Gunner Stockton Has Completely Changed Georgia's Offense

Gunner Stockton has completely changed Georgia's offense.

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton made his debut as the full-time starter for Georgia on Saturday. He finished the day with four total touchdowns, no interceptions, and made impactful plays both with his arm and with his legs. The opponent may have been Marshall, but it's very obvious that Stockton has changed the Bulldogs' offense.

The most noticeable difference Stockton brings is in short-yardage situations. There were two plays on Saturday in which the Dawgs had a fourth and short and a third and short situation in the red zone. Both times, Marshalls' defense committed to the running back, in what would have been a stop had the back gotten the ball; instead, Stockton kept them both for a touchdown.

Stockton also displayed great pocket awareness and short-area quickness. Marshall managed to get some free rushers on Saturday, and Stockton managed to get out of the pocket and turn it into a positive gain just about every time. It's not just about Stockton's ability, but his awareness to make a defender miss, keep his eyes downfield, and keep the sticks moving and the offense moving on time.

The Georgia quarterback brings something to the offense that they haven't had over the last couple of seasons. Defenses now have to respect the quarterback's legs, which, in return, opens up the run game and creates new windows of opportunity.

This past weekend, Georgia showed speed option, read option and moved Stockton around in the pocket. Things they have't done in quite a while. The entire identity of the offense has not changed, but Stockton has certainly created the ability for offensive coordinator Mike Bobo to add new wrinkles into the offense.

Stockton didn't throw for 300 yards in his first game this season, but he certainly impacted the football game in a multitude of ways and will continue to do that moving forward.