This game is always different. Always has been, always will be. In his first start in The Cocktail Party, Gunner Stockton played for something bigger than himself. Yes, Stockton is doing everything in his part to help guide Georgia back into the College Football Playoff. However, this is also the same game where he lost his grandfather some 15 years ago. So when it mattered most, Stockton was locked in.
While it was far from a pretty game, Georgia won 24-20 in the most prototypical way possible: Keep it close late, play great defense, run the football with conviction, and do not panic against a dwindling clock. Now nine starts into his Georgia career dating back to last year's Sugar Bowl, Stockton seems to be cut from the same cloth as Stetson Bennett IV was. The clutch gene they possess is unrivaled.
On the afternoon, Stockton completed 20-of-29 passes for 223 yards, two touchdowns and an interception that was not really his fault. He found Noah Thomas later to totally redeem himself after his midfield mishap. What a turn of events! Stockton also had 13 carries for a dismal 11 yards, but he could have had one more and a trip to pay dirt, but he is not about padding stats. He is about winning.
On the same day Carson Beck threw away Miami's season, Stockton continued to define Georgia's.
Gunner Stockton lives for those big moments to carry Georgia onward
As is the case with any rendition of The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, you can throw the records out. Anyone and everyone can win this game. Florida may have fired its former head coach Billy Napier two Sundays ago, but the team Billy Gonzales is leading now showed a lot of pride today. Georgia was able to win because it hunkered down on defense and ran the ball well when it mattered.
Winning these close rivalry games are not only building Georgia's confidence, but are also serving as learning moments. When Stockton dove into the end zone to effectively beat Auburn in The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry, a simple knee at the one-yard line would have worked just as well, and would have ended the game even sooner. Stockton sealed the victory in a gracious manner over Florida.
All offseason long, Georgia got ripped to shreds by the national media for not being good enough at quarterback. In reality, Stockton has proven to be a massive upgrade over Beck. When the game is on the line, Stockton hones in his level of focus. Beck will throw interceptions in the worst possible time to lose to Louisville and SMU in a matter of weeks. One guy will be playing in the playoff this season...
Stockton's game is not the same as Bennett's, but he does what helped make The Mailman a legend.