This key stat shows Georgia QB Gunner Stockton’s noticeable improvement

“We came out and executed really well,” Stockton said. “There’s still stuff to clean up, but I thought we communicated well and just played pretty hard. There’s definitely stuff we need to clean up.”

Georgia defeated 63-3 against Tennessee State in its season opener. The Bulldogs still could’ve found a way to win even if they hadn’t had Stockton attempt a single pass.

Of all the stats to quantify Stockton’s debut, the most interesting might be zero. That’s how many rushing attempts the Georgia quarterback had on Saturday.

Stockton’s legs are a plus asset, as evidenced by his 10 rushing touchdowns a season ago. Saturday was the first start in Stockton’s career in which he did not record a single rushing attempt.

But with a potentially long season ahead of him, Georgia knows they need to be smart with how they use Stockton. Limiting his wear and tear against an FCS foe is a good example of that.

That Stockton didn’t have any rushing attempts could also be taken as a sign of growth. The Georgia coaching staff wants Stockton to do a better job of sitting in the pocket and not bailing when his first or second read isn’t there.

That was on display when Stockton held the ball long enough to get knocked to the ground by a Tennessee State defender on a pass attempt in the second quarter. Stockton threaded the needle of waiting long enough for someone to get open and getting rid of the ball quickly enough to find freshman Craig Dandridge open for a 20-yard gain.

Earlier on that drive, Stockton hit tight end Elyiss Williams over the middle for a 19-yard gain on a play-action pass attempt. Those are two areas — throwing over the middle of the field and play-action passing — that Stockton needed to get better in as he enters his second full season as Georgia’s starting quarterback.

Against Tennessee State, an overmatched FCS foe, Stockton did show that improvement.

“Working on pocket movement,” Stockton said when asked what he focused on this offseason. “You know, taking what I need and knowing when to run or, you know, extend plays and doing stuff like that. So, I feel like we’ve gotten a little bit better at that and just keep moving on.”

As for how Stockton’s weapons looked, the Bulldogs made it a point to get the ball to Talyn Taylor. The first pass of the season was a screen to the second-year wide receiver. Taylor had an offensive touch on each of Georgia’s first four drives.

Williams, a tight end, caught Stockton’s first touchdown pass of the season. It was a simple dump-off from Stockton, which Williams turned into a 17-yard touchdown by going over the top of the Georgia defense.

His third touchdown went to Jaden Reddell, who Stockton found over the middle of the field. Reddell did most of the work on the score, as he powered through multiple Tennessee State defenders, but the play highlights the athleticism the Georgia pass catchers possess.

“I think that we have a bunch of guys that can play winning football, and we have a lot of depth,” Stockton said. “And, you know, that’s a plus for our team. So, when you have that, it’s a great thing.”

The competition will get tougher for Stockton in the coming weeks. He was far from the only talented quarterback to light up an overmatched foe.

Stockton had a clean day on Saturday and a largely clean jersey as he exited the field. That’s a great thing for the Bulldogs, as that won’t always be the case this year.