That started and ended with Gunner Stockton.
He received criticism for not having wide receivers, poor field vision and mental processing errors, but he also redeemed himself with what could be considered the most explosive performance of his career when it mattered most.
At halftime, Stockton had completed 14 of his 19 pass attempts (74%) for 154 yards with one touchdown. He was also the team’s leading rusher with 34 rushing yards and a touchdown on four carries. He finished the game with 289 yards, 26-of-31 passing (84% completion rate), and four touchdowns.
He also carried the ball 10 times for 59 yards and a score. Head coach Kirby Smart was impressed with his quarterback, who said after the game that he felt like he was able to “let loose” more within the offense lately.
“The plays that Gunner made today, guys, he took it to another level because, I mean, they had a charge to attack the defense,” Smart said. “They got a guy covering the closed side of the floor. And they got a guy running at him. He got the ball out, beat the guy who was charging and then ran for the score.”
Stockton also used his legs the right way, instead of coming out at unnecessary moments, something that has been a problem for him in previous games.
“I had some great scrambles, great timed throws, darts, like the throw to Dillon Bell. I mean, let’s give credit where it’s due,” Smart continued. “He is prepared for these moments because he is tough and his team believes in him.
Smart also revealed that he played through a lot of pain after suffering an oblique issue that limited his practice this week.
“You know, I couldn’t talk about it, but this guy couldn’t practice on Mondays and Tuesdays. I mean, he literally couldn’t practice.”
When I met with Stockton after the game, he said it was the highest pace performance he had in his entire career.
“Yeah, definitely (it was my most rhythmic performance),” Stockton told me. “Not having to punt is definitely a sign of pace. I enjoyed it and it was a lot of fun.”
One of the highlights was his performance on deep passes, something he has sporadically struggled with. But with the multitude of split plays that kept Georgia going shot-for-shot with Ole Miss until the end, Stockton made every downfield shot he needed.
“I feel like I pitched pretty well today,” he continued. “There were only a couple of passes that I felt were at risk. One of them was to Noah Thomas. But I didn’t throw an interception, so it was good.”
Stockton and the Bulldogs will have a chance to take a short break as they continue to improve as they prepare to face the Florida Gators on Nov. 1 in Gainesville. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 pm ET.