Why Georgia needs to take the training wheels off Gunner Stockton

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The Georgia Bulldogs are back in a familiar place, getting set to face the Ole Miss Rebels in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday, with kickoff set for 8:00 p.m. ET.

Georgia, having compiled a 12-1 record as the SEC Champ in the regular season, got a first-round bye for the second straight year and is facing a team they beat 43-35 in the regular season.

That game was one of Georgia’s best offensive performances of the year, as the Bulldogs had their third-highest scoring output of the season, trailing only their wins over Marshall and Tennessee.

In that game, quarterback Gunner Stockton had one of his best games of the year, throwing for 289 yards and four touchdowns, while having only five incompletions. He also added 59 yards and a touchdown on the ground, keeping the Bulldogs ahead in a shootout.

Not only was Stockton dialed in throughout the contest, but he came up big in the fourth quarter as Georgia came back to score 17 unanswered points to finish the game. Stockton was a perfect 6 of 6 for 71 yards and a touchdown in the final period, while also adding 25 yards on the ground.

Georgia’s defense has been the heartbeat of this unit, but games like the one against Ole Miss showed what the offense could be when everything is clicking. The issue? That hasn’t happened very consistently this year.

The Bulldogs haven’t been very explosive at all this season, and the offense wasn’t very efficient to end the season. Against Georgia Tech, Stockton was just 11 of 21 passing for 70 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Georgia’s rushing offense went for 190 yards, but that was still a 16-9 slugfest without much from the passing game.

Against Alabama, Stockton threw for just 151 yards and two touchdowns, while Georgia ran for just 3.4 yards per carry, with their defense carrying them once again to a 28-7 win.

According to ESPN’s Bill Connelly, 49 percent of Georgia’s passes have been at or behind the line of scrimmage in the last four games, as he’s averaged just five yards per attempt. While the Bulldogs weren’t as explosive in the air before, they’ve become very conservative as of late.

We’ve seen what the Bulldogs can be in a shootout. And, that side will need to come out against an explosive Ole Miss offense that might be the best remaining in the College Football Playoff. That means Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs have to take the training wheels off Gunner Stockton and allow for more of a downfield passing attack.

Ole Miss’ pass defense is great. They struggle against the run, which is probably where Georgia will look to exploit. But, they’re going to need a passing attack as well this weekend, and Stockton will have a tough challenge ahead of him.

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