Georgia Bulldogs: Kirby Smart firm on backup quarterback
Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs couldn’t contain their excitement after knocking off Clemson, the perennial powerhouse for the last decade along with Alabama.
Georgia’s win earned the Bulldogs a leap to No. 2 in the AP Poll released earlier this week.
With success, comes a barrage of questions from media attempting to get a sense of just how far Georgia could go based on both performance and depth.
Smart has clear picture of backup QB
On Tuesday, the Bulldogs’ front man was asked about the backup quarterback position.
He didn’t hesitate.
“Carson (Beck) has been our No. 2 quarterback,” Kirby Smart told Dawg Nation. “He’s worked with the twos and has worked a lot there, taken a lot of reps.”
Beck is a redshirt freshman who made his college debut in last year’s regular-season finale against Missouri. However, he didn’t attempt any passes or rushes.
While it was in a controlled scrimmage setting, Beck impressed the Georgia Bulldogs coaching staff, completing 22 of 31 passes for 236 yards and a pair of scores in the annual G-Day spring game.
While it’s early, there are chatters in Georgia football circles that Beck could eventually take over as Georgia’s starter after Daniels, who is currently a redshirt junior.
What does this mean for Stetson Bennett?
It’s fair to note that Stetson Bennett, now slated third on the depth chart, was projected as the starter heading into the 2020 campaign.
“Stetson still gets some reps from time to time but he’s got a lot of bank reps so we ask him to do a lot of things mentally to be prepared and ready to go,” Smart said.
Bennett had a heck of a story joining the team as a walk-on and went on to start in five of Georgia’s ten games in 2020. Despite two below-par performances from the undersized passer, Bennett guided the Bulldogs to a 3-2 record as the starter. His only losses came against Alabama and Florida, both away from home. .
Bennett, a redshirt senior, has gotten into games for the Bulldogs each of the previous 2 seasons. In 2020, he passed for 1,179 yards, 8 touchdowns and 6 interceptions in 8 games.
Georgia will play its home opener on Saturday, when it hosts UAB at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. And considering it’s likely to be a one-sided contest, perhaps Daniels will get a breather late in the game and Beck will get an opportunity to gain some experience.
Smart has a plan for now, and we are all used to things changing in the blink of an eye, so it’s reassuring for Bulldogs’ fans to pencil in a firm No. 2 QB.