Gunner Stockton and the Georgia offense got off to another hot start while debuting their all-white uniforms against Western Kentucky.
Last week against Tennessee State, the Bulldogs came out firing, scoring touchdowns on each of their first five drives. They continued that trend against Western Kentucky.
A year ago, Georgia’s offense struggled to score early in games, but through two games in 2026, something seems to have clicked right out of the gate.
From Slow Starts to Fast Starts
These fast starts are something Georgia wasn’t accustomed to last season, even against inferior opponents. The Bulldogs led Marshall just 24-0 at halftime in the home opener. The next week, they took only a 14-0 lead into halftime against Austin Peay.
Things didn’t get much better once SEC play began, at least until the second half of the season. Georgia’s offense didn’t score a touchdown until the second quarter in its regular-season matchups against Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Alabama, as well as its rivalry game against Georgia Tech. On the road against Auburn, the Bulldogs didn’t find the end zone until the third quarter.
Against Western Kentucky, Gunner Stockton became just the third quarterback in Georgia history to throw five touchdown passes in a first half. All five went to different pass catchers: Ethan Barbour, Chauncey Bowens, London Humphreys, Sacovie White-Helton and Talyn Taylor.
Photo by Donn Rodenroth.
“I think we’re just doing what we’re coached to do,” Humphreys said. “We’re executing the plays. We have good game plans coming in, and we’re just prepared mentally. Everyone’s feeling good about everything.”
If Georgia can carry this momentum into SEC play, continue to get off to fast starts and maintain a well-balanced attack, the Bulldogs are going to be difficult to beat this season.
Continuity Breeds Growth
Having all 11 players on the same page is no easy task, but returning players at key positions have helped Georgia’s offense navigate the other moving pieces.
It’s rare in college football to have the three positions that touch the ball the most — center, quarterback and running back — all return to play together for a second consecutive season. Georgia has that continuity with Stockton, Drew Bobo and Nate Frazier.
Other players at the skill positions and along the offensive line have filtered in and out, but having that continuity among those three, along with the return of offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, has helped improve the communication, timing and execution of Georgia’s offense.
Photo by Donn Rodenroth.
“Yeah, it’s big,” Stockton said when asked about the impact of having him, Bobo and Frazier back into the fold. “I feel like in any offense you gotta be able to communicate at a high level. You know, we do that every day in practice, and you really have to be intentional with it. So, I feel like if we just keep doing what we do and do our job, we’ll be good.”
New Weapons Added to the Arsenal
Seven different skill players scored touchdowns Saturday, and 10 different skill players have found the end zone through Georgia’s first two games of the season.
Georgia has veterans such as Humphreys, Lawson, Luckie, and Isiah Canion, who have already proven they can contribute to high-powered offenses. Still, the Bulldogs are also finding new targets in the passing game. Taylor, White-Helton, Barbour, Jaden Reddell, Kaiden Prothro and Landon Roldan have all scored their first career touchdowns over the past two weeks.
“It’s awesome,” Stockton said when asked what it’s like to have so many pass-catching options. “As Coach Bobo said, we have a lot of depth, and that’s always a good thing. Being able to spread the ball to different guys, and they’re able to do some great things with the ball.”
Craig Dandridge Jr. is another wideout who is starting to emerge as a consistent pass-catcher for Stockton. He caught both of his targets for 56 yards Saturday after catching two passes last week.
Eleven different receivers have caught passes in each of Georgia’s first two games. Georgia’s offensive coordinator has a slew of athletes at his disposal, allowing him to rotate players in and out without much of a drop-off in talent or production.
Side Note
Before last week’s 63-3 win over Tennessee State, Georgia was 0-15-1 against the spread under Kirby Smart when favored by 38 points or more. The Bulldogs have now covered spreads of at least 38 points in each of their first two games this season.
