MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - For really the first time all year, Georgia's quarterback stats proved to be a group effort.
Bulldog passers went 20-of-29, passing for 301 yards and four touchdowns in the 63-3 Orange Bowl win over Florida State. But unlike most games this year, the duo of Carson Beck and Gunner Stockton, along with walk-on Collin Drake, all contributed to the performance.
Beck played the first half, leading Georgia to a 42-3 halftime lead. He hit on 13-of-18 passes for 203 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
"I think that having a game like that, coming out and executing at a high level, kind of carries into next year, hopefully," Beck said. "We’re seeing the young talent that we have, a lot of guys that are coming back that are going to be able to make plays like they did this year. Obviously, see what we did this game and then improve on that. We’ve got eight, nine months until the next one."
The more intriguing occurrence came after halftime. That's when Stockton entered for his first real taste of game action running the Georgia offense.
"I told the team at halftime, we're going to go out there, and all the stars are going to play. Gunner is going in, going to let him play," Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said after the game. "Called the game and let him go execute and play, because he deserves an opportunity to go play. The only way you get better at that position is to go play meaningful minutes and get time, and I thought it was big for him to go in. I thought Mike (Bobo, offensive coordinator) called a good game for him, and he made some really good decisions, and we think he can be a really good player, so I was very pleased with that."
Stockton completed 6-of-10 passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns. Beck said that he remembered the excitement he felt after scoring for the first time, and felt happy that Stockton finally tossed his first touchdown, a short strike to freshman tight end Lawson Luckie.
Stockton also showed the running skill set unique among Georgia's quarterbacks, totaling 46 rushing yards on seven carries.
The true highlight, at least for many of the Bulldogs, came on Georgia's final drive.
Two walk-on quarterbacks, Collin Drake and Jackson Muschamp, rotated during the drive. Drake completed his only pass attempt for two yards, while Muschamp added a 14-yard scramble that converted a third-and-5.
Smart said the Georgia sideline "went nuts" on Muschamp's play. He also made sure that Muschamp's father, Georgia co-defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, didn't miss out.
"I told Coach Muschamp all the time (Jackson Muschamp) is a lot better athlete than Coach Muschamp ever was," Smart said. "I said, Coach Muschamp, you might want to step up here, because he was over with the defense. Jackson is going to sprint out and we're going to throw a pass, and Coach Muschamp was like, oh, God. Oh, God. He sprinted out, they pulled it up, he stuck his foot in the ground, and he got a first down. He really looked good in that jersey number he had on, too, that 16." That number, of course, was worn by Kirby Smart in the nineties.
Heading into 2024, Beck is entrenched as the starter. Stockton figures to take over the backup role following the transfer of Brock Vandagriff. Muschamp and Drake will continue to provide quality depth for the Bulldogs, adding to a quarterback room that will continue to have plenty of talent moving forward.
