Georgia football wins 2024 SEC Championship behind backup QB's heroics

Georgia football is your 2024 SEC Champion after taking down No. 2 Texas 22-19 in overtime.

It may have felt like this year's team wasn't as great as the teams the last few years, but this team did something Georgia has struggled to do many times in the past and win the SEC Championship.

Confidence was at an all time low heading into the second half as backup QB Gunner Stockton came into the game, but he stepped up in Carson Beck's absence and led the Bulldogs on multiple key drives, including the game-winning touchdown in overtime. However, it was only fitting that Beck had to come in for the final play as Stockton had to sit for one play because his helmet came off the play before.

But Beck handed the ball off to Trevor Etienne, who punched it in from four yards out to win the game.

While there are countless things to discuss about this game, let's take the time to dive into the two things that stand out the most.

QB Gunner Stockton

The story of the game is obviously Stockton, who replaced Carson Beck at QB after he suffered an injury on the final play of the first half.

Stockton had a very strong second half going, up until he threw a killer interception on third down late in the fourth quarter. Georgia had a chance to extend their lead to six points with a field goal had Stockton just thrown the ball away, but he unfortunately did not do that. This surely will be a big learning moment for him.

But other than that interception, Stockton played about as good as anyone could have realistically hoped for. And he did not let that interception bother him as he helped lead Georgia on their game-winning drive in overtime.

Georgia's defense dominates all game long

Just like in the first meeting, UGA's defense was arguably the biggest reason Georgia was able to win this game. The Longhorns' offense was able to rack up a lot of yards in the first half, but Georgia's defense kept them out of the end zone and forced three field goal attempts, one of which was missed wide left.

The Bulldogs also came up with multiple turnovers, including an interception by Daylen Everette late in the fourth quarter which was his second of the game. And when UGA needed their defense to step up the most, they held Texas to field goals on the final drive of the game and in overtime, which opened the door for Georgia's offense to win this game.

So while Stockton will get most of the praise for this win, Georgia fans can't forget about the Bulldogs' defense who shut down a very good Texas offense for the second game in a row.