‘Warrior’ Gunner Stockton to lead No. 4 Georgia against Austin Peay in final warmup for SEC schedule

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Gunner Stockton showed what the 2025 Georgia offense designed for his versatile skills at quarterback may look like in last week’s 45-7 win over Marshall.

Stockton’s second chance for No. 4 Georgia (1-0) comes on Saturday when the Bulldogs face Austin Peay (1-0) in their final warmup game. On Sept. 13, Georgia opens its SEC schedule at Tennessee and returns home one week later to face Alabama.

Stockton passed for two touchdowns and ran for two scores while leading Georgia with 73 rushing yards last week, prompting coach Kirby Smart to say “He’s a warrior.”

It made for a difficult act for Stockton to follow against the Governors.

“I thought he did an excellent job of improvising when things weren’t there, or there was a breakdown,” Smart said Tuesday. “That was probably the best thing he did, was take care of the ball, protect the ball, and make plays with his legs. He continues to get better. The next step is play with a little more confidence. I think each time you start playing games, you lose some of that anxiety.”

If Stockton was anxious, he hid it well while completing 14 of 24 passes for 190 yards with no turnovers. After making one start as the replacement for injured Carson Beck last season, the start against Marshall was the first opportunity for Stockton to play in an offense designed to take advantage of his dual-threat skills.

“This was a dream come true, and I enjoyed it for sure,” Stockton said.

Rooting for Stockton

As a Duke assistant for 10 years, ending in 2021, Austin Peay coach Jeff Faris recruited in Georgia and followed Stockton at Rabun County High School.

“I’ve been a huge fan of his for a long time,” Faris said. Stockton is “a very, very talented passer, very, very athletic. … I think it’s a big challenge for our defense. And you know I’m excited for him. I’ve been rooting for him the whole time because he’s the right kind of kid, too. So you know he’s going to put us in some challenging situations and we have to make plays.”

Breakaway speed

Dwight Phillips led Georgia’s running backs with 60 yards on only five carries last week, including a 17-yard scoring run on a pitch from Stockton. A block from tight end Lawson Luckie helped set up the scoring run, but Phillips’ speed was the highlight of the play.

Cornerback Ellis Robinson IV said Phillips’ display of speed was no surprise.

“He’s been doing that in practice a lot, like he’s been having a lot of good breakaway runs and everything,” Robinson said.

Phillips also ran track at Pebblebrook High School and was a 100-meter state champion in 2022.

Feasting on FBS

Austin Peay, a Football Championship Subdivision school, ended a streak of 30 consecutive losses to FBS teams with last week’s 34-14 win over Middle Tennessee. It was the Governors’ first win over a FBS school since beating Kansas State 26-22 to open the 1987 season.

Chris Parson completed 11 of 20 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns. The 34 points were a high mark for Austin Peay against a FBS opponent.

Second visit from Governors

In the only previous meeting between the teams, Georgia shut out Austin Peay 45-0 to open the 2018 season. Georgia led 38-0 at halftime as Jake Fromm and Justin Fields combined to pass for three touchdowns.

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