Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart will start a quarterback other than Carson Beck for the first time since the 2022 season. Georgia played backup quarterback Gunner Stockton in the second half of the Dawgs’ overtime win over Texas in the SEC championship.
Now, Stockton will make his first career start in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals against Notre Dame. It will be interesting to see how the Georgia offense changes under Stockton.
Smart does not think Stockton’s rushing ability changes the UGA offense too much from how it was under Carson Beck.
“You know, I think we are who we are in regards to that. I mean, we’ve played an entire season offensively,” said Smart. “Gunner’s a good athlete. I think Carson’s (Beck) a good athlete. So it’s one of those deals I don’t know how much that changes things.”
Stockton is a little bit quicker than Beck and ran the ball eight times for eight yards in the SEC championship. Georgia ran Stockton more often in one half that it ever ran Beck (season high: eight carries). We just aren’t buying this. We think Georgia will lean on Stockton’s legs quite a bit and utilize his mobility much more often than Beck.
Georgia had extended practice time for Stockton to acclimate to the starting role, so he should be more prepared.
“Well, I would say just experience, right? Just practice. He got lots of reps prior to these practices, but he’s getting much more now. I do think knowing when you get ready for an opponent like Notre Dame, you need time,” said Smart.
“I think the biggest thing is just competition and practice. The situations we put him in. All those things allow him to get better as a quarterback,” continued Smart.
Georgia plays Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl at 8:45 p.m. ET on Jan. 1.
