Gunner Stockton was doomed for failure against Notre Dame for simple reason, explains CFB analyst

Quarterback Gunner Stockton got his first start of the season for the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. It was a high-pressure time to get the QB1 role, as it was the second round of the College Football Playoff.

However, the Bulldogs had no choice but to start him after starting quarterback Carson Beck went down with a season-ending setback. Beck suffered a right elbow injury in the Southeastern Conference championship game against Texas. The injury required surgery for him to recover.

Greg Flammang, an analyst for Irish Sports Daily, posted on X on Friday about the reason that Gunner Stockton was doomed for failure. He wrote:

"Notre Dame pressured Georgia on 21 of their 39 drop backs, a 54% pressure rate, again with Rylie Mills out of the lineup, and sacked Gunner Stockton four times. I thought Stockton played well last night, but that many pressures is doom for any qb against this defense."

As a result of the Bulldogs' loss, they were eliminated from the College Football Playoff. It was a largely successful season for the Bulldogs, as they won the SEC championship. However, ending the season in this manner after losing their starting quarterback is disappointing. Many pundits thought they could contend for a national championship even with Carson Beck out of the lineup.

Notre Dame defeated Georgia 23-10 in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday to advance to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. The Fighting Irish draw into a matchup with the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl. The game is scheduled to take place on Thursday, Jan. 9, at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Gunner Stockton had a solid performance despite playing in less-than-ideal conditions

As Greg Flammang wrote, Gunner Stockton did not play poorly despite getting his first career start in less-than-ideal conditions. Notre Dame put pressure on Stockton in 54% of plays and sacked him four times. Despite that, he was able to complete 20 of his 32 passing attempts for a completion rate of 62.5%. He threw for 234 yards and one touchdown.

Despite having a strong passing game, Stockton was not able to replicate that success when he ran with the ball. He carried the ball 10 times for a loss of 23 total yards.

Stockton had only appeared in three games during the regular season. In those games, he completed 25 passes for 206 yards and no TDs.