Gunner Stockton runs the show in Georgia season-opener

Running the football was a point of emphasis over the offseason for Georgia. They knew they couldn’t finish 15th in the SEC in rushing and still fulfill their goals. That emphasis made it no surprise that it was Georgia’s run game that shined in the season-opening 45-7 win over Marshall.

Yet, what wasn’t expected was that it’d be starting quarterback Gunner Stockton who’d lead the Bulldogs in rushing. The redshirt junior finished with 73 yards and two touchdowns on 10 attempts in just his second career start.

While Stockton enters the season as a question to some, his performance Saturday wasn’t a surprise to those on the team — especially junior defensive tackle Christen Miller, who has been around the quarterback since both were members of the 2022 recruiting class.

“I’m proud of him, just for the fact that I came in with him and I’ve seen how hard he worked each day just preparing,” Miller said of Stockton. “He took a lot of effort into his preparation, even last year when he wasn’t getting ready to start. So I just seen him grow up as a man too, so it’s just like I’m happy for him.”

Even former USC transfer Zachariah Branch knew what to expect from Stockton. Before transferring to Athens, Branch saw the redshirt junior play in bowl practice while taking a visit to Georgia. Much of what he saw then translated to Saturday.

“Oh, yeah, he’s a dog, man. I think he went out there and showed that to you guys himself. He can pass and he can run at the same time,” Branch said. “He’s a real versatile player. He’s a leader in the huddle, taking control of everybody, making sure we all are on the right page and encouraging us as well. So, blessed to have him as a quarterback.”

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart warned in the preseason that Stockton gave the offense the ability to do different things in the run game. Some of that was on display Saturday afternoon. Like on Georgia’s fourth-down conversion during its first drive, Stockton kept the ball on a speed option play-call for a 14-yard gain.

In addition to the speed option, Georgia showed Stockton keeping the ball on regular zone-read plays, while he even pulled the ball down and ran when passing plays broke down.

Certainly, it was a much different look for Georgia’s offense than it had been the last two years with Carson Beck under center.

As a passer, the Tiger, Ga., native completed 14 of his 24 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. The first was a 47-yarder to Branch in the third quarter. He then found former Vanderbilt transfer London Humphreys from two yards out, capping off his second start under center.

“Proud of Gunner. Great leader, great competitor. Just does it the right way,” Smart said. “Got us out of some negative plays. Had too many times that we could have been sacked, that he escaped. He took care of the ball well, made good decisions, made good reads on his pulls. Continues to distribute the ball and did a nice job.”

Georgia will look to make it 2-0 for the year next Saturday when it hosts Austin Peay. Kickoff inside Sanford Stadium is once again set for 3:30 p.m. EST.