Georgia knows it can win because of, not just with, QB Gunner Stockton
ATHENS — Perhaps no Georgia player has ever succinctly summed up Gunner Stockton better than defensive lineman Jordan Hall.
“He’s got to stop taking so many ... hits, but he’s playing his ass off,” Hall said.
Stockton did have seven carries on Saturday, rushing for only 22 yards. He was popped by the Vanderbilt defense on multiple occasions, including a near safety in the first half.
But to Hall’s second point, he mostly carved up the Vanderbilt secondary on Saturday. Stockton had a season-high 295 yards on 32 attempts in Georgia’s 38-14 win. He had three passing touchdowns on the afternoon. Two more completions saw his receiver get taken down at the one-yard line.
On a day when Stockton passed Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo in the school record books for career touchdown passes, the current quarterback again led the Bulldogs to a comfortable win.
“Vanderbilt presents a lot of problems defensively, and they brought some guys in unorthodox positions,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “They had some timely pressure calls. Gunner took advantage of those, and he didn’t make the catastrophic mistake. The close one there on the almost safety/touchdown play, not like he had no way to get out of that. He had nothing he could do, and he still saved us.”
Stockton got hit as he was attempting to pass out of the Georgia end zone in the second quarter. Fortunately for Stockton and the Bulldogs, officials ruled his forward progress had been stopped before the ball exited Stockton’s hand.
That drive resulted in a punt. It was one of just three Georgia drives led by Stockton that didn’t end in points.
Stockton led touchdown drives to open each half. He hit Landon Roldan for a two-yard touchdown to put the Bulldogs up 7-0.
Roldan almost had Stockton’s second touchdown pass on Saturday when he came down with a 55-yard bomb. He got brought down at the one-yard line, setting up a Chauncey Bowens touchdown run.
Stockton’s most popular target on Saturday was running back Dwight Phillips Jr. He had a team-best 75 receiving yards on five receptions.
Vanderbilt was aggressive with its pressures, leaving Phillips in multiple advantageous situations. All five of his receptions netted Georgia double-digit yards.
“Peanut, he’s one of the best teammates we’ve got,” Stockton said. “Just seeing him and what he does with the ball, he’s one of the best guys on the field. So anytime he’s in some open space, it’s always pretty good.”
Stockton didn’t get a ton out of the ground game on Saturday, as Georgia had a season-low 176 rushing yards. Bo Walker accounted for 59 of those on a single run in the fourth quarter.
Stockton had already exited the game by then, making it the fifth straight game he gave Georgia a large enough lead to get backup Ryan Puglisi some reps.
That will likely change next week when the Bulldogs visit Alabama. The Crimson Tide won again on Saturday, with Keelon Russell dazzling for Alabama.
For as spectacular as Russell has been so far this season, Stockton has been right there in terms of producing winning plays. He’s thrown 13 touchdowns and just one interception all season.
Coming off an Oklahoma game where he admittedly wasn’t at his best, he delivered one of the better passing performances of his career.
That he was missing two of his top receivers — Isiah Canion was out, and Thomas Blackshear left the game with a shoulder injury — and running back Nate Frazier was again limited speaks to just how vital he has become to Georgia’s success.
The Bulldogs won on Saturday with Stockton as the driving force behind the offense, instead of merely as a passenger along for the ride.
“He’s able to read that and able to throw, pass on the run, be able to get hit and also get up,” linebacker Chris Cole said. “So, you know, Gunner’s an overall great player and I love seeing him play.”