ATHENS — When Georgia takes the field Jan. 1 in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal in the Sugar Bowl, it will do so without quarterback Carson Beck, according to a report.
The Georgia quarterback will not be able to play in the game, with Pete Nakoos of On3 the first to report the new developments. Beck is not with the team currently as the Bulldogs have been practicing over the past week in preparation for the game.
Beck is dealing with a UCL injury in his elbow after sustaining a hit on the final play of the first half in the SEC Championship game Dec. 7. Georgia has not publicly commented on the status of Beck since stating that he still is weighing his options for treatment for the elbow injury.
With Beck unavailable, sophomore Gunner Stockton will start in his place. Stockton filled in for Beck, completing 12 of 16 pass attempts for 71 yards and an interception in the 22-19 win over Texas.
“I think his strengths are somewhat different than Carson’s, obviously, but we’ve known that,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “We don’t think we have to change much in terms of that. He does give us the capability of doing some different things with his athleticism, and I thought (offensive coordinator) Mike (Bobo) and those guys did a good job using that. The team has a lot of confidence in Gunner. He’s very smart, very intelligent. So I don’t know that it’s a lot of change. It’s probably more picking the volume correctly in terms of not having everything that we have with Carson, but having things that fit Gunner.”
Stockton will be making his first career start in the Sugar Bowl, which is set for an 8:45 p.m. ET kickoff at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
Georgia will learn who it is playing Friday, as the Bulldogs face the winner of Notre Dame and Indiana. That game is set for an 8 p.m. ET start on ABC.
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