INGLEWOOD, California. – Stetson Bennett competed in Georgia nearly six years ago when the Bulldogs became college football’s most dominant program during the early days of the Bulldogs’ growth. He walked to a standing ovation from thousands of grateful Bulldogs fans during a timeout early Monday night in the fourth quarter.
As Bennett’s unlikely journey traces the path of the Bulldogs’ recent past, Brock Bowers embodies Georgia’s present and future as a powerhouse of outstanding talent who have known nothing but championships for two incredible years.
The quarterback’s remarkable connection to his tight end was on display throughout the 65-7 demolition of the TCU by the Dawgs, and that chemistry played a major role in the Bulldogs becoming champions again.
Bowers finished with seven catches for 152 yards and a touchdown from Bennett, including a 22-yard TD catch that firmly shut the door for the Horned Frogs in the third quarter of that epic blowout.
Bennett is more than five years older than Bowers, but the quarterback bridged that modest generational gap to form a partnership that had one final national showcase at SoFi Stadium.
In the first half, Bennett became the first player in Georgia’s long history to streak for a total of 4,000 yards in his career, with much help from Bowers. He also broke Aaron Murray’s yards-passing record for the Bulldogs in a season in the first half, appropriate punctuation for a season in which the Bulldogs broke offenses early with passing before heading to wins.
Bennett is older than five quarterbacks on current NFL playoff teams, but he finished 29-3 as a starter at Georgia. Bennett joined Matt Leinart and AJ McCarron as the only quarterbacks to lead their teams to back-to-back national championships in the 21st century, when Georgia became only the fourth team to repeat since 1980.
Bowers’ decision to relocate to Athens from Northern California, and its subsequent growth into a footballing juggernaut that inspires comparisons to Travis Kelce, is a prime example of what Georgia has become in recent seasons – a national powerhouse that has players from all over the world Map corners of the world and turn them all into stars.
A 6-foot-4 multisport athlete with incredible speed for his size, Bowers has been a spectacular success since arriving in Georgia in 2021. He’s hosted the Bulldogs for two straight years, playing multiple roles and causing countless headaches for opposing defenses with his strength, speed and versatility.
By late in the third quarter of the title game, Bowers had received more yards than TCU’s total offensive yards.
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