TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Gunner Stockton kept Georgia calm in a 20-17 road win at Alabama, completing 18 of 22 passes for 249 yards and adding a 14-yard touchdown run that helped the Bulldogs reclaim the lead in the third quarter.
Stockton entered the game with 29 collegiate appearances, 21 starts and 18 wins, and he again played through a hostile Bryant-Denny environment while Georgia climbed toward the top of the coaches poll after the result.
On third downs he was 9-of-10 for 104 yards, a conversion rate that let Georgia lean on ball control after trailing 14-10 at halftime. A 30-yard throw to Craig Dandridge Jr. set up the scoring scramble that flipped the scoreboard.
Coach Kirby Smart said he is never calm with any quarterback, even with a veteran starter, and framed the Tuscaloosa win as part of a longer push to make memories for the program rather than chase a single rivalry narrative.
Program notes from statewide sports coverage described Georgia as the Southeastern Conference’s only remaining undefeated team after weekend upsets elsewhere, with Stockton and a relentless defense as the twin anchors of a 6-0 start.
Safety Khalil Barnes, in his first season with the Bulldogs after transferring from Clemson, credited Stockton with handling big moments without needing outside hype from the media machine around the sport.
Alabama never touched the ball again after a late punt, and Smart said the offense had begun to wear the Tide down once Georgia got the ball back with a chance to run out the clock.
The calm Stockton showed in chaos leaves Georgia alone at the top of the league table and with national title talk gathering around Athens as the second half of the schedule arrives.
