ATHENS, Ga. _ At this point, it's clear Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett deserves a nickname. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, he already has one.
"The Mailman," as he was known while playing for Pierce County High, delivered a victory for the second consecutive week. A week after coming off the bench to lead Georgia to a comeback win over Arkansas, Bennett was masterful in his first career start, staking the No. 4 Bulldogs to an early 24-0 lead and letting Georgia's vaunted defense take it from there to defeat No. 7 Auburn, 27-6.
Bennett played like he was delivering the mail in Blackshear, leading Georgia on four consecutive scoring drives spanning the first and second quarters. Bennett was at his best on third down, coming through for the Bulldogs six of nine times in the first half alone. He finished with 240 yards and a touchdown on 17-of-28 passing as Georgia piled up 415 total yards, including 202 rushing.
The victory was Georgia's ninth in its past 11 games against Auburn in what's known as the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry. Georgia coach Kirby Smart improves to 5-1 against the Tigers.
The win sets up another top-25 showdown next Saturday when the Bulldogs play host to Tennessee. The Volunteers defeated Missouri, 35-12, on Saturday.
Asked afterward if his team could compete with No. 4 UGA, Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt told reporters, "absolutely."
Georgia's offense, so inefficient in the opener at Arkansas, got on track quickly with Bennett at the controls Saturday. He led the Bulldogs to their first touchdown on their second possession of the game, a 10-play, 43-yard drive. The key play was a beauty, with the elusive Bennett spinning left from heavy pressure and squaring up to fire a strike to Jackson on the Georgia sideline for 17-yard gain on third-and-10. Zamir White got every touch but one from there, covering the remaining 32 yards on a reception and three runs, the last one a two-yard TD run.
An Auburn three-and-out had the Bulldogs take over at their own 37. This time they used 11 plays and another long, third-down-conversion completion from Bennett to Jackson for 18 yards to get Georgia down to the 4. Consecutive incompletions forced the Bulldogs to settle for a 21-yard field goal and a 10-0 lead.
But Bennett's best work was still ahead of him. This time he led Georgia on an 11-play, 84-yard scoring drive, with Bennett delivering third-down conversions three times along the way. The last one was the best one, as Bennett sent a high-arcing pass down the left Georgia sideline, leading George Pickens perfectly for a 21-yard touchdown and a 17-0 lead.
White would collect his second touchdown of the night with an untouched 1-yard to cap a 72-yard drive and stake the Bulldogs to a 24-0 lead with 6:26 remaining in the half. White would lead the Bulldogs with 76 yards rushing in the first half as Georgia rolled up 280 total yards before halftime. White, the sophomore coming off ACL surgeries to both knees, left the game in the fourth quarter with 88 yards on 19 carries as other backs finished the day's work.
The Tigers would cut Georgia's lead to 24-3 by halftime and got within 18 in the third quarter. But the Bulldogs' nationally-renown defense made sure the margin would hold up and Bennett oversaw a rejuvenated offensive effort.
It was unclear if Bennett would start, even though he played so well in leading Georgia to victory in Fayetteville. D'Wan Mathis, who started the opener, came in to relieve Bennett with the outcome in hand with 4:48 remaining.
There were some negatives for Georgia. The main one was losing senior safety Richard LeCounte to a targeting disqualification late in the second quarter. The All-American candidate will have to sit out the first half against Tennessee as a result.
And running back James Cook, who was averaging 8.2 yards a carry at the time, had to leave the game late in the second quarter because of a hand injury. The junior did not play in the second half and his availability next week is uncertain.
