Kirk Herbstreit has spent years evaluating quarterbacks from the booth, and one of the names he trusted most took a hit in Week 7.
On College GameDay, Herbstreit pointed to [Gunner] Stockton as the quarterback who shook his confidence after last week’s performance.
"[Gunner] Stockton would be that quarterback, and then he has a game like last week," said Herbstreit. I don't know if they took their foot off the gas... they were up 14 [and then lost]."
That loss came in a 27-24 setback at home against Auburn, a game Georgia once appeared to have in hand. The Bulldogs jumped out fast, ripping off 75- and 89-yard drives in the opening eight minutes and change to build a 14-0 lead. From there, though, the afternoon turned.
Stockton’s first turnover helped Auburn claw back in the second quarter, and another interception in the third quarter fueled the Tigers’ push to a 24-14 lead. Georgia did fight back, thanks in part to a 94-yard touchdown drive that tied the game with 2:58 left. But when the Bulldogs got the ball back with a chance to finish the job, Stockton coughed it up on a fumble, and Auburn cashed in on the short field with the game-winning field goal.
It was a sharp departure from Stockton’s first stretch of the season. Entering Week 7, he had thrown only two interceptions all year, and he had just one game in which he averaged fewer than 9.2 yards per attempt. Against Auburn, though, he finished with just under 65% completions, 8.0 yards per pass, and doubled his interception total for the season.
Georgia’s first five games had looked as clean as they come: no real drama, no true close calls, no sign of trouble. But the 20-17 win over Alabama and the loss to Auburn showed a different side of the Bulldogs.
The defense, which had not given up more than 300 yards per game, did so in both outings. And after carrying a positive turnover margin in every game except one, Georgia broke even against Alabama before going minus-3 against Auburn.
Even with those bumps, Georgia remains in position in the SEC race, tied with Kentucky entering Week 8. Still, Herbstreit’s comments made one thing clear: he’s waiting for a much steadier outing from the quarterback he had believed in.
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