“no that’s fine. He was ready to get back in the game,” Smart said if Stockton gets hurt on his final play of the game. Today we will discuss about Gunner Stockton head injury: Trevor Etienne,Mother Reacts,Transfer,247.
Gunner Stockton head injury: Trevor Etienne,Mother Reacts,Transfer,247
Georgia suffered a blowable loss on the last play of the first half of the SEC Championship Game when star quarterback Carson Beck went down with an injuryinjury after taking a shot.
There were questions about how the approach to the College Football Playoff could suddenly change for the Bulldogs, especially given what happened to Florida State when running back Jordan Travis was sidelined with an injury.
To make matters more worrisome, Stockton came into the game with very limited experience, and no experience in SEC play up to this point.
The Georgia native entered the game with only six appearances between 2023 and 2024. Georgia’s 6-3 run in the SEC Championship was its first real meaningful action.
While such an incident left many people breathless, it was a far cry from what the players and coaches on the Georgia sideline were doing.
He had full confidence in the second year student.
“Everybody was excited,” Georgia wide receiver Arian Smith said after the game. “Not excited because they wanted him to play or wanted him to start. But just that he had that moment and that opportunity to go out and play quarterback for us.”
Running back Trevor Etienne echoed that sentiment, saying that everyone may have been surprised at how well Stockton performed, but it wasn’t necessarily a shock to anyone within the program.
“The way he prepares, I expected nothing less from him,” Etienne said. “He comes in and works hard every day. He’s probably played this moment a thousand times in practice. Tonight, he was able to show the world.”
Head coach Kirby Smart described his performance as “tough as nails” and said the quarterback seemed ready for the moment. In fact it was as if he led Georgia down the field in the first drive in which he went on the field, ending with a 10-yard touchdown run by Etienne.
He completed 12 of his 16 passing attempts for 71 yards with a stat line that was nothing to write home about,
However, Smart said it wasn’t all his fault.
Smart said, “The only mistake was his, and I think it was partly our fault… We got the call early, he didn’t receive the call.”
“He didn’t have time to evaluate what he was doing. If he sees that, he can pick it up and do some things with it. But we were on the shot clock… He made that pick. Throwing it out there could have been costly.”
“It just shows the love I have for everybody in the locker room. All the seniors and I just want them to go out the right way,” Stockton said. “It’s awesome (to be a Georgia native doing this).
In a way it almost reminds you of a Stetson Bennett. Two players from small-town Georgia who weren’t exactly alike, but had some aspects of their situations in common.
Gunner Stockton head injury: Trevor Etienne,Mother Reacts,Transfer,247
Stockton was a four-star recruit coming out of high school, while Bennett was highly rated as a walk-on with just one FBS offer. But both players overcame incredible odds in situations that seemed impossible when they were called upon, sitting behind the quarterback and getting more of a spotlight than they deserved.
And depending on the nature of Beck’s upper body injury and the extent of it, Stockton will need to continue to rise to the occasion as Georgia heads to the College Football Playoff.
Trevor Etienne
Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton suffered a brutal hit in the team’s SEC Championship win over the Texas Longhorns on Saturday night.
Stockton was inserted into the game following an injury to Carson Beck. In overtime, with the Bulldogs trailing by three points, Stockton punted the team to the Longhorns’ 12-yard line. He took the snap and ran the quarterback to the middle of the field.
Stockton reached the first-down marker and was met by two Texas defenders. He received a strong blow and saw his helmet fly off his head. He left the game after being hit hard, but it didn’t make much difference.
Gunner Stockton head injury: Trevor Etienne,Mother Reacts,Transfer,247
On the next play, the ball was handed to running back Trevor Etienne and he ran for the game-winning touchdown.
The second-year quarterback was 12 of 16 passing for 71 yards.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said Stockton was not injured.
“No, I think he’s OK,” Smart said, via On3 Sports. “He was ready to get back in the game. We won the game the same game he was out. So he was OK.”
Georgia is likely to receive a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff, meaning Beck will have another week to recover from an injury suffered before halftime.
Mother Reacts
Gunner Stockton had never thrown more than 12 passes in a college football game since Saturday night.
There was no reason to expect this to change, as Stockton’s last action came in a 59–21 loss against Massachusetts, where he completed three of four passes when the game was already decided.
But there was Stockton, who was forced into duty after Carson Beck was ejected from the game on the last play of the first half, falling back to pass for the 13th time in the SEC Championship Game against the Texas Longhorns. Went and he…threw an interception.
