QB changes possible for Georgia-Florida
Florida coach Dan Mullen has fielded quarterback questions all season: Emory Jones? Anthony Richardson? Why Jones? Why not Richardson?
If he’s frustrated by the weekly inquiries, Mullen hasn’t shown it. He did, however, offer a possible glimpse as the Gators returned from a bye week and began preparations to play top-ranked Georgia in their annual rivalry game known as “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.”
“Have they named a starting quarterback? I’m sure that’s got to be … that’s shocking,” Mullen said on Monday. “That’s their No. 1 deal, right, who their starter is? Much bigger than ours. They’re the No. 1 team. So I’m shocked how anybody’s even looking at our situation.”
Both teams’ unsettled QB situations are sure to be one of the main story lines as the Bulldogs (7-0, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) and the Gators (4-3, 2-3) square off in Jacksonville for the 86th time in the last 89 years. Georgia is a 14 1/2-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart insisted Monday he doesn’t know whether Stetson Bennett or JT Daniels will start.
“It’s going to be based on practice,” Smart said. “No decision has been made whatsoever.”
Bennett started the last three games in place of Daniels, who is recovering from a strained lat. Bennett, who also started the second game of the season against UAB while Daniels was sidelined with an oblique injury, leads the SEC with a 210.93 passing efficiency rate.
Sticking with Bennett would be the conservative approach. The fifth-year senior hasn’t completed more than 14 passes in any start this season — mostly out of necessity — but he also has 10 touchdown passes and no turnovers in those games.
Smart went with Bennett last year against Florida, and Bennett had a miserable game. He was 5-of-16 passing for 78 yards, with a touchdown, an interception and a shoulder injury. D’Wan Mathis came off the bench and was even worse, throwing for 34 yards and two interceptions and getting sacked three times.
Smart switched to Daniels the following week. The former USC transfer is 7-0 since. But Smart hasn’t seen enough this week to make a call on Daniels’ availability against the Gators. ILLINOIS QB SITKOWSKI OUT FOR SEASON WITH BROKEN ARM >> Illinois quarterback Artur Sitkowski will miss the rest of the season after breaking his left arm against Penn State. Brandon Peters will start the Illini’s home game against Rutgers on Saturday.
Coach Bret Bielema announced Monday that Sitkowski would have surgery on his arm Wednesday and have another operation in two to four weeks to correct a chronic problem in his right shoulder. Bielema said Sitkowski would miss spring practice and should be full strength next fall.