Bennett helps No. 4 Georgia rally past Arkansas, 37-10

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Stetson Bennett transferred away from Georgia after a freshman year spent far down the depth chart. Back then, in early 2018, he didn’t think he’d ever get a chance to lead his homestate Bulldogs to a win. Things change. Bennett wasn’t expected to play in the Bulldogs’ season and Southeastern Conference opener. The whole week was spent wondering whether Southern California transfer JT Daniels or redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis would get the call against Arkansas. But when Daniels wasn’t cleared because of injury and Mathis’ slow start led to the Bulldogs trailing against an opponent that hadn’t won an SEC game since October 2017, it was Bennett who had come full circle, back from junior-college football, and rallied Georgia to a 37-10 victory.

Bennett entered in the second quarter and led Georgia to a late first-half field goal and then marched the Bulldogs on three straight second-half possessions that ended in touchdowns, breaking open the game and leading to an unlikely hero in a game that looked devastating for a half with the No. 4 team in the country trailing 7-5 at halftime.

“When I left, no I didn’t ever think I’d ever be back. But when I came back, yeah, I thought I’d be here,” Bennett said.

It was a confident answer coming from a guy who originally left the school after his first year when other quarterbacks transferred in, usurping his spot on the depth chart. And even though he served as No. 2 to Jake Fromm last year, he was expected to be No. 3 in 2020.

Now Georgia coach Kirby Smart has to make another decision after Bennett went 20 for 29 for 211 yards and two touchdowns.

Mathis threw a red-zone interception and was sacked for a 17-yard loss pushing Georgia out of field goal range on third down during his 6-for-14 day, ceding quarterback duties to Bennett, trailing 7-2 after a safety was all the Bulldogs had to show on the scoreboard. Even his first four drives yielded only a field goal among a turnover-on-downs and a lost fumble.

AP Photo/Michael Woods ■ Georgia tight end John FitzPatrick (86) dives into the end zone past Arkansas defender Jalen Catalon (1) to score a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark.