Kirby Smart liked almost everything he saw from Gunner Stockton against Western Kentucky. The Georgia quarterback finished with five touchdown passes, guided touchdown drives on all six possessions he played, completed all but three of his throws, and never turned the ball over.
Still, one part of Stockton’s afternoon bothered Smart.
"He (Stockton) took some hits today that I don't want him to take," Smart said via dawgpost.com. "He took two or three.
One, he probably could, could have controlled it and, and, and done something about it, and, uh, the others he couldn't. He's tough.
He'll stand in there and not flinch, but he's played well."
That concern has nothing to do with Stockton’s production. It’s about keeping Georgia’s quarterback upright.
The Bulldogs don’t have much margin if he gets banged up, and neither of Georgia’s backup quarterbacks has shown they’re really ready for SEC action. One injury to Stockton could throw a wrench into the season.
That’s why Smart wanted less freelancing against a Western Kentucky team Georgia didn’t need to lean on Stockton’s legs to beat. The Bulldogs could win that game without asking their quarterback to absorb unnecessary punishment, and Smart clearly would have preferred that path.
Stockton’s toughness is part of what makes him different. His passing game appears improved this season, but there are still quarterbacks who throw it better. What sets him apart is the combination of running ability and willingness to absorb contact.
Smart isn’t asking him to give that up. He just wants Stockton to be more selective. There’s a difference between playing hard and taking a hit that doesn’t need to happen, and against Western Kentucky, Smart thought Stockton crossed that line a couple times.
For the most part, Stockton did what Georgia needed. He didn’t have to be the focal point of the ground game, and he spent much of the afternoon letting the Bulldogs’ backs do the heavy lifting. But Smart still saw one hit too many.
It fits with what Georgia did in Week 1 against Tennessee State, when Stockton didn’t run the ball at all. The message was the same in both games: Georgia didn’t need him to take punishment to win.
If that means Stockton leaves a few points on the board while protecting himself, so be it. Smart made it clear there’s a time and place for toughness, and that next stretch begins this week with Georgia’s SEC opener at Arkansas.
In Other News...
Georgia Suddenly Has A Tyriq Green Concern At The Worst Time
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The timing matters because Georgia is also working around other absences, including wide receiver Thomas Blackshear and outside linebackers Chase Linton and Amaris Williams. That leaves the Bulldogs with a few different spots to monitor as the week goes on, and Greens availability could become one of the more important updates before the next game plan is finalized. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Just Added Intrigue To One Of Its Biggest Recruiting Battles
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What stood out around the visit was Andrew Smart, Kirby Smarts son, who was observed helping during warmups and spending time with Jacobs. Georgia clearly had attention from one of the nations top prospects, but sources have indicated a flip would still be difficult, which is what makes this one worth watching as the Bulldogs try to stay in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Opens SEC Play With Ryan Silverfield Under Unwanted Scrutiny
Georgias SEC opener comes with a little extra edge because it arrives against an Arkansas program now led by Ryan Silverfield, whose introduction to league play has already carried some unexpected baggage. Silverfield took over in Fayetteville after his run at Memphis, and his first conference matchup against the Bulldogs brings back a comment he once made about Georgias player arrests, a remark that was serious enough to draw a response from Kirby Smart and linger a bit longer than anyone in Athens probably wanted.
Smart brushed it off as much ado about nothing, but the episode still adds a layer to a game that would have had plenty of attention anyway. Silverfield tried to put the matter in perspective at SEC Media Days, saying he respects Smart and clarifying what he meant, yet the backdrop remains part of the conversation as Arkansas prepares to open league play against one of the conferences standard-bearers. [Read more 🡒]