Georgia rallied to win the SEC championship with a 22-19 overtime victory over Texas, and it did so without starting quarterback Carson Beck for the entire second half. Until one final play.
On a chaotic play to end the first half, Beck was injured and remained on the ground following a sack. But his replacement, Gunner Stockton, stepped in and led the Bulldogs to an immediate touchdown and a 10-6 lead over Texas.
Georgia opted to go with Stockton, the backup, coming out of halftime after Beck was ruled out for the game, according to the ABC broadcast.
Georgia trailed Texas 6-3 at halftime.
But while Beck was presumably unable to throw the ball, he was forced to step in on Georgia’s final play of overtime because Stockton had his helmet knocked off on the previous play. By rule, he was forced to sit out the following play.
Beck came in and handed it off to Trevor Etienne, who scored the winning 4-yard touchdown.
It was a wild twist in a game full of them. And now Georgia will get a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff as SEC champs. But who will play QB?
Stockton put an immediate charge into the Georgia offense, leading the Bulldogs on a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. It marked the first time either team had reached the end zone in what, to that point, had been an ugly game. Beck had been 7-of-13 for 56 yards passing in the first half prior to the injury, and two separate Texas interceptions were overturned by penalties on the Longhorns.
Stockton wasn’t much more effective after his opening drive, finishing 12-of-16 passing for 71 yards. He also threw a costly interception late in regulation that helped set up a game-tying field goal for Texas.