It’s simple: Georgia, Kirby Smart trust Stetson Bennett to win it all

Georgia football fans have spent the entire holiday break debating the quarterbacks and why Stetson Bennett isn’t the guy for the job.

Head coach Kirby Smart and offensive coordinator Todd Monken have shut all the talk down as they both trust Bennett to do great things and take the Dawgs all the way.

Their statements went in one ear and out the other for most fans, which is no surprise, but it did at least make us feel better about their trust in him. Bennett has done more than enough to prove why he is the starter and remains the one.

Some don’t quite understand why JT Daniels hasn’t at least gotten a shot, but at the same time, we don’t know that he hasn’t in practice. The media doesn’t get to see much practice anyway, so it’s hard to predict that he isn’t getting the opportunity.

Smart and the rest of Georgia trust Stetson Bennett to lead the team, and it’s time for the fans to do the same.

Bennett currently has the No.2 quarterback rating at 176.84 in the SEC and Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young isn’t No.1. He is No.3 at 175.53. Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker leads the league with a 182.16 rating.

The Georgia quarterback also has been sacked the fewest times in the league and still leads the league in yards per attempt at 10.07 yards.

Bennett is far from perfect. We all know this by now, but outside the Alabama game, he has done plenty to get the win and help Georgia win the SEC East. At this point, we’re talking around in circles with these stats because some people will never accept him as the starter, but if he wins it all, I sure hope those who doubted him apologize.

This week, Bennett did a great job in media, saying what he should have about not listening to outside noise. Good for him because it has to be hard not letting those negative thoughts from others seep in, but that is another reason he is the starter — Bennett doesn’t let it affect him.

If Bennett plays his game, he can beat any defense in the country, at least in my opinion. He has this tenacity and grit that go hand-in-hand with winning quarterbacks.

Not to mention he has the playmakers around him that can do their job to catch balls, throw blocks and tote the rock. There is so much more that goes into offensive success than how the quarterback plays.

Yes, the quarterback plays a pivotal role for the offense, but it doesn’t all fall on his shoulders. It’s a team sport.

If the team cannot run the ball to help balance the passing attack or if the receivers don’t catch balls when it hits them in their hands, or if the line doesn’t give enough time or enough push at the snap, it causes a domino effect. Of course, it’s not that simple, and yea Bennett made some mistakes against Alabama, but at the same time, it’s cruel to only blame him.

Georgia’s defense didn’t do a great job. That matters too in the grand scheme of things. The Dawgs played terribly against Alabama on both sides of the ball, plain and simple. However, one game doesn’t define a quarterback’s ability to run the offense.

Smart and Monken trust Bennett to do what he has done all season — be explosive and win ballgames. Sure Daniels helped the Dawgs beat Clemson, but that nagging injury allowed Bennett to prove himself, and he has all year long.

Georgia fans have incredibly high expectations, and that is okay, but Monken and Smart both know this quarterback situation better than anyone at the end of the day.

If they believe Bennett can win it all, who are we to say, they are wrong. They don’t care or read Twitter. Nope, they are doing their job preparing these young men for a semifinal game on Dec. 31 against a tough Michigan team.

Bennett is the guy, and nothing anyone says will change that. Unless the coaches say to change the quarterback, they will go with whoever gives Georgia the best chance to win. It isn’t a feel-good story, a personal vendetta against Daniels, or anything in between those things — they know these young men and know who worked the hardest to win the job.

Georgia needs its fans to support them, not wish they would get beat because they feel like the wrong quarterback is in the game. Dawg fans, it’s time to push aside your personal feelings on this quarterback situation and trust the coaches know what they’re doing.

I’m not here to tell you what to do. It’s merely a suggestion because football is so fun to watch when you’re just enjoying watching your team make the playoffs and contend for a national championship. It’s okay to have expectations, but this is a game that we all love and are incredibly passionate about — so enjoy it, don’t let it kill your mood or love for the game.

When it’s Georgia’s time to win a national championship, it will happen, and it may happen with a former walk-on as the quarterback. Trust the process, trust the coaches and enjoy this ride.