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While it did not seem like it for most of the season, Georgia ended 2024 as the SEC Champions, earning a first-round bye in the College Football Playoffs. The Bulldogs will close out the second round against Notre Dame on New Year's Day, and Gunner Stockton will make his first career start at quarterback.
Stockton, a sophomore out of Tiger, Georgia, has been Carson Beck's backup for the past two seasons. The same elbow injury that forced Beck out of the SEC title game will keep him sidelined for the Sugar Bowl, where Stockton gets his first true chance to prove himself.
Debuting as a starter in the postseason against a top-10 team is not ideal, but it has been done before. Ohio State legend Cardale Jones pulled off the feat in 2014, taking the Buckeyes all the way despite not starting a single game in the regular season. Tua Tagovailoa also brought a championship back to Tuscaloosa after supplanting Jalen Hurts in the national championship game.
With Beck ruled out for the remainder of the season, Stockton has a chance to become the next college football star. It will not come easy against Notre Dame's elite defense.
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Georgia QB Gunner Stockton will score a rushing touchdown
Stockton is not necessarily a dual-threat quarterback, but he has the frame to be. He is just 6-foot-1 but has a 215-pound frame, making him one of the bigger quarterbacks Notre Dame will face all season.
Against bigger quarterbacks, Notre Dame has struggled to contain scrambles. Bryson Daily and Jayden Maiava both scored twice against the Irish on the ground, while Blake Horvath reached paydirt once. Even pocket passer Tony Muskett scored twice against them.
Of course, Daily and Horvath recorded significantly more carries than Stockton will. But once Georgia gets into the red zone, Stockton's legs could be their most overlooked threat with all the attention on Trevor Etienne and Nate Frazier. Stockton has yet to record a rushing touchdown in his career but is tougher to bring down than he lets on and could be a big factor for Kirby Smart and Mike Bobo.
Gunner Stockton will record 50+ rushing yards
Correlating with our previous prediction, Stockton's ground game could become a big part of Georgia's offense. There is not a lot of tape on Stockton for Marcus Freeman to observe, but with just 10 total rushing yards on the year, there are few clips that will promote him as a rushing threat.
They might not come on designed runs, but Stockton can be slippery out in space. Stockton is not the passer that Beck is, forcing Smart and Bobo to get creative with play designs.
Stockton's biggest issue will be taking sacks, which count as negative rushing yards in college football. He has been sacked three times in his three games in 2024, including twice against Texas.
Gunner Stockton will lead Oscar Delp to a big day
In the second half against Texas, Stockton guided the Bulldogs to a win but did not do much through the air. It is hard to hold that performance against him, but he was clearly timid to throw downfield against an aggressive secondary. Notre Dame's secondary will be just as tough for Georgia to crack.
However, while their secondary is stout, Notre Dame's rush defense is their true strength. The Irish allowed just 3.7 yards per carry in 2024, a top-25 mark in the nation. Stockton will be forced to pass, just not as much as Beck would have.
Of his 16 passes against Texas, Stockton averaged just 4.4 yards per attempt. It is a small sample size, but he has just four career completions of 20 yards or more. Georgia will almost certainly be conservative with its play calling, leading to a lot of crossing routes and short passes. That is where tight end Oscar Delp thrives.
A preseason All-SEC candidate, Delp has been limited by injuries in 2024. He has had two full weeks to get healthy for this game and is coming off a respectable three-catch performance in the SEC Championship Game. Expect him to be Stockton's primary target in the Sugar Bowl and pace the Bulldogs' receiving corps.
Gunner Stockton will hit Arian Smith for a deep score
Georgia's offense will contain a hefty diet of run plays and short passes but they eventually have to take a shot downfield. They may come sparingly in the first half, but as Notre Dame continues to stack the box, larger openings will begin to present themselves late in the game.
It is not as if Stockton cannot throw the ball downfield; he just has not had to do so. If all goes well for Georgia, he won't have to in this game either. That is just unreasonable to expect against a Notre Dame offense that has been red-hot over the past month.
Whenever Stockton unloads down the field, Arian Smith will be the likely target. He has been the Bulldogs' leading receiver on the year with 750 receiving yards. More importantly, he has been Beck's top downfield threat, averaging 16 yards per catch. He has the speed to beat Notre Dame's secondary with a good release. It will just be on Stockton to hit him in stride for a big play that would cause a major momentum shift.
