ATHENS - There's been a lot of talk this week about Gunner Stockton's status after a rough game against the Auburn Tigers.
The Georgia football quarterback turned the ball over three times in the second half of Georgia's loss to Auburn with two INTs and a costly fumble in the final minute of the game. It wasn't the typical Gunner Stockton that we've seen this year, especially coming off a fantastic game against Alabama.
Of course, a tough hit on the first offensive play may have set the tone for the rest of the ballgame. Stockton took a vicious hit on a five-yard gain that had him slow to get up. Stockton landed on his head and had to leave the game temporarily. He came back in several plays later, handing the ball off to Dwight Phillips Jr. for a big 20-yard score. It looked like Gunner Stockton was back to normal, but his play on the field didn't look like he was.
Kirby Smart spoke with reporters this week about how Stockton is feeling and the overall quarterback play...
"He has not had any concussion symptoms, so I can only go off what medical people tell me," Smart said. "I look at him in the eye and talking to him, there was no issue with any of that. Now, he did have a stinger in his shoulder. That can affect you. That's hard. That's what linebackers get. That's what Ja'Marley got. That's what a lot of players get. But you bounce back from those quickly. He still did some really good things in the game. I don't think making it about a head injury when there's no symptoms of that are realistic."
Stockton ended the game 22/34 for 272 yards and two INTs with two touchdown passes. He did make some nice throws here and there, and he did have a big second half run in the red-area, but the three tunrovers put the Bulldogs in a bind, especially the late fumble that put Auburn in a position to win the game. As for Puglisi, the backup quarterback did his part when his name was called, going 3/3 for 55 yards.
"That's why he practices," Smart said. "He goes out there every day and takes his reps. He takes much less than Gunner, but he was a part of the plan on all those plays. He sat in the meeting on all of those plays. I don't think when that happens you can just shut down and say, OK, I've gotta change the plan. That was the plan in those situations. He managed those situations really well. That's the reason we practice him, so he's able to go in and do what he does well."
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