Gunner Stockton shines in Georgia’s win over Ole Miss: ‘He embodies our team’
ATHENS — After their respective performances this week, it’s hard to ignore the comparisons between Gunner Stockton and Carson Beck.
The latter threw four interceptions in a home loss to an unranked Louisville. After the game, Beck made things worse by throwing his teammate under the proverbial bus after his final interception.
Stockton, conversely, got every Georgia player on the bus and drove them to a 43-35 victory over No. 5 Ole Miss.
The current Georgia starter completed 26 of 31 passes for 289 yards. He threw for 4 touchdowns, 3 going to tight end Lawson Luckie.
“He’s a warrior,” Luckie said. “It’s like when everything’s covered, and it looks like there’s no good, you see him scramble out of the pocket and go get a first (down). He’s tough as nails. I love seeing him play. He embodies our team.”
For as great as Stockton was with his arm, it’s his legs that helped separate him on Saturday. He ran for 59 yards on 10 carries, a healthy chunk coming on a 22-yard touchdown in the first half.
What most of the world didn’t know was that Georgia coach Kirby Smart wanted to limit Stockton’s rushing attempts on Saturday because of an oblique injury he suffered against Auburn last week.
The Georgia coach was concerned Stockton wouldn’t be able to play and held him out of practice on Monday and Tuesday.
“He’s wired for these type (of) moments because he’s tough and his team believes in him,“ Smart said. “He’s beat up. And we’re like, OK, we won’t use you in the quarterback run game. We’ll get to you. ‘Uh-huh, coach, I want to run it. I want to run it. My team needs to see me run it.’ And he did.”
Georgia needed every bit of Stockton’s heroics on Saturday. The Georgia defense didn’t force a punt until the fourth quarter. The Rebels and Lane Kiffin scored touchdowns on their first five drives of the game.
Stockton got the ball back down 35-26 in the third quarter. For the fourth time in five games, Stockton and Georgia fell behind by two scores. Making matters more difficult, Stockton’s leading receiver, Colbie Young, exited on the third play of the game with a significant lower leg injury.
Yet Georgia now sits at 4-1 in SEC play heading into the off week as the Bulldogs outscored Ole Miss 17-0 in the fourth quarter.
“We wanted to score every possession because our defense was having a hard job stopping them,” Stockton said. “It was definitely one that will go down in my memory as a great game.”
While Saturday may have been the best statistical showing of Stockton’s Georgia career, none of his teammates were surprised by the performance.
After every hit and Ole Miss score, Stockton kept leading the Georgia team out on the field to find points.
He succeeded, as the Bulldogs did not punt on Saturday.
“I don’t even think he elevated,” wide receiver Zachariah Branch said. “I mean, I feel like that’s just him. You know, he’s out there doing what he does. He’s always a great person, great player. And, you know, he always keeps composure and he shows toughness every single day in practice and every single game as well.”
Branch further praised Stockton as a vocal leader, something Beck wasn’t always a season ago. Consider that at the end of a 28-10 loss to Ole Miss, Beck was spotted smiling on the bench in a game where he threw for 186 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.
The difference between Beck and Stockton has never been more stark.
“They see how that kid plays,” Smart said of Stockton. “They want to play for him. They want to compete for him. The backs, too, the receivers, they love Gunner. I mean, Gunner’s the most lovable guy because he never crosses anybody. He’s just Mr. Positive and, ‘yes, sir, coach. Yes, sir, coach.’ You can’t get him to say anything.”
After a win like that, the comparisons with Beck should probably be put to bed, at least among those Georgia fans who monitored Beck like an ex-girlfriend.
The quarterback Georgia currently has is a ton of fun and only getting better.
“I felt like I’ve been able to cut it loose a little bit and not worry about what could happen and just playing quarterback and having fun,” Stockton said.
About the Author
Connor Riley has been covering the University of Georgia since 2014 before moving to DawgNation full-time before the 2018 season. He helps in all areas of the site such as team coverage, recruiting, video production, social media and podcasting. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2016.
