Oregon is not a bad team. Yes, they got their heads handed to them by the Dawgs in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, but Dan Lanning’s Ducks will motor through the PAC-12 and end the year with a respectable record. That said, Georgia dominated impressively.
The odds makers expected Oregon to lose, but not by 46 points. That margin of victory suggests that Oregon was overrated (along with the Dawgs being underrated), and the Ducks will crash in the rankings after the stunning margin of the Georgia win. It will be interesting to see where the Ducks rank after a few PAC-12 games. Maybe they will hear chants of “o-ver-ra-ted” as they drive through the schedule, but after seeing the Dawgs’ performance Saturday night, it may be that Georgia was simply underrated.
How dominant were the Dawgs? The numbers tell the tale: 49 points, 571 total yards, 90 percent conversion rate on third down, and points scored on 7 out of 8 drives. Not too shabby for a team starting a quarterback almost universally ignored by the QB ratings published in the run-up to the season.
Stetson Bennett should have won over the entire fan base by now, but we all know there are still doubters and fence-sitters. Twitter user @dawgsontop2017 posted a short stat sheet that might help:
Bennett’s last three opponents have been Michigan, Alabama, and Oregon. Stetson’s cumulative stats for those three games? How about 62 of 87 (71.3%) for 908 yards (10.43 yards per attempt), scoring seven touchdowns with zero interceptions? Oh, he also had a rushing touchdown.
While talking quarterbacks, Carson Beck shows the growth manifested by the staff’s confidence in him. It is more about the absence of wide-panicky-eyes when no one is open – he has always had the arm. Bennett’s steely confidence may be rubbing off on him.
Of course, it might be that both quarterbacks show the benefits of championship-level facilities and coaching. The explanation that involves work and money is usually correct.