ATHENS — Much of the focus entering Saturday’s Georgia-Oklahoma game has centered around the struggling play of Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer.
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So tired of so called fans spreading this tired egregious narrative. Just root for oky....oky dokey?
You lost me at Danny Kanell. With that said, there could certainly be some learning moments for the Dawgs OL.
I’ve said it many, many times so here it is again to run the total up. Gunner doesn’t get near the appreciation he deserves for what he does with his feet. I love the deep passes as much as anyone. But the W’s in the record book mean much more to me. So as long as he helps the Dawgs as part of the Team to get W’s I’m good with How that is achieved.
So odd... I read more than half a dozen articles this week in the national media that talked about how they were upgrading their views of Gunner 🤔
Amazing that Conner was able to find a negative quote to support his "National media still has its doubts" thesis. That's some deep digging there... 🫤
You know what I find tiring? Keyboard bullies who think their opinion is the only opinion allowed on a public comment forum. How Democrat of you.
The facts are that GS has started 2 playoff games and is 0-2. He hasn't gotten the job done yet. He hasn't made the plays that have allowed UGA to win in the playoffs. Getting to the playoffs may be enough for some excuse making fans but it is not enough for other fans.
Like it or not the QB position is THE PIVOTAL position to determine wins and losses. GS will either be up to making it happen for the team or he won't. But make no mistake, because of his position, it is on his shoulders. Oky dokey?
The Ole Miss playoff game that the Dawgs lost by only 5 points. 1) The Dawgs scored 34 points which is normally enough to Win. 2) Gunner was sacked Three times. Though yes he is the QB he relies on the O LINE to do their job. 3) Chambliss was sacked ZERO times. Gunner doesn’t play on Defense. 4) Woodring was 2 of 3 FGs. Though I Love his play he missed a vital FG. 5) The Ole Miss kicker made 3 of 3 FGs. One was a 55 yds. another was a 57 ydr. So Ole Miss as a TEAM beat our Dawgs in that particular game.
Though the QB position IS the most important position it is Grossly Unfair to hold the QB responsible for misses by the O Line, misses by the Kicker, failures on the part of the Defense. It is indeed a TEAM Sport. If it’s All riding on Just the QB then get rid of the rest of the TEAMS in CFB and let two QBs go out and face each other.
The person making the smear comments about Gunner has a Special Dislike for OUR QB. Might not be the exact wording but in a preseason comment this person said: “ I wonder how Gunner will do without his PACIFIER Branch to throw to ?” I capitalized the word “pacifier” just to show how Grossly critical this person has been of Gunner. NOT Merely objective criticism. But implying that Gunner is a Baby that requires a pacifier to win.
The Most important stat in CFB games are Wins . No other QB has done Any Better than Gunner since the B2B National Titles in that Most Vital Stat than Gunner. Winning 12-2 including the SEC Crown is Not making Excuses or Settling for Anything. It’s the mark of a Very, Very Good football TEAM. A Team in which Gunner did his fair share to help accomplish those wins.
An SEC team didn’t win the Ntl. Title last year Indiana did. But the Dawgs Did win the SEC Title. Pinning ALL blame for losses on Gunner is Cowardly and a Cop Out. Again he is a part of a TEAM. Though certainly not perfect he has so far Done His Job in a Very good way. I LOVE All our Dawgs but to win the Ntl. Title in today’s metrics calls for the Whole Team to function at an Elite level.
When I see that Gunner is the Primary Cause of the Dawgs losing I WILL cite him for it. I Stand By my earlier comments that GS doesn’t get nearly the credit he deserves for his play with his Feet. Kirby and the Dawgs took him on with full realization that he is a Dual Threat QB. Constructive criticism of Gunner is fine. But comments like what will he do without his “Pacifier” are just down right smear and shouldn’t come from a Dawgs fan that supports the TEAM.
In terms of WINS Name the Dawgs QB that has done any Better than Gunner since the B2B Nattys and I’ll back off. Until then I Will come after like a Dawg people who seek to smear the young man !! Go Dawgs !!
NONE of us know what will happen in the end this year as far as who wins the Natty. But let’s take a Real look at some of the Popular Teams that the Talking Heads love to talk about. So since their last Natty was has Bama really done ? How about Clemson ? Though Yes they got deep in last years Playoffs what has Miami Really done ? Same for Ole Miss ? Will Indiana win it All this year ? What about multimillion $$ NIL golden boy Manning at TX ? What’s Notre Dame Really done ?
THIS Year will be a telling moment for many of the Popular Teams. Including our Dawgs. ALL Dawgs fans should set the Ntl. Title as The goal. Be assured that’s what Kirby and the program does. But it’s not Shameful to go 12-2 with an SEC crown. And Who played a part in Both of the TWO SEC Crowns ? Gunner Stockton. He played his part of the Dawgs TEAM to win those. NO he’s not perfect. YES there are QBs with better passing stats. And probably even rushing stats. But for the Dawgs he has played some pretty good football.
