ATHENS — When a starting quarterback plays poorly, no player is more intriguing than a backup quarterback.
With Carson Beck having thrown 11 interceptions in the past five games, fans have been quick to call for Gunner Stockton, Jaden Rashada or Ryan Puglisi.
However, coach Kirby Smart has continued to express his confidence in Beck, despite the turnovers.
“I think I was more pleased after watching the tape than anything, because I mean, out of 73 snaps, he had 68 winning decisions, really good decisions,” Smart said. “I mean, 68 for 73, pretty good in any sport I’m in, that you’re in. I think the concern is the mistakes can’t be catastrophic. You’ve got to make good decisions. And the two plays that he ends up turning the ball over on, they weren’t great looks defensively against that call, like we were expecting something else. So when that happens, you’ve got to play for the next down, right? It’s the most common thing in football.”
While keeping faith in Beck, Smart spent time this week updating the progress of Georgia’s other quarterback option.
“Yeah, they get work each and every week. We throw them in there and mix them in,” Smart said. “They get reps, Ryan Puglisi gets reps. They come down sometimes and throw with us on the scouts to get even more work. I think every rep you can possibly get right now, you’re just like, how many times can I get a quarterback to go back there and have to make a decision and grow as a player?”
Stockton is in his third year with the Georgia program, while Rashada and Puglisi are both in their first. Rashada has starting experience from his time at Arizona State, while Stockton has seen the most action in a Georgia uniform.
Stockton is the only quarterback of the three to have thrown a pass this year, completing 10 of 12 for 90 yards. All of those attempts came in Georgia’s win over Tennessee Tech.
Waiting to see the field has become the norm for backup quarterbacks at Georgia. Former Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett left the program and went the JUCO route before returning to Georgia and eventually becoming the starter.
Beck had to wait three full seasons before taking over for Bennett as Georgia’s starter. Stockton could very well follow the same route if he replaces Beck next season.
“I like to take pride in getting more quarterback development than anybody because we dedicate reps to threes every day,” Smart said. “We’re going to do something with our threes, and not everybody’s willing to do that because you can make a case it’s wasted time, meaning it’s not going to affect that week’s game because you’re not going to get to your threes. But we’re constantly looking at it and saying, ‘OK, this is the future of our program. What do we have? Who can play? Who can’t?’”
Smart pointed out that only a week ago, Georgia saw firsthand the value in having a developed backup, as Florida had to rely on its third-string quarterback to try to win the game against Georgia.
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