CFP SEMIFINAL AT THE CAPITAL ONE ORANGE BOWL: GEORGIA VS MICHIGAN

December 28, 2021

Stetson Bennett

Hard Rock Stadium

Georgia Bulldogs

Press Conference

Q. When did you realize that a guy like Brock Bowers, a freshman, could be sort of a special player and a breakout player for you guys, because he really has been maybe the biggest weapon the team with a lot of injuries at receiver?

STETSON BENNETT: I don't know, I guess it was more of a progressive thing for me. There was a few times where working out over the summer, and we'd have these plyo boxes, and you'd see him jumping up there, but you don't know if he's just a freak athlete and he's going to be able to process things fast enough to play this year, and then as time goes on, you see that he's a freak athlete and he also can process things fast enough.

You always -- everybody we recruit in the skill positions are athletic enough and talented enough to do what he's done. I think where he shines the most is how slowly the game comes for him and how football smart he is.

There wasn't anything that just flashed. It was more a progressive thing over time.

Q. Your position coach there was just talking about how you came to end up being Georgia's primary No. 1 quarterback, and what he said is sometimes we as coaches undervalue a player's ability, and they take that personally. What is your relationship like with Coach Monken? I'm assuming -- what does it say that you could prove yourself only on your play on the field as opposed to having to overcome other factors? Like it was all tangible football play that got you into the position that you are.

STETSON BENNETT: You know, me and Monk are -- he's a great football coach. Anytime I have any questions, I can go to him and ask.

You know, you want your play on the field to be the only determining factor. That's what you sign up for. That's what you expect. So if that's been the case, then that is exactly all that you want because then it's up to you. You don't really want to rely on anybody else to perform or not perform. You want it to be in your hands.

Yeah, I guess that's all I have.

Q. Stetson, since you've been in this position down the road, you know that usually one of the most popular players on the team is the backup quarterback. Who do you lean on to handle the noise, the distraction, and are you confident in your abilities to lead this team to the National Championship?

STETSON BENNETT: I don't know. I mean, like I've said before, if you listen to them when they're telling you how good they are, then you're going to listen to them when they tell you how bad you are. I don't really care what anybody else says. My job is to go out every single day, build chemistry with these guys, watch film enough to be prepared for when the game comes, and that's the only thing I'm worried about. You can't put any value on people who really have no clue what they're talking about talking.

I wouldn't listen to myself if I was giving a speech on heart surgery. Not comparing football to heart surgery, but it's the same kind of gist. So why would I listen to somebody who doesn't do this for a living and just watches it happen. It really doesn't bother me. It's a bit frustrating sometimes, I guess, but like I said, I don't have social media, so I don't wallow in it. I don't sit in it. I don't think about it. All I'm thinking about is beating Michigan and being the best quarterback I can be for my teammates.

Q. I've got a question about the defense on your team, and given that you face them all the time in practice, I'm curious what specifically do they do that's so hard to play against, and what factors really just make them next-level elite or great?

STETSON BENNETT: Well, I think it's a combination of the type of players we have and the coaching staff on the defensive side of the ball. The coaching staff knows our strengths and our weaknesses, tries to amplify one and minimize the other. They're just -- I also think the coaching staff will also tell you they're just talented. You can't really do much in this game unless you have talented players, and I think our defense is the most talented defense in the country, and they're hungry to go out there and prove to you that they are every single game.

They're in the film room studying tendencies, studying what different formations mean to them, going over their calls. I think anybody on the offensive side of the ball would say it's a pleasure to practice against them every day, because they are the best in the country. If you go against the best in the country, then it's going to make you better. That's just how it works.

Q. I kind of wanted to get into your preparation for this game. You look at that edge rush, you look at Michigan being so multiple defensively, did you do anything different? Did you take any extra time, because you're not really familiar with it. You didn't watch any film on this team last year, didn't have any cross-sectional opponents. What was your preparation like coming into this and getting ready for Michigan?

STETSON BENNETT: Yeah, I mean, it's been -- I kind of separated it into like weeks, but in those specific weeks it would be the same as if it was a regular game. I didn't want to do anything too different. I mean, obviously we have a bunch more time, and so that allows me to put more time into them, but I didn't change anything up about my process, what I watch on what day, who I watch, because then I think you start overthinking things and you start -- it's just too much thought going into it.

Obviously I have watched more of them because of the time, but nothing in what I do each week has changed.