Gunner Stockton has a unique advantage over every other quarterback in the playoff field. Before the playoff began this year he was the only quarterback to have ever started a playoff game in his career.
Stockton was a little fortunate that he was able to start Georgia's playoff game last season because it took a Carson Beck injury for that to occur, but Kirby Smart explained this week why that helped Stockton out so much.
"We knew the minute that -- when we realized at halftime of the Texas game that Carson [Beck] couldn't go, Gunner was going to be our guy," Smart said via 247sports.com. "And as much as you say: Well, he's new, he hasn't done it, woe is me, you say there's a reward in this, and the reward is the experience you get moving forward."
"He capitalized on that experience," Smart continued. "He got a ton of bowl practice. He got to develop earlier. I think maybe that helped us early in the season when he had success, the fact that he had done all this in the runup to this game. He played against one of the top defenses in the country in this game, and he's gotten better."
Gunner Stockton greatly benefitted from Carson Beck's injury
It usually takes a quarterback a few games to get comfortable when they are named the full time starter for the first time. Stockton however was playing at a high level the moment this season began, and a lot of that had to do with the fact that he got to play at the end of last season.
Stockton didn't just play in any game last year, he got to play in the SEC Championship game against Texas and in the playoff against one of the best teams in the country in Notre Dame. This gave him experience that no first time starting quarterbacks have, and that is why he played so well at the start of the season.
Georgia's first big game of the season came at Tneessee in week three. The Volunteers nearly pulled off the upset, but Stockton led the Georgia offense to an impressive comeback and overtime victory. He made so many big throws including one on fourth down to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. Would he have been able to make that throw if he didn't get to start in place of Beck last season? Probably not.
So while no one should be happy that Beck was injured last season, it's impossible to ignore how much that helped Stockton. And if Georgia goes on to win the national title this season, everyone will be able to point to Beck's injury as the starting point that began Stockton's journey to leading Georgia to a title.