INDIANAPOLIS — Stetson Bennett IV doesn’t quit. He didn’t quit as a high-schooler when he traveled to camp after camp wearing a United States Postal Service hat simply to get noticed. He didn’t quit as a freshman walk-on when he played for his dream school despite being buried down the depth chart. He didn’t quit when he transferred to Jones County (Mississippi) Community College. He didn’t quit when he bet on himself by transferring back to Georgia as a scholarship quarterback hoping for playing time.
In the 33-18 win over Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday night, Bennett didn’t quit when questionable decision-making kept the Crimson Tide in the game despite their own struggles on offense. The most glaring mistake that tested the resiliency of Bennett, however, came in the fourth quarter when he was sacked by Christian Harris and fumbled the ball forward. Defensive back Brian Branch picked it up on the Georgia 16-yard line, not knowing it was a live ball, and five plays later, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young tossed a touchdown pass to give his team a one-point lead.
“I just knew that there would be no way that I was going to let a turnover like that stop us from winning a national championship,” Bennett said on the broadcast. “I wasn’t going to let that happen. I wasn’t going to be the reason we lost it.”
Bennett went 3-of-3 passing on the ensuing drive, including a perfect 40-yard touchdown strike to Adonai Mitchell to put his team back up by one. All told, he went 4-of-4 passing for 83 yard with two touchdowns and zero interceptions in the fourth quarter as his Bulldogs scored the final 20 points of the game against the reigning national champions.
It was Bennett who came up clutch on the…
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