soldier field. . .i know they were buds, bet that’d be fun for them.
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“Stetson wasn’t throwing that much against ‘Bama because of their defense, Jesse.”
With 17 points in the 4th quarter I beg to differ.
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Either you’re having a reading comprehension issue, or I am, because I’m not getting your point. 😉
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The issue isn’t just elite opposition offenses, it’s deficits in general. We can’t chase a game however the deficit was caused. It’s just that usually we’re in a deficit because of the opposition offense, not the opposition defense. But if you don’t think the combination of Michigan’s d-line and Stetson’s propensity for idiocy can put us in a deficit just as easily as any good offense, buddy you’re more confident than me.
Or think if it this way- If Stetson starts the Clemson game, do we win? Do you really feel confident that he won’t make the 1 or 2 mistakes that put us in a hole and make the difference?
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Okay, I’ll bite. When’s the last time UGA was in a deficit because of the opposition defense?
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Idk 2019 Carolina? So it’s unlikely as I said, but my point is that the deficit is the problem not how you get there. I do think we beat Michigan because they run right into the teeth of what we do best, but if Stetson gets baited into a couple dumb throws and Hutchinson gets a stripsack and we’re down 14 in the 3q, would you be surprised? And down 17-3 is no better than down 38-21.
Semi-related, it’s bizarre that Stetson only plays in ass-kickings. Has he ever finished a game within 2 scores either way? I’m seeing only UK last year.
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So you’re saying Stetson’s never been in a deficit situation caused by the other team’s defense? Your ‘if’s are doing some heavy lifting, then. 😉
I have no idea how the scenario you paint turns out, but I would think it would have to be easier for a Georgia offense to overcome a Michigan lead than an Alabama lead because the other team’s offense isn’t as explosive.
But, hell, we’re both talking out of our asses about it, because it hasn’t happened.
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The takes do run dry with a month-long gap between games, gotta do some ass-talking or wouldn’t do any talking at all! I grew up a michigan fan (dad is alum) and went to many games at big house + rose bowl until I matriculated at UGA, so I’ve been waiting for this game for 20 years. Just glad its a playoff and not some B10/SEC purgatory game in Tampa or Orlando.
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I read Seth’s article, and Seth says basically that Kirby ‘dances’ around questions about JT’s health. That is, he doesn’t affirmatively say JT’s healthy, but says he’s getting reps with the 1s and some with the 2s, depending on the situation.
I have to quit wondering about this, because there isn’t going to be an clear answer. And in fairness to Kirby, if the whole point of this charade is to keep opponents in the dark, I hope it’s working. I do think that if Stetson starts and plays the whole game against UM, it’ll be the last game we’ll win this season. Maybe injuries are ruining this for us.
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SB, I am really curious as to what the viewership thinks on the QB situation. There is a lot of hyperbole but I think a poll would be interesting to see if people think A) JT is able to go, but Kirby likes SBIV. B) JT is is unable to go and Kirby thinks SBIV is the best option. C) It’s the stubborn Manball. Something to that effect.
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You need another option:
D) we don’t know wtf is going on
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I was thinking something similar and came back to add my D) Don’t know, Don’t care. Let’s beat some Wolverine ass.
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If JT is still suffering from the early season lat injury, he may never be well enough to play and shouldn’t play. A 21 year old who cannot heal from a soft tissue injury that is said to be a muscle pull in 3 months has some physical issue that should preclude him from playing football. JT may simply be too fragile to play football.
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Oblique injuries can last months and they’re very easy to reaggravate. When I first heard about this early in the season I was worried it could limit him all season. Since we have next to zero information about the extent of the injury it’s quite possible it was more severe than we realized or he reaggravated it at some point.
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Correct to say he doesnt have an “elite Defenses issue” since he hasn’t faced one…
http://www.cfbstats.com/2021/leader/national/team/defense/split01/category02/sort01.html
http://www.cfbstats.com/2020/leader/national/team/defense/split01/category02/sort01.html
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Scrolling to reply before going through all the comments, so looking forward to reading all of that. But here’s a thought:
If Stet “earned the right” to come in and throw a pick-6 vs South Carolina when JT was starting, it doesn’t make a lot of sense that JT has only got to “hand the ball off good as fuck” since losing his starting spot to injury. The only way it does is if Kirby treats Stetson differently than the other quarterbacks (and every other player on the team) and I don’t really buy that. The only explanation is that JT isn’t healthy enough to get enough reps to be ready to play. And BVG isn’t ready; and Beck never will be.
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Why do you have to be so logical?
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We have 6 years of understanding that “the only explanation” with this coach is that three 5-star qbs have stayed off the field, only in favor of South georgia “game managers” who onlyshit the bed vs bama due to the Defense.
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You do realize Jake Fromm was a high 4/low 5 star?
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& Warner Robins is not South Georgia.
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As a native South Georgian, I consider anything south of the fall line to be South Georgia or if your local high schools (outside of 7A) are in regions 1-4. By either of those definitions, Warner Robins is South Georgia. I know everyone talks about middle Georgia.
Of course, YMMV.
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If you grew up with gnats in your eyes, ears and nose you are from South Georgia IMO.
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Anywhere below I-16.
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And below US 80 between Columbus and Macon.
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The talk of JTs personal DR vsRon Courson and Kirby being in a pissing match?. Any truth to this?
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I heard that too. Who knows.
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Senator,
That first sentence of this thread is just funny on a Tuesday of course.
I rewatched the FU game last night remembering it was three to zip until Bennett throws that horrible pick at the goal line with three minutes left. After some amazing plays by the defense and one very good throw by Bennett it’s 24-0 game over before the half. I mention this game because it seems that is the type of game Bennett is made for. Who expected Tood Grantham to design a defense that shuts Georgia down. That’s what happened before the defense with help from FU’s hero AR15 did his three turn overs in 2:30 act. It reminded me how stupid I was to think Nick Saban could not do a better job at stopping Georgia. I don’t think we have a QB built to win a game requiring 30 points against a top defense. The only hope I see from my seat is the defense to save the day. Luckily the talent is there now just find a way to create havoc, score points on defense and protect the offense playing from a shoot out game. Too bad it’s not that simple to make happen.
I’ll support whoever Kirby puts on the field. If cut I’ll bleed red and black just hoping this time the other team bleeds worse.
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I thought SBIV should see the bench after that game with a “healthy” JT available. When Bennett started the Missouri game, I figured Kirby had made his decision that upsetting team chemistry was a bigger danger to the season’s outcome than a QB switch back to Daniels.
We’re never going to know the real story unless JT decides to tell all after he leaves Athens either to try his hand in the NFL or transfer.
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I mean, at least we got stuff to talk about. Bama fans must be bored as hell right now.
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We need to be trucking Rat Poison over there by the semi.
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