I swear there are Some ( a small minority I believe) that Seem to Want to see him fail so they can chest thump and brag about their football knowledge !! It’s Very reminiscent of Some ( very similar folks) who said Repeatedly “ We’ll Never win a Ntl. Title with Stetson Bennett. But I bet if you asked Stets he’d be the first to tell you he was able to accomplish those because of the TEAM he was a part of.
To the best of my knowledge I’ve Never heard Gunner give himself praise. He Always brags on the TEAM. There are very few Hero’s these days for our young people to look up to. But To Me Gunner by his attitude and personality is One that Can be looked up to !!
I Hope our Dawgs will win it all this year. It’d be Awrsome !! But All I’ve ever asked is that they leave their Very Best on the field win or lose. I Know I can count on Gunner every game to do just that. Does that mean he won’t make mistakes ? NO. But I don’t know of Any mistake free person in any vocation. The Only Perfect person to walk this earth was Jesus Christ. Looking forward to His coming again !! Go Dawgs !!
I just want to make absolutely sure my previous comments are clear. I Love All our Dawgs !! I cheer for the Whole Team. But my point was/is I don’t care if it’s Tom Brady NO QB can do it all without the Full support of the TEAM doing Their jobs.
I’m Sure Not a fan of Ohio St. Love when they lose and the look on Ryan Day’s face. But they had TX down by 20+ points yet lost the game ! So that loss is All on the QB ? The OSU Defense has no responsibility ? YES the QB position is the most important ( usually) but the QB absolutely Must have the rest of the Team executing Their jobs. I said “Usually” when referring to the QB being most important.
There are “Some” ( a small minority) that blame Herschel Walker for the loss to Penn St. !! There are Some people who just love a scapegoat. They want somebody to blame. The idea of a Team loss is just to repugnant for them to accept. So the QB is the most open target for their anger and malice. They’ll ignore any other failures by the Team to pin it All on the QB.
I’m Not a Prophet. Gunner might have ( I sure Hope not) a terrible game where It Is mainly on him. IF that happens I’ll cite him for it. But that hasn’t happened yet. What Has happened is As Part of the Team the Dawgs have played some very, very good football. Reached the Hoped For goal ? NO. But going 12-2 with the SEC Crown is not “settling” for anything. It is building a foundation for bigger and better things in the future.
If that doesn’t happen and Gunner is the primary reason for a Team failure I will cite him for that. But as a Dawgs fan I expect the other components of the Team to do their jobs at a high level to get the Wins. Mean while I’m Proud of our Dawgs !! I’m sure I can leave hateful criticism to our Rivals and the Talking Heads of media. Go Dawgs !!
Lol...if Gunner played for one of ESPN's designated Offensive Geniuses... He'd have already been anointed a "Heisman Hopeful" and "Potential 1st Rounder".
Some of what @UGADad20 said regarding Post Season play has something to do with the perception. Although, it's not really fair to saddle him with either loss.
The first one was only his first career Start...after Beck was injured.
The second Post Season loss was to a very good Ole Miss team he had already beaten once. That was more of a defensive loss than offense...or QB.
But...the media doesn't dig that deep anymore...so, it's understandable that they just look on the surface of what UGA brings to the quarterback position. They need more Lincoln Riley flash or Steve Sarkesian "genius" to sell their excitement.
Lol....which is why poor old arch Manning has been put in an impossible position, with an equally impossible expectation. I think it all comes apart on Manning & Texas, in Knoxville Saturday...but, that's just MY opinion.
I for one am not worried about Stockton’s play Saturday. Of course I am concerned about the outcome of the game as you should be playing a storied team with very good athletes like Oklahoma but after watching Gunner’s performance over the last year plus I feel like he will perform good if not even great, I just hope we don’t have many(ANY) instances of a wide open receiver that the QB doesn’t see. My main concern might be containing their QB. Seems like QBs that can pull it down and run have given our defenses over the last few years the most trouble. Keep Mateer in the pocket and I feel our chances are good. I’ll be surprised if the game is not very contested in spite of Oklahoma’s struggles in their last 2 but I think we have more of the better athletes and certainly have the better coaches so Dawgs Win!
Who the hell is Bud Elliott? NASCAR driver?
I’m like you. Never heard of him. And his comment that Gunner takes advantage of what the defense gives you. Funny I thought that’s what good QBs are supposed to do. Bud is just looking for something critical to say. Well Bud sit back and watch the Dawgs chalk another W this Sat. !!
@BigDawg61
"Lol...if Gunner played for one of ESPN's designated Offensive Geniuses... He'd have already been anointed a "Heisman Hopeful" and "Potential 1st Rounder"." No he wouldn't. He doesn't have the size, arm, speed or results to be ranked as a #1 pick. GS is a good CFB QB. Beyond that it remains to be seen. No matter how well he plays this season he will never be a 1st Rd NFL draft pick. His "good CFB QB" game does not translate to the NFL.
"Some of what @UGADad20 said regarding Post Season play has something to do with the perception. Although, it's not really fair to saddle him with either loss. The first one was only his first career Start...after Beck was injured. The second Post Season loss was to a very good Ole Miss team he had already beaten once. That was more of a defensive loss than offense...or QB," @BigDawg61 .
