Steadfast Stockton Wills Georgia To Another Comeback Win 43-35! Will His Breakout Continue?

Stockton Equals Revival

The Bulldogs’ defense has not played to the masterful levels of years past. It has been gashed often, especially early in games, against the Tennessee Volunteers, the Crimson Tide, the Auburn Tigers, and the Rebels. In each of those games, Georgia fell behind by multiple scores, and against all, except Mississippi, they faced double-digit deficits.

Stockton’s persistence compelled a comeback from down 21-7 against the Volunteers to pull out a 44-41 overtime thriller. He willed a turnaround after being thoroughly dominated by Auburn in the first half and falling behind by 10. Stockton overwhelmed the Tigers the rest of the game and got a huge road win. He nearly pulled out another bounce-back victory against Alabama after getting blitzed in the first quarter and trailing by 14. Against Mississippi, like so many earlier opponents, Stockton once again would have to find a way to overcome plentiful obstacles.    

Stockton Sparks A Bounceback

The Rebels blitzed the Bulldogs’ defensive corps throughout the first half. On each possession, they scored a touchdown. Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss could not be stopped, leading his offense to 225 yards and a masterful 5 for 5 on third downs. He completed 14 of 20 passes for 137 yards and kept Georgia on its heels.

Chambliss didn’t let up in the third quarter. Within the first minute, he struck again for a 75-yard touchdown pass to De’Zhaun Stribling. He followed in the next drive with a brilliantly executed 12-play, 75-yard drive that killed nearly six minutes off the clock. Mississippi scored yet another touchdown and extended its lead to 35-26. At this point, the Bulldogs didn’t look like they would ever stop the Rebels, and a second home loss loomed.

Stockton did all he could to keep Georgia reasonably close during the Mississippi offensive explosion. He led the Bulldogs to scores on every drive in the first half and completed 14 of 19 passes for 168 yards. He threw an 11-yard scoring strike to Lawson Luckie and ran in for a 22-yard touchdown, helping to get Georgia to within one at the half.

Stockton immediately responded to Chambliss’ 75-yard strike by marching the Bulldogs on a 9-play, 75-yard drive. Stockton completed every pass on the Georgia possession, going 5 for 5 for 38 yards. He finished the critical counterstrike with a 3-yard scoring throw to Luckie.

The Bulldogs’ theme throughout the year in big matchups is to struggle in the first half before flipping the script in the second. Smart surely hoped that the defense would get stops in the third quarter, but the Rebels continued to score at will. Finally, the Georgia defense realized that the game was getting late, and that is when it played at its best.

Mississippi’s last three drives of the contest led to two three-and-outs and a feeble 5-play, 12-yard drive to close the game. Smart and his coaching staff are among the best in the country at making late-game adjustments and saying just the right thing to spark energy. It worked again in a desperate spot against Mississippi.

Without Stockton, the defensive awakening would have all been for naught. Down nine, he led the Bulldogs to scores on their next three possessions. He threw two more touchdown passes, his third to Luckie and a scoring strike to Nate Frazier. Now, with Georgia up five and getting the ball back, he commanded a masterful drive that forced the Rebels to use all their timeouts and bled four and a half minutes off the clock.

The Bulldogs’ magnificent kicker, Petron Woodring, boomed home a 43-yard field goal to put Georgia up eight. The defense clinched the game with the stifling final drive, and Stockton had yet another extraordinary comeback in his belt!

End Of My Gunner Stockton Rant

Scouts and insiders focus on physical tools and what looks best in workouts. Too often, they miss the intangibles and the chemistry created. Beck, no doubt, on paper, looks like the finer prospect than Stockton. He currently projects to be a superior pro, but he isn’t a better fit for the Bulldogs.

Last season, Georgia slogged through most of its games. There was a missing spark and a lack of cohesion. That is firmly back in place now; it may not always be pretty, but there is enthusiasm that centers around Stockton. He doesn’t know the meaning of quit; therefore, his team will not either. The Bulldogs’ defense is the worst that it has been since the early days of the Smart era. Yet Georgia is firmly in the playoff hunt because of its quarterback.

Stockton, especially if he keeps adding more heart-stopping comebacks, will go down with some of the most beloved Georgia quarterback legends. Being overlooked and doubted is all too similar to what Bennett faced, even right up to the very end of his back-to-back championship run.

Smart loves the gamers with spirit; he had his best in Bennett, and he now has Stockton, who is rapidly moving up the all-time charts. As his confidence grows, the potential for greatness only expands. What Bulldogs enthusiasts have seen so far is only the beginning; they need to strap in and enjoy the ride!