ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia is still “waiting to find out more information” on the elbow injury quarterback Carson Beck suffered on Saturday in the SEC Championship Game, coach Kirby Smart said Sunday. But it’s clear the team is getting ready for having to turn to Gunner Stockton in the College Football Playoff.
Beck had an MRI done on his right throwing arm Sunday morning, then went straight to a team meeting.
“He was pretty somber,” Smart said. “Tough deal for him. Not being able to go out there and finish in the second half. But he’s also excited for his teammates and ending the way it did. And ironically, he got to be on the field for that.”
Beck returned for the final play, handing off to Trevor Etienne for the game-winning touchdown in the 22-19 win over Texas. That win vaulted Georgia to the No. 2 seed in the CFP with a bye into the quarterfinals, where it will meet the winner of the Indiana–Notre Dame game.
Still, throwing the ball is a different matter. Beck told coaches at halftime that he couldn’t grip the ball, and he spent the second half with ice on his elbow. It wasn’t clear whether the team and Beck were still studying the MRI results, waiting for a specialist to take a look at them or just deciding how to proceed.
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Speaking on a call with reporters Sunday afternoon, Smart sounded like he was preparing for the possibility of going with Stockton. The team would have almost four weeks to get the sophomore ready for his first college start, although he was effective in the second half and overtime against Texas against the nation’s top-ranked defense.
“This situation does give you time if that’s what has to happen. There is time there,” Smart said. “But experience is valuable. And you can’t really get experience in this amount of time. I wish he’d gotten more game experience up to this point. There’s not a lot we can do about that right now.”
Stockton doesn’t have as strong an arm as Beck and is a couple of inches shorter. But he’s more mobile as he showed several times against Texas, including on his designed run up the middle to set up Etienne’s winning run. (Stockton had to leave the game when the hit knocked his helmet off, but Smart said Stockton was fine and would have been able to return on the next play.)
If Stockton becomes the starter for the Sugar Bowl, Smart said the offense wouldn’t have to change that much.
“His strengths are somewhat different than Carson, obviously, but we’ve known that. There isn’t a game we’ve gone into that we don’t have a plan for Gunner if he were to have to play,” Smart said. “But he functions and operates really well within our current offense. We don’t think we have to change much with that.
“He does give us the capability of doing some different things with his athleticism. I thought (offensive coordinator) Mike (Bobo) and those guys did a good job of using that. The team has a lot of confidence in Gunner. He’s very smart, very intelligent. So I don’t know if there’s a lot of change. It’s probably more picking the volume correctly in terms of not having everything that we have with Carson but having things that fit Gunner.”
Meanwhile, the team was still waiting for firm word on punter Brett Thorson, who left the team with a leg injury. He was replaced by walk-on Charlie Ham on what turned out to be a fake punt. But if Thorson is out for the Sugar Bowl, Smart indicated the replacement was likely to be Drew Miller, a freshman who was rated the nation’s top punting prospect by On3 and 247Sports.
Still, losing Thorson would be a blow. The Australian is averaging 47.6 yards per punt this season, which would rank fifth in the nation if Thorson had enough punts to qualify. When Georgia’s offense has struggled early in games, Thorson has often softened the blow with punts that not only are long but rarely returned. Georgia ranks fifth as a team this year in yards per punt.
Dec 7, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck (15) and head coach Kirby Smart react after defeating the Texas Longhorns in overtime in the 2024 SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
