ATHENS — Kirby Smart put the game in Gunner Stockton’s hands, and the Georgia quarterback delivered.

Stockton was 24-of-29 passing for 229 yards and four touchdown passes and also had a 4-yard touchdown run that closed the scoring with the Bulldogs on top 35-10 at Sanford Stadium on Saturday night.

“I think you credit the crowd and the preparation we had throughout the week,” Stockton said. “(And) the coaches and the game plan they put in.”

Georgia (9-1, 7-1 SEC) grabbed the momentum with two third-quarter fourth-down conversions and a successful onside kick.

“You’ve got to be aggressive to win, this league is tight and the margins are small,” said Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who’s now 9-0 against top 10 teams at home. “You’ve got to be aggressive and take chances when you can.

“I love this team; this team fights, they compete.”

The No. 5-ranked Bulldogs — who figure to move up to No. 4 when the CFP rankings come out on Tuesday with Alabama’s 23-21 loss to Oklahoma earlier Saturday — scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull away for the win.

Georgia spotted Texas a 3-0 lead before scoring on their first two possessions, taking a 14-3 lead into halftime.

The Longhorns pulled to 14-10 when Arch Manning his Ryan Wingo with a 7-yard touchdown pass with 5:27 left in the third quarter, before Georgia responded with its aggressive play-calling and fourth-down execution.

UGA piled up 357 yards of offense, with Nate Frazier leading all ball carries with 72 yards on 16 carries, and Zachariah Branch pacing the receivers with six catches for 41 yards.

Noah Thomas had four catches for 32 yards, including Georgia’s first two scores on Stockton TD passes of 17 and 4 yards.

Texas’ playoff hopes took a hit, as it fell to 7-3 overall and 4-2 in the SEC.

The Longhorns, however, could still affect who plays in the SEC championship game as they close the regular season with a home game against Texas A&M.

The Aggies remained unbeaten with a 31-30 win over South Carolina on Saturday, but if the Longhorns beat them on Nov. 28, Georgia would play in the SEC title game.

The Bulldogs could also find their way into the SEC championship game if Alabama loses to Auburn on Nov. 29.

Fourth-down Kirby

Georgia was leading 14-10 went Smart elected to go for a fourth-and-1 at his own 36 late in the third quarter.

The Bulldogs executed when Stockton faked a handoff and hit tailback Chauncey Bowens with a 10-yard gain with just under three minutes left in the third quarter.

Moments later, Georgia was facing a fourth-and-5 at the Texas 49 when Smart kept the offense on the field, leading to the Longhorns jumping offsides and giving the Bulldogs another first down.

“A lot of credit goes to Mike (Bobo) and Gunner, for executing it,” Smart said. “The other one, we weren’t going to go for it, but it worked.”

Indeed, three plays after the second fourth-down conversion, Stockton hit London Humphreys with a 30-yard touchdown pass on the second play of the fourth quarter to take a 21-10 lead.

Onside kick

Smart followed the Humphreys touchdown by calling for an onside kick, which Georgia’s Cash Jones recovered at the UGA 47.

“Cash Jones, he’s taken 250 reps of that since he’s been here,” Smart said. “He kept asking me when we would do it.”

It was Georgia’s first successful onside kick since the 2013 season against South Carolina.

The Bulldogs made the most of the play, driving 53 yards on nine plays for a touchdown that put them up 28-10, on Lawson Luckie’s 6-yard touchdown catch from Stockton with 8:53 remaining.

Georgia Dominant D

The Bulldogs held Texas to 274 total yards, and just 23 yards rushing on 17 attempts, sacking Manning three times and recording seven tackles for loss.

“Got after didn’t they? It’s about time, I’m just kidding,” Smart said in his on-field interview. “They played well when they had to.”

Chris Cole led Georgia with seven tackles, stepping up when CJ Allen left the game with a leg injury in the second quarter.

KJ Bolden recorded his second interception of the season to stem a Texas drive in Georgia territory.

Arch Manning finished 27-of-43 passing for 251 yards with a touchdown and interception.