An interception late in the fourth quarter at Texas’ 31-yard line opened the door for the Longhorns to kick a game-tying field goal with 18 seconds remaining, sending the SEC Championship to overtime for the first time in 33-year history.
It was a disastrous turn of events for a Georgia teamteam that was rallying in the second half behind Stockton and a rowdy, mostly Bulldog crowd inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. A night like his movie probably wasn’t meant to end with a win.
However, Stockton did not turn over after the interception.
Instead, he really put his head down and did everything he could to help his team win in overtime. A courageous 8-yard run that ended with Stockton being hit hard and bouncing off his helmet put the Bulldogs on the 4-yard line.
After one play, running back Trevor Etienne danced into the end zone and the Bulldogs became SEC champions again. Little-known backup Stockton helped put up a heroic performance on a day when it seemed it was going against Georgia’s way for most of the time.
“I mean, the kid played absolutely hard,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “He didn’t get a chance to play much this year… but can’t say enough about his toughness, character, whatever you want to say. That guy is a phenomenal leader. He made some good plays. I think That everyone else has moved on from him.”
Smart again faced two changes at quarterback in the second half
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Stockton, a former four-star recruit out of Rabun County High School in Georgia, didn’t get much attention this season. He had thrown only 16 passes all season before Saturday and, oddly enough, threw exactly 16 passes in the win over the Longhorns. Once committed to South Carolina, Stockton quietly hung in the shadows behind Beck, who had started the previous 27 games for the Bulldogs. The Beck QB experience has been up and down this season, especially in the middle half of the schedule when the seniors seemed to go off the rails, but there was never the same overwhelming enthusiasm for the move to Stockton as there was with Arch Manning. Will be together in Austin. Waiting in the wings.
If Beck is out for an extended period of time after taking a big hit, Georgia may need more from Stockton going forward. Smart said after the game that Beck was having trouble catching the football and attempting to throw the football was painful due to an “upper extremity injury”. Georgia’s coach hopes to know more after an MRI. The hit looked bad, the way Beck was nervous walking to the locker room, although he was able to come on the last play of the game when Stockton had to leave a play because his helmet was blown off.
With a win over Texas, Georgia should get a first-round bye. Beck will be given until the end of December to recover before a decision is made.
However, if it has to be Stockton, the Georgia team showed it can rally around his energy and abilities.
“The players trust Gunner,” Smart said. “They love Gunner. The juice he brings, the passion and energy.
“That gave us extra energy. They were excited. They were trying to keep it cool.”
Georgia right guard Tate Ratledge shared a similar sentiment.
“With him coming into the game, I think it made everybody realize this is a new juice we have to come out with in the second half,” Ratledge said. “I think everyone did a great job with it.”
Stockton’s relief performance adds a lot to this 2024 edition of Geo.
247
Gunner Stockton was pressed into action in the second half for Georgia football in the SEC Championship game against Texas on Saturday.
The Bulldogs, coming off an eight-overtime victory over Georgia Tech, advanced in regulation for the second consecutive game. This was the first time in its 33-year history that a decision was not taken in four quarters.
Stockton, a rarely used backup quarterback, came to the Bulldogs’ rescue for the injured Carson Beck. Stockton ignited Georgia’s dormant offense in the second half.
He then risked his body on an 8-yard run in overtime, taking his helmet off after a strong hit from Andrew Mukuba. Beck came into the game because Stockton had to be out for one game as per the rules.
Trevor Etienne finished it off with a 4-yard run up the middle for a touchdown.
The No. 5 Bulldogs overcame a halftime deficit to defeat No. 2 Texas 22–19 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to book a spot in the CFP quarterfinals.
Gunner Stockton head injury: Trevor Etienne,Mother Reacts,Transfer,247
Cornerback Delenn Everett caught two Quinn Ewers passes, the second going to the Texas 28 with 3:36 left.
The 11–2 Bulldogs managed only 54 yards in the first half and fell behind 6–3, but Stockton led a Bulldogs team that outscored Texas 13–10 in the second half.
With Beck sidelined with an apparent right elbow injury, the redshirt sophomore from Rabun County completed 12 of 16 passes for 71 yards and gained 9 yards on a quarterback run.
He threw an interception at 2:30 to give Texas life.
They kept Peyton Woodring’s 21-yard field goal with 4:32 remaining, giving Georgia its next points.
Here are three key takeaways from the SEC title game: Georgia football completed its Texas two-step with its second win over the Longhorns this season.
With it also comes a major advantage in the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff.
The Bulldogs received a first-round bye and an expected trip to the Sugar Bowl, where they will await the winner of the first-round game. Those teams were revealed by the CFP selection committee on Sunday.
