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Grading Gunner Stockton's Performance Against the Tennessee State Tigers

Gunner Stockton was nearly flawless in the season opener. You don’t end many games throwing 93.75%.
Dean Legge|
ATHENS - Georgia QB Gunner Stockton during No. 3 Georgia’s 63–3 win over Tennessee State at Sanford Stadium on September 6, 2026. (Dean Legge / Dawg Post)
ATHENS - Georgia QB Gunner Stockton during No. 3 Georgia’s 63–3 win over Tennessee State at Sanford Stadium on September 6, 2026. (Dean Legge / Dawg Post) | (Dean Legge / Dawg Post)

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Georgia Bulldogs

ATHENS - Each week we take a look back at Gunner Stockton’s performance to review his play for the Georgia Bulldogs. This week a peek back at what Stockton did against the Tennessee State Tigers.

Statistically, Gunner Stockton was nearly flawless in the season opener. You don’t end many games throwing 93.75%. It was a masterful performance against an inferior foe. But UGA coach Kirby Smart said Stockton wasn’t just good individually, but also in creating situations for big plays - like the one Nate Frazier took advantage of to score on a long run.

“I know you guys want to give (Frazier) all the credit in the world, but some of those runs you need to give the credit to the O-line,” Smart said. “You need to give credit to Gunner who saw pressure and checked.”

“We came out and executed really well,” Stockton told Dawg Post after the game. “There’s still stuff to clean up, but I thought we communicated well and just played. pretty hard.”

Georgia scored touchdowns on the first five drives of the game under Stockton’s direction. He had a 17-yard touchdown pass to sophomore TE Elyiss Williams, an 11-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Talyn Taylor and a 14-yard touchdown throw to junior Jaden Reddell.

Stockton said the touchdown called back that Reddell scored was amazing.

“He is a freak,” Stockton said of Reddell. “The one that got called back was insane. Just seeing all the work he's put in as well - it's really neat to see it all pay off. Definitely it was a great start. It was a good first impression.”

Stockton said that he was happy with the way Georgia attacked Tennessee State and ended the game early.

“Anytime you have the opportunity to come out here and play your mindset should always be you want to start fast and do everything,” he said. “We did a good job executing today.”

The Bulldogs return to Between the Hedges at Sanford Stadium this Saturday for a 12:45 kickoff against Western Kentucky.

Overall Grade: A+

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Dean Legge
DEAN LEGGE

After two-plus decades of covering the Georgia Bulldogs and the SEC, Dean Legge is one of the definitive voices in Athens and beyond. Legge has authored two books - DAWGSTRUCTION and DOUBLE DAWGS - with each chronicling Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs' run to national titles in 2021 and 2022. Legge has been a Heisman Trophy voter since 2005 and a Biletnikoff Award voter since 2009. He’s covered SEC Championships, Peach Bowls, Orange Bowls, Sugar Bowls, the Rose Bowl Game, College Football Playoff National Championship Games, the NCAA Tournament, the College World Series as well as a slew of college football, basketball and baseball games. Legge graduated from Coker College in 1999 with a degree in Political Science. He played both tennis and basketball for the Cobras. After graduating, Legge completed his academic career at the University of Georgia where he earned a Master of Public Administration from the School of Public and International Affairs in 2001. In 2008, Legge was elected President of the Coker College Alumni Association. He served on the Board of Trustees at Coker from 2009 to 2017 and was a member of the Executive Committee, Student Services and Enrollment Committee and Athletic Committee in that time. Legge is a native of Tucker, Georgia.

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