OC Todd Monken – QB Stetson Bennett gives Georgia best shot to beat Michigan in CFP semifinal

Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett said he hasn’t spent a moment thinking about his job security as he prepares to face Michigan in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Friday. In fact, he said, he’s barely aware of the debate.

“I don’t have social media, so I don’t wallow in it,” Bennett said Tuesday. “I don’t sit in it. I don’t think about it. All I’m thinking about is beating Michigan.”

Bulldogs offensive coordinator Todd Monken gave Bennett his full support Tuesday, too, saying the former walk-on gives Georgia its best shot to beat Michigan. Monken also confirmed Bennett will have another key contributor on offense for the College Football Playoff semifinal, as receiver George Pickens is expected to play after missing a week of bowl practice earlier this month.

“If you look at the plays he’s made, he’s made national championship plays. He has,” Monken said of Bennett. “You turn on the film and look at some of the throws he makes, the decisions he makes, the things he does with his feet. There’s no doubt in my mind we can win the national championship. There’s no doubt in my mind we can win it with Stetson Bennett.”

Bennett opened the season as the backup quarterback for the Bulldogs, but he saw action in Week 2 with former five-star recruit JT Daniels injured, and he threw for five touchdowns in the process. By early October, Bennett was again the starter, leading the Bulldogs to a 12-0 regular season and a No. 1 ranking entering the SEC championship game.

Still, debate persisted about whether Bennett, a former walk-on, was good enough to take the Bulldogs to a national championship, and after Alabama trounced UGA to win the SEC, the discussion got louder, as Bennett’s doubters wondered whether the former walk-on was talented enough to win on the biggest stage. It’s an argument Bennett said he doesn’t let affect him.

“I wouldn’t listen to myself if I was giving a speech on heart surgery,” Bennett said. “So why would I listen to somebody who doesn’t do this for…