ATHENS — Kirby Smart, like every other coach last spring, had an idea what his offense could look like.

Gunner Stockton has seen to it that Smart’s vision for success has come to fruition, seemingly improving every time he takes the field for Georgia at quarterback.

Stockton’s mobility and decision-making, along with a physical offensive line and capable run game, has the Bulldogs leading the SEC in time of possession with an average of 33 minutes, 16 seconds.

“Our offense, it’s like a big strong anaconda just squeezing you,” Smart said after Georgia’s dominant 35-10 win over No. 10 Texas.

“You get squeezed, and you finally catch a little air, and then they’re back to trying to suffocate you.”

Here are 3 takeaways from the Bulldogs victory over the Longhorns:

Stockton confidence

Stockton is playing with the confidence and poise necessary to win a championship.

Smart, whose confidence in Stockton has been unwavering, even after a shaky spring G-Day Game, explained how things all go together on offense.

“(Stockton) is a great player, a great competitor, but he also benefits from a really good offensive line,” Smart said. “And Mike (Bobo) and the offensive staff, people don’t give our offensive staff enough credit. I mean, they do a tremendous job, and we’re hard to defend.”

Shades of Manziel?

Stockton’s ability to run and throw out of the pocket triggers issues like Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel once did for a Smart-coached defense at Alabama.

Manziel, in 2012, passed for 253 yards (24-31) and 2 touchdowns and ran for 92 yards as the Aggies beat a No. 1-ranked Alabama 29-24 in Tuscaloosa.

Stockton, with his mobility and ability to throw off the run, keeps defenses in limbo similar to how Manziel once did.

“There’s three (Stockton) touchdowns on a quarterback run, and then all of a sudden, he’s running the quarterback run, and there’s a guy wide open in the back of the end zone that ran right by you that didn’t block you,” Smart said of Stockton’s TD pass to London Humphreys.

“It’s a great play, and you can’t do them unless you’ve got a quarterback like Gunner that can execute with the words and the language and command the huddle and manage the clock,” Smart said. “He’s playing at a high level and a high clip right now, and we gotta keep getting him better and getting more tools to work with around him.”

Gunner for Heisman

Stockton moved back up to sixth among the Heisman Trophy favorites after accounting for five touchdowns against Texas, four passing, and another on the ground running.

ABC commentator Kirk Herbstreit took note of Stockton’s performance during the game broadcast.

“The Heisman is just so wide open, and it just feels like the last few years it comes down to who gets hot at the end of the year ….,” Herbstreit said. “Gunner Stockton has stepped up …. this kid, he has played so well in these big games.

“He had five total touchdowns tonight and five incompletions against Texas a top 10 team.”

Stockton’s Heisman Trophy hopes will likely be tied to the kind of exposure he can get before the vote is taken.

The Bulldogs have a quiet game with Charlotte next Saturday before Stockton will oppose Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King, who is seventh in the Heisman odds on Nov. 28.

If the Bulldogs play in the SEC title game, and Stockton plays well, it would seem likely he would finish among the Heisman Trophy finalists and travel to New York.

Kirby’s Gut

Georgia is tied for sixth in the nation and second in the SEC when it comes to fourth-down conversion percentage, having made nine of 12 attempts this season.

Smart’s confidence in Stockton and Bobo has been evident from the start of the season, going back to his decision to go for a fourth-and-3 from his own 48 down 21-7 at Tennessee.

Smart’s most recent gamble, on fourth-and-1 from the Bulldogs’ 36-yard line with a slim 14-10 lead in the third quarter, essentially put the game on the line as Texas had just scored.

“I talked to Mike (Bobo) about what he would call, if I was willing to go for it,” Smart said, indicating the conversation took place while the placement of the ball was being reviewed. “I was not going to go for it ... (but) he had a play that I liked, and I’d seen him run it and felt like it would work, and it did.”

Stockton was flawless with his play-action fake and Chauncey Bowens slipped out of the backfield and into an open area of the field where he caught the pass for a 10-yard gain.

“A lot of credit goes to the offensive and defensive staff in this game,” Smart said. “They put a lot of things in, there was a lot of hard work involved.

“That (fourth-down play) was a play off of another play, and you always want to stay a step ahead.”