Stetson Bennett is late. Rock-star late. It’s more than an hour past our scheduled meeting time at the Georgia football facility, and venerable associate athletic director Claude Felton is driving us to a sub-division of townhomes on the edge of Athens in search of the Bulldogs’ improbable star quarterback.
Stet is a star quarterback now, evolving into the position and the persona, a disorienting reality after years of being doubted and considered disposable. In the annals of underdog athletic triumphs, Bennett’s 2021 season ranks right up there.
By age 3, Stetson IV was telling his dad he wanted to play quarterback at Georgia. That was all the motivation Stetson III needed to become a youth league coach. He bought an acre lot next to his pharmacy and turned it into a football field, organizing a team and feeding the boys peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before putting them through a Bible devotional, study hall, a CrossFit workout and, finally, practice. Even by south Georgia standards, this was intense.
“It was tough,” Stetson III says. “Because football’s always been fair. We had a saying, ‘It ain’t easy, but it’s fair.’ Then all of a sudden you feel like it wasn’t fair. But what are you going to do, sit there and [wallow] in it? Get up and go back to work.” “The most blunt way to say it, he had a ‘f--- you’ attitude,” says Seter, who is now playing at Limestone University in Gaffney, S.C., but remains close friends with Bennett. “And it was awesome.”
That demotion didn’t last long. Daniels struggled with injuries early last year, and, by Week 4, Bennett had taken over the starting job, complementing an all-time great defense as Georgia rolled through the regular season 12–0. The only question was whether he could make the necessary plays to win when the defense was not dominant.
Just before halftime in Lucas Oil Stadium, a miserably nervous Denise Bennett had to excuse herself. She left the Georgia parent section and retreated to a concourse bathroom. “I had to get my head right,” she says. At that point, the Georgia fan meltdown was in full effect. But on the sideline, Stet was simply ready for another chance to redeem himself. The former shortstop compared it to fielding a line drive as opposed to a slow roller—everything happened so fast, all he could do was react and get back on the field. There was no time to ponder the stakes and attendant pressure., you’re screwed,” Bennett says. “If you’re thinking of the magnitude of every play on every play? Forget it, man.
ByPatForde Stetson Bennett is what's great about college football. He's not 6'6'. He doesn't have a cannon for an arm. He was a walk on, not recruited. But he worked his butt off and became a champion. UGAAthletics
ByPatForde He wanted to put off his broadcasting career for another year?
EVILCOACHYEAH ByPatForde Damned good piece. Great writing Pat, great close! I’m a writer myself.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: YahooNews - 🏆 380. / 59 Read more »
Source: ABC - 🏆 471. / 51 Read more »
Source: sltrib - 🏆 316. / 61 Read more »
Source: PennLive - 🏆 463. / 53 Read more »
Source: CoinDesk - 🏆 291. / 63 Read more »