The path forward for Georgia after bad Sugar Bowl loss: Three fixes that don’t require a big-name transfer QB

After a thorough dismantling like the one Notre Dame inflicted upon Georgia on Thursday night, it’s easy to want to blow it up.

And with the way Georgia was out-played and out-coached in its 23-10 Sugar Bowl loss to the Fighting Irish, clearly something has to change.

But it doesn’t necessarily have to be at the quarterback position. 

A lot will be made about Georgia losing without star quarterback Carson Beck, who suffered a season-ending elbow injury in the SEC Championship, but the Bulldogs did not lose in New Orleans because of Beck’s replacement, Gunner Stockton.

Stockton, who had limited experience before replacing Beck in the second-half against Texas, wasn’t perfect against Notre Dame and a first-half fumble was costly, but he didn’t look overwhelmed by the moment of his first career start. He’s a tough kid who showed he could take a hit, deliver a good deep ball as he did on the 67-yard pass to Arian Smith and did plenty to give Georgia a chance to advance to the Orange Bowl against Penn State. He finished a very respectable 20 for 32 for 234 yards and one touchdown. 

Georgia has sniffed around adding a transfer quarterback this transfer portal cycle after already adding Arizona State transfer quarterback Jaden Rashada last spring. Stockton felt like an afterthought at times in Athens particularly when five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola was committed to the Bulldogs more than a year ago and looked like the future answer at QB before flipping to Nebraska.

If there was obvious upgrade at the position available, Georgia should aggressively pursue. However, Stockton showed in the Sugar Bowl and the second-half of the SEC Championship that he can be good enough for the Bulldogs to win. 

Instead of spending millions on a new…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/the-path-forward-for-georgia-after-bad-sugar-bowl-loss-three-fixes-that-dont-require-a-big-name-transfer-qb/

Author : John Talty

Publish date : 2025-01-03 02:11:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.