When JT Daniels took a knee to finally secure a hard-fought 31-24 victory against the pesky Mississippi State Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium, Georgia fans breathed a sigh of relief. Not just because the Dawgs escaped with a narrow victory, but because they finally watched a competent quarterback lead them to it.
It has been an up and down year at QB for the #13 ranked Bulldogs, to put it lightly. A horrible start week one by surprise starter D’Wan Mathis led to him being replaced by former walk-on Stetson Bennett III. After a few above-average showings against overmatched Arkansas, Auburn, and Tennessee, the Stetson show came crashing down in consecutive brutal performances against Alabama, Kentucky, and Florida. As fans and pundits continued to watch Georgia’s offense miss open receivers and stall on drive after drive, there was one question on everyone’s mind; Where is JT Daniels?
Initial reports at the beginning of the season were that Daniels’ surgically repaired knee wasn’t fully healed. That turned out to be true as it has since been confirmed that he was not medically cleared for the opener against Arkansas. He was, however, cleared for every game after starting with Auburn. Kirby Smart continually has stated that Daniels didn’t show the mobility required to start in practice and that it took time for him to trust his surgically repaired knee again. If that really was the case, then kudos to Smart and the staff for putting player safety first. If that was just a convenient excuse to cover up the fact that Smart misjudged his QB room, then shame on him and offensive coordinator Todd Monken for not putting the most talented player on the field at the most important position.
Against a very solid Mississippi State defense, Daniels threw for 401 yards and 4 touchdowns, becoming the first player in over seven years to throw for that many yards for the Dawgs. It is sad to think what the outcome would have been if he had started against Florida’s vulnerable secondary, where Stetson Bennett missed wide-open receivers all game. Unfortunately for Kirby, this crazy COVID season will always be remembered as what could have been, and the criticism for his handling of the situation will be added to the list of complaints against the head coach. At least the Dawgs finally have their guy under center, and these last few games against overmatched competition should be a great acclimation period for Daniels as he gears up to lead another title chase in 2021.
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