No Carson Beck? no problem.
The Georgia Bulldogs won the SEC Championship Game against Texas 22-19 in classic overtime, earning a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.
Texas was held to a field goal in the first overtime, but Beck came back into the game with a go-ahead goal after Gunner Stockton's helmet came off on the previous play. Beck passed it to Trevor Etienne, who waltzed into the end zone for the win.
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Trevor Etienne of the Georgia Bulldogs celebrates a touchdown with teammates against the Texas Longhorns in the third quarter of the 2024 SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Dec. 7, 2024. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Georgia struggled in the first half, but everything seemed to fall apart when Beck injured his arm on the final play of the second half. Kirby Smart said Beck won't return with the Bulldogs down 6-3.
But Stockton's initial motivation was the story. He advanced Georgia 75 yards in 10 plays with Etienne running for the score. This was the first touchdown of the game and gave the Bulldogs their first lead. Texas then missed a field goal and Georgia added three more points to take a 13-6 lead just before the start of the final quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter, Quinn Ewers found DeAndre Moore on a quick slant, and Moore finished the rest of the way for the game-clinching 41-yard touchdown. On their next drive, the Longhorns forced a three-and-out — or so they thought.
Georgia Bulldogs' hunk David Gbenda (33) and Georgia Bulldogs' Gunner Gunner during the third quarter of the 2024 SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on December 7, 2024. Stockton (14). (Butch Dill/Getty Images)
Georgia worked on its bag of tricks, running fake punts on 4th and 5 from its own end and converting. The Bulldogs took advantage of that with a drive that lasted over nine minutes, about the time they had the ball for the entire first half. And it ended with a field goal, giving the Bulldogs a three-point lead with 4:32 left.
The Longhorns had plenty of time, but Quinn Ewers threw an interception on third down, giving Georgia the ball with 3:36 left inside Texas' own 30-yard line. But Stockton reversed on third-and-13, giving Ewers a chance to recover. The Longhorns got within field goal range and Bart Auburn, who had missed two field goals, tied the game and sent the game into overtime.
It was, without a doubt, the biggest game of Stockton's life. His previous seven appearances have mostly been blowouts and meaningless games. His previous highest number of pass attempts was 12. On Saturday, he threw the rock 16 times and completed 12 passes for 71 yards.
Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton warms up before the SEC Championship game against the Texas Longhorns at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 7, 2024 in Atlanta. (David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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It was just one week ago that the Bulldogs played an eight-inning overtime game against Georgia Tech. This one was shorter, but definitely much more appealing for the Bulldogs.
It was Texas' second loss of the season. His first game was against Georgia in Austin on October 19th.
It remains to be seen whether the Longhorns will play a home game in the first round of the playoffs. However, in order to do so, he would have to drop at least seven places.
These two teams could potentially meet for a third time in the national championship.
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