ATHENS — Gunner Stockton and Ryan Puglisi combined to throw the ball 83 times on Saturday. There was plenty to look at and judge from the field and press box inside Sanford Stadium.
Following the conclusion of G-Day, Georgia still technically has a quarterback competition. Even if it was clear which player was in his fourth G-Day game and which was in first.
Stockton had the better day between the two quarterbacks. He took all of his reps with the first-team offense, completing 17 of his 34 passes for 309 yards and two touchdown passes.
Both touchdown passes were impressive, as Stockton found Jeremy Bell for a 31-yard score and then capped the day off with a 23-yard pass to Sacovie White.
Puglisi, meanwhile, completed 23 of his 49 pass attempts for 224 yards. He had two touchdown passes and probably should’ve had another to Elyiss Williams, if only the freshman tight end caught the ball in the end zone.
"Both did some good things and both did some poor things, which, when you get in a game environment, they need that," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “They need a game environment, they need a pocket, they need live, they need to play football. And they continue to get better. They understand they have some weapons on the outside.
“We have to rely on those guys to be able to make some plays, and I think both of those guys understand the offense.”
Both players had intercepts as well. Daniel Harris intercepted a first-quarter pass from Stockton, while freshman Dominick Kelly took advantage of some miscommunication between Puglisi and Bell in the second quarter.
Stockton got better as the day progressed. His most impressive drive of the afternoon came when ripped a 49-yard pass to Dillon Bell and then immediately followed it up with the touchdown pass to Jeremy Bell in the end zone.
Stockton wasn’t afraid to show off his arm strength, routinely pushing the ball downfield. He looked comfortable operating the offense and teammates felt that.
"I just saw how resilient Gunner was today,“ tight end Lawson Luckie said of Stockton. “I mean, there were a couple times when Kirby ripped into him and he didn’t even flinch, came back and he scored the next shot. I love how tough Gunner is. He never gets discouraged and that’s my favorite thing about him.”
Stockton’s biggest area of improvement this spring has largely been on the intangible side. He knows the offense about as well as he knows each of his beloved cows back in Rabun County.
Stockton is not the most loquacious player on the team, but players clearly respond to him. His willingness to take off and run excites fans and players alike, even if the Georgia defenders know they can’t just plow into the presumed starting quarterback.
If anything, Smart thought Stockton was too aggressive at times on Saturday.
As for Puglisi, he capitalized on the opportunity in front of him this spring. He is now able to demonstrate his knowledge of the offense. For what it’s worth, he was at his best when he took reps with the first team offense to open the second half, completing all three passes on the drive and finding Colbie Young for a touchdown.
It’s hard to miss Young given his size, but Puglisi understands he has to give his talented wide receivers a chance.
Following the conclusion of spring practice, Puglisi hopes he’ll continue to be able to show teammates that he can be a starting quarterback for Georgia.
“He’s a killer,” Luckie said. “I love the way he attacks the game. I love the way he goes about his business day to day. He puts in so much hours to it behind the scenes, that that dude’s bound to be successful eventually.”
Smart went into greater detail about where he has seen from Puglisi this spring. Stockton was the better quarterback on Saturday, but it was just one of 15 practices this spring.
“He’s still probably a little bit behind Gunner in terms of the knowledge of the offense, but he’s catching up in regards to that, right,” Smart said. “He’s getting experience, knowing when to pull it down and run it, when to throw it away, just game management decisions. He’s not gonna do anything but get better.”
Georgia’s quarterback situation seems stable, if not yet entirely settled. In the wake of the Tennessee drama regarding Nico Iamaleava, that is a far better place to be for the Bulldogs.
Smart didn’t come out and name Stockton the starter and Puglisi the backup, even if it continues to trend that way.
The Georgia head coach, entering his 10th season at the helm, knows enough that he will need both players to be able to play winning football.
Stockton’s experience last season, which gives him a big leg up, only further proves that.
“We’re very lucky to have two guys that care so much about Georgia,” Smart said. “And they’re not worried about the perception or whatever you’re gonna write coming out of the scrimmage of your view of them. They don’t care. They care about the team, and that’s what I care about.”