That observation tells me everything I need to know about your lack of objectivity or lack of football knowledge. Yes it was GS's 1st start BUT it was after he had been in the program for 3 YEARS! Practicing daily against "the best defense in CFB". He did not play well enough to win because of his limitations. Limitations that still exist until proven otherwise. UGA offense, w/GS at QB, scored 10 points in the game. GS's fumble before halftime led to a quick TD on the next play right before the half.
"that was more of a defensive loss" . That is laughable. If you look at the stat's in the 2 games, GS made the plays necessary to win the 1st game. He was 26/31. His stats in the 2nd game show he didn't make the plays. He was 18/31. He didn't throw to the TE, he didn't find the guys open and he had 4 passes batted down at the LoS in the 1st 3 Q's (vs 5 TOTAL incompletions in game 1).
UGA scored 43 points in the 1st game vs MS. The UGA O scored 27 pts in 2nd game vs MS. That's on the defense?? SMH GS made plays in the 1st game. He didn't in the 2nd game. Trinidad Chambliss made the plays to win in the 2nd game. He upped his game from game 1. GS did not. It happens.
There is an article today on Saturday Down South "Nick Saban on Trinidad Chambliss: "That guy is the playmaker of all playmakers"".
"the MEDIA doesn't dig that deep anymore"? Sound like you didn't dig deep relative to the stats that don't support your comments (surprise surprise).
UGA's ceiling in on GS's shoulders this season. OSU's Howard elevated his play in the playoffs in '24 and they won. Chambliss elevated his play in '25 but couldn't maintain it. As I said the pressure will be on the QB's to elevate their play. It will be interesting to watch how much GS can elevate his play this season.
@BigDawg61 You tried Brother. But from the very first of Gunner being the starting QB this dude has had it out for Gunner. He talks about being objective and “keyboard bullies” in the same breath. If you’ve read his comments since Gunner became the starter it’s Very Obvious he has some delusional Personal grudge against Gunner. He Demands perfection from Gunner but probably doesn’t come close to delivering that in his own vocation what ever that might be.
Most Dawgs fans can and do give objective yet Civil critique of Gunner. But This guy said in preseason or rather speculated: “ I wonder how Gunner will do without his Pacifier Branch to throw to ?” That was Totally uncalled for But the usual fare from this dude. He fancies himself as a football guru or someone who obviously ( in his mind) deserves a coaching position. I wouldn’t let him near peewee league if I had a say.
It’s Not gonna matter what Gunner does. This guy dislikes him and that’s that. But he or No One else can answer in terms of the most important stat which is WINS. What Dawgs QB has Any Better record than Gunner since the B2B Nattys ? As you know No One does. Gunner in terms of Wins has done just as much as any other Dawgs QB.
And I Love how he thinks he can speak for NFL teams for the 2027 draft !! THAT is Truly laughable !! Back to Gunner targeting Branch allot. Well Duh !! Branch had the most YAC on the team. It was a Good thing to get the ball to your best play maker. But This dude calls Branch a pacifier !!
If Gunner were to break SEC records I can about guarantee you This dude would speak negative things about it !! He’ll probably be on his knees praying the Dawgs will lose so he can come on here and chest thump about his vast football knowledge !! The FACT is that in the SEC going 12-2 and winning the SEC Crown is pretty darn good by any measure. Did the Dawgs get as far as They or We would’ve liked ? No. But last season was Far From a fail !! And it wasn’t “settling” for something. It was a foundation building season.
Lastly CFB is Not a one man sport, it’s a TEAM sport. I did a speed rewatch ( about 3 times I’ve watched it) and there were just as many reasons from other components for losing to Ole Miss as Gunner. In fact AI on the internet says it was the Dawgs Defense collocating. But this dude will never buy that . He wants Gunner as his personal scapegoat !!
Yet AGAIN the playoff game vs. Ole Miss: 1) Gunner sacked THREE Times. I guess Gunner has to play OLine to ! 2) Chambliss sacked ZERO times. I guess Gunner needs to be on Defense ? 3) Woodring 2 of 3 FGs. Ole Miss kicker 3 of 3 with kicks from 55 yds. And one from 57 yds. His career best. 4 ) Dawgs led 20-12 until about midway of the 3rd qtr. then Ole Miss scored. Never the less the Dawgs came back to take the lead. The score got tied at 34-34 for a pretty good while deep into the 4th. But Chambliss drove his team down the field Very late and got it 37-34 on a FG. The safety occurred with 6 seconds left on the clock I don’t much into that at all as when Ole Miss got that last FG it was all over.
Like it or NOT the Dawgs Defense failed to keep Ole Miss off the scoreboard. But Hey let’s blame it ALL on one person that being Gunner. That’s So Easy and Convenient. NO. It was a TEAM Loss !! Like I said on an Internet search AI attributes the loss to the Dawgs Defense, Not Gunner Stockton !! Though Gunner also failed as he is part of the team !!
As for the first playoff vs. ND, everyone with a brain knows Gunner was green as grass. Being “ in the system” pales in comparison to Real Game Experience. Most people understand and accept that. But there are some 🤪 out there. So that’s how that goes.
