Stetson Bennett replaces D’Wan Mathis at QB after Georgia’s slow start

D’Wan Mathis’ reign as Georgia’s quarterback didn’t last long.

Mathis was pulled from the game Saturday in favor of backup Stetson Bennett in the second quarter of the Bulldogs game at Arkansas. Mathis, a redshirt freshman, made his first career start and was 6-of-14 for 37 yards and an interception in six drives of work.

Bennett was 9-of-42 passing for 92 yards in the first half.

Georgia, trailing 7-5 at halftime, took a 27-10 lead late in the third quarter when Bennett connected with George Pickens on a 19-yard touchdown and then threw a TD to tight end John FitzPatrick. Georgia defender Eric Stokes then returned an interception for a touchdown.

The Bulldogs went on to win 37-10.

Bennett’s last appearance came in relief of an injured Jake Fromm in the SEC Championship Game last season. Other than that, he hasn’t appeared in a game outside of mop-up duty.

The decision to start Mathis wasn’t officially revealed until the Bulldogs’ first series of the game. He was the first Bulldog other than Jake Fromm to start a game under center since the 2017 season opener.

Mathis came to Georgia as a four-star recruit, but missed last season after undergoing emergency brain surgery to remove a brain cyst in May. He returned to practice later in the season serving as the scout team quarterback.

After Wake Forest grad transfer Jamie Newman opted out of the 2020 season, the battle to be Georgia’s starting QB was believed to be between Mathis and Southern Cal transfer J.T. Daniels.

Kirby Smart indicated before the game that Daniels still wasn’t fully cleared for game action. Daniels, however, was in uniform and part of Georgia’s warmups.

Georgia vs Arkansas football score

This story was originally published September 26, 2020 at 5:26 PM with the headline "Stetson Bennett replaces D’Wan Mathis at QB after Georgia’s slow start."