Stetson Bennett gets curtain call from Kirby Smart during national championship game

Georgia beat TCU by such a big margin in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday that the Bulldogs were able to spend the entire fourth quarter doing curtain calls and giving players appropriate sendoffs.

With 13:25 left in the fourth quarter, Georgia coach Kirby Smart pulled quarterback Stetson Bennett off the field so he could receive the proper applause from the fans. Smart also gave Bennett a big hug and pat on the helmet to congratulate him on the wonderful career.

The storybook exit meant a lot to Bennett.

“That was special. I will remember that for the rest of my life,” Bennett told ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the game.

Bennett also told Rowe that Smart told him that he loved him.

Bennett went from being a walk-on player to winning consecutive national championships for the Bulldogs. Who could have ever seen that coming? Not even Smart, otherwise he wouldn’t have been playing the quarterback carousel last season.

Bennett also was on his A-game in this one. He went 18/25 for 304 yards, 4 touchdown passes, and he rushed for 2 scores in the 65-7 win. That’s a heck of a way to end a career.