By: Robert Craft

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

How well Gunner Stockton will perform is still unclear.

As the world finds out about him off the field, Stockton’s a Georgia folk hero, his bona fide attributes are being filled in: his small-town roots, how he got his name, the fact he drives a 1984 Ford pickup. Stockton keeps four or five cows back home in Rabun County, which has become a running joke with some of his Georgia teammates.

There is no known correlation between bovine ownership and quarterback ability, and in less than a week, Georgia faces off against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

Here are a few football-centric takeaways from Saturday, the day before Georgia leaves for New Orleans. After offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and four of his players met with members of the media.

Georgia guard Tate Ratledge forgot something at the team facility one night this week, and when he went back to get it at 10 p.m., he saw Stockton still there, watching film.

That wasn’t that unusual, according to Delp, who said Stockton watched film for four to five hours after practices in the regular season, not knowing if he would even play as the No. 2 quarterback.

Bobo said he could tell Stockton “took to heart” that he needed to prepare each week like a starter. That helped him seamlessly replace Carson Beck in the second half of the SEC Championship Game by leading a touchdown drive right away.

Stockton possessed a game plan focused on Beck’s pocket-passing skills and integrated into UGA’s high-performing offense seamlessly.

The extra time to adjust and prepare should be a big help for the offense. Before Georgia knew they would play Notre Dame, Georgia’s “back to basics” approach during the first week of practice kept Stockton in more situational drills: two-minute, third-down and red zone.

It helped Stockton lead the offense, rather than serving as the understudy or scout-team veteran.

“Now I can tell he has full control of this huddle,” Ratledge said.

That said, the spark was already there when Stockton came in during the SEC Championship Game. The past few weeks of practice seemed to have cemented it.

“Just seeing the way he’s carried himself and done everything the right way in his prior years leading up to this moment, Gunner’s just a guy you want to block for,” Ratledge said.

“He’s just a great guy, plays with a lot of emotion, brings everybody with him, and now he has the whole team behind him, ready to roll.”

The offense hasn’t had a sterling year: Georgia ranks 30th in scoring and 42nd in yards per play. But four of its games have been against defenses ranked in the top 10 nationally, with two others in the top 20.

This is Bobo’s second year back as the coordinator. When he met the media this time in 2023, it was after a better statistical year, but the team didn’t have a chance at a championship. This time, Bobo still has a chance to set the narrative.

Georgia has two new tailback injuries: Roderick Robinson and Branson Robinson are both expected to miss the rest of the Playoff with unspecified injuries sustained during practice.

That ends injury-riddled seasons for both players and removes the team’s most physical runners.

It hasn’t been a great rushing season anyway, as Bobo acknowledged. Georgia is only 11th in the SEC in rushing yards per attempt and 15th in total rushing yards per game.

Georgia was in the top three the previous three seasons and was once known as Tailback U., including during Bobo’s first stint as offensive coordinator.

The offensive line is pretty much in full health now. Etienne is, too, and with Nate Frazier, Georgia has two dynamic options out of the backfield, while Cash Jones is a veteran blocker and pass catcher. With Stockton at quarterback, a better running game is needed against Notre Dame.

Play Defense and run the ball are keys to  Georgia’s victory.

Georgia 23 Notre Dame 13.