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‘I’ll remember it for the rest of my life’: Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett enjoys a standing ovation as the Bulldogs defeated TCU 65-7 in the fitting finale to the home stud’s final college game.
Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett took center stage in his final collegiate appearance, leading the Dawgs to their second straight national championship.
The Bulldogs became the first repeat champions since Alabama went back-to-back a decade ago.
Bennett was spectacular during Georgia’s 65-7 loss to TCU on Monday night in the college football playoff final, passing for 304 yards and 4 touchdowns, plus adding two more rushing.
Stetson Bennett and the Georgia Bulldogs won their second straight national championship
It was a fitting end to a college career for Bennett, who started out as a freshman before leaving briefly and returning to deliver Georgia its most recent two national titles.
With 13:25 left in the fourth quarter, coach Kirby Smart called a timeout in the middle of an offense so Bennett could walk away with a standing ovation in the final game of his torturous college career.
Reflecting on the moment was surreal for the 25-year-old. “That was special, I’ll remember it for the rest of my life,” Bennett said.
Bennett had a fairy tale ending in his last college game with his hometown school on Monday.
‘Champions of the whole damn world, man,’ he said.
Before Bennett’s back-to-back feat, the Dawgs hadn’t conquered college football since 1980.
Smart has had a special relationship with Bennett since the 25-year-old returned to Athens in 2019 after a stint at Mississippi community school Jones College.
The QB threw for four touchdowns, 304 yards on 18/25 in his second CFB championship win
Asked what was said during the couple’s warm embrace, Bennett said: “He just told me he loved me and just the journey we’ve been through together.”
“Just looking at everyone who was here when I got here, and they’re still here and we’re back to back, I just, I don’t know.”
Bennet went 29-3 as a starter at Georgia and joined Matt Leinart and AJ McCarron as the only quarterbacks to lead their teams to back-to-back national championships in the 21st century as Georgia became the fourth team to repeat since 1980.
Bennett made it look easy against a struggling TCU defense that looked beyond overpowering.