One of Kirby Smart's biggest wishes entering their week one matchup against Tennessee State was to have plenty of time to play Georgia's backup quarterbacks. He himself said that Ryan Puglisi and Ryan Montgomery were still battling for the backup QB job, and entering their first game the job was still up for grabs.
Gunner Stockton helped lead Georgia to massive lead early in the game which allowed Smart to start getting the backups in the game during the first half. This gave both Puglisi and Montgomery a chance to prove why they deserve to win the backup job, and they both took full advantage of it.
Ryan Puglisi, Ryan Montgomery both make strong cases to be Georgia's backup QB for the season
Ryan Puglisi was the first quarterback off the bench on Saturday. This shows that he may have the slight edge to win the backup job, but he initially struggled when he got on the field.
He played in the final two series of the first half and he failed to put points on the board while only picking up one first down. He did respond in a big way in the second half though as he led Georgia on back-to-back touchdown drives in the third quarter consisting of six and nine plays. He finished the game completing seven of 13 passes for 109 yards and one touchdown pass.
Up next was Ryan Montgomery who only played during one drive. He led the Bulldogs on a touchdown drive of his own in five plays that ended in a 54-yard strike that found the end zone.
Last but not least was redshirt freshman Hezekiah Millender who surprisingly came in next. He shined throughout the offseason and he didn't disappoint on Saturday either as he led Georgia on another touchdown drive in seven plays where he completed the one pass he threw for 17 yards.
Based on the playing time given out it looks like Puglisi is Smart's top choice to be the backup quarterback this season. His struggles at the end of the first half made it seem like Smart might have to rethink that, but he responded great in the third quarter. Montgomery and Millender played well when they got their chance, but it's hard to fully judge both players because they only played one series each.
Puglisi will most likely be the backup quarterback going forward, but they all might have a chance to play again next week when Georgia takes on Western Kentucky at home.
Gunner Stockton got the rest that he needed to avoid potential injury
Gunner Stockton had a lot to prove entering this game because of the lack of respect he's received most of the offseason. He unfortunately won't earn any more believers because of the poor competition Georgia played, but he did what he was supposed to do.
Stockton played the first five series of the game before being sidelined for the rest of the game. All five drives ended in touchdowns and Stockton only threw one incompletion in 16 attempts. He also eclipsed 200 passing yards while throwing three touchdowns and thankfully saved his body by not having to run the ball once.
Stockton needed to this time off to help him avoid injury before Georgia's schedule gets difficult. Georgia also needed the time to let their backups get reps as well, and he and the rest of the starters did their job to make that possible.
Georgia cruised to a 63-3 victory thanks to a solid effort from the entire team. They deserve to celebrate this win, but anything less than a big win would've been disappointing. All things considered this game went about as great as anyone could've hoped because Georgia handled their business like they were supposed to.
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