Georgia quarterback JT Daniels will not start Saturday’s showdown against No. 8 Arkansas, whose starting quarterback, KJ Jefferson, will play after being a game-time decision with a posterior cruciate ligament sprain in his left knee.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart made the move after watching Daniels, who is dealing with a lat injury, in warm-ups. Backup Stetson Bennett will get his second start of the season for the No. 2 Bulldogs.
“JT has a lat issue that’s bothering him, so looking forward to seeing Stetson go play,” Smart told ESPN’s Holly Rowe prior to kickoff. “He’s got to cut it loose and go.”
The latissimus dorsi, commonly known as lats, is the V-shaped muscle that connects the arms to the vertebrae column.
Daniels ranks eighth in the FBS in Total QBR (87.6) through four games. Bennett started earlier this season against UAB and also saw action last week against Vanderbilt.
“[Bennett] has a little more mobility,” Smart said. “We hope we could use that. And we’ve got to get JT healthy.”
Arkansas coach Sam Pittman had told ESPN’s College GameDay that Jefferson would be a game-time decision after he was limited in practice this week. Jefferson was wearing a brace on his left knee in practice this week.
Jefferson tweaked the knee in last week’s victory against Texas A&M. He ranks 14th in FBS in passing efficiency (170.1) and is second with an average of 10.8 yards per completion. Overall, he has thrown for 844 yards and six touchdowns.
ESPN’s Chris Low and Harry Lyles contributed to this report.
