Georgia football saved its greatest heroics of the season for the SEC Championship Game, beating Texas 22-19 in overtime.
Gunner Stockton came off the bench with starting quarterback Carson Beck injured and rallied the Bulldogs from a 6-3 half-time deficit to a 16-16 tie in regulation, and ultimately, the overtime win.
“This kid is a winner,” Coach Kirby Smart said, his voice cracking with emotion. “This kid is special and he’s a winner.”
The Bulldogs (11-2) will next play in the Sugar Bowl at 8:45 p.m. on Jan. 1 in New Orleans against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.
“How about them Dawgs, this team never ever says no., never dies, man,” Smart said moments later, composed at the SEC trophy stand. “They were so fired up at halftime, the offense was in there pumped up, Gunner was coming out, and those guys were ready to go.”
Smart came through with a brilliant fake punt call in the fourth quarter to maintain Georgia’s momentum in the fourth quarter after Texas had tied the game at 13-13, leading to the Bulldogs regaining a 16-13 advantage.
Beck, who was 7-of-13 passing for 56 yards in the first half, was injured on the final play of the first half when he took a shot while attempting to throw a Hail Mary.
Stockton, who had appeared in only three games this season in mop-up duty, promptly drove Georgia 75 yards on 10 plays for a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half to give the Bulldogs a 10-6 lead.
Georgia made it 13-6 in the fourth quarter before Quinn Ewers (27-of-46 passing, 358 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions, tied things up 13-13.
Smart’s fake punt led to Georgia going back ahead 16-13 before Ewers brought Texas back again with a game-tying drive in the final minutes that was capped by Bert Auburn’s 37-yard field goal with 18 seconds left.
UGA won the coin toss for the overtime and deferred, and after Texas kicked a field goal, Stockton came back on the field for more heroics.
It was Stockton’s scramble for 8 yards down to the 4-yard line — on which his helmet got knocked off — that set up Trevor Etienne’s game-winning 4-yard touchdown run.
Beck, his arm hanging at his side, came back into the game with Stockton having to miss a play because his helmet came off, and handed off to Etienne who blasted into the end zone for the walk-off win.
“It was awesome to get to play with the guys and be there for them,” said Stockton, who was 12-of-16 passing for for 71 yards and an interception along with his 8 carries for 8 yards.
“I just tried to give it everything I got to get it into the end zone, it was awesome playing with those guys.”
