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247Sports · Jordan D Hill

Sep 06
Georgia backup quarterbacks make their case in Week 1 victory
Summary
Pick/market: The nature of Georgia's Week 1 game with Tennessee State meant the Bulldogs' reserve quarterbacks would get a chance to play.
The nature of Georgia's Week 1 game with Tennessee State meant the Bulldogs' reserve quarterbacks would get a chance to play. The Bulldogs ultimately played three quarterbacks behind Gunner Stockton, and all three showed why they're capable of contributing in the near future. Stockton gave way to backup Ryan Puglisi early in the second quarter, and Ryan Montgomery and Hezekiah Millender got an opportunity to run the offense as the game wore on. Puglisi and Montgomery threw touchdowns, and all three flashed as they helped the Bulldogs put the finishing touches on a 63-3 victory. Per usual, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart wanted to wait until he watched the film to evaluate how the QBs did. "I could go through and tell you something each one did right, and I could tell you something each one did wrong. They could probably do the same," Smart said. "We'll watch the tape, we'll grow those guys, they'll continue to work." Puglisi was the first man up behind Stockton, and the redshirt sophomore overcame a slow start behind center.  Puglisi tried to connect with Ethan Barbour twice on Puglisi's first drive, but a pass break-up and an outright drop set the stage for a three-and-out. Puglisi and the offense returned to the field with 2:03 to go in the first half, but the Bulldogs' hopes of more points before the break did not come to fruition. A holding penalty followed by a pair of incompletions and a Chauncey Bowens' run ended Puglisi's two-minute drill prematurely.  Puglisi was sharper on his first drive of the third quarter even after a would-be 52-yard touchdown pass to Jaden Reddell was reduced to a 24-yard gain due to a Reddell facemask. Puglisi followed with a 20-yard connection with Sacovie White-Helton before Reddell had a long sweep ahead of a Nate Frazier touchdown. Puglisi led four drives on Saturday. He ended the day 7-of-13 for 109 yards with 1 touchdown. Montgomery took the reins from Puglisi with just under a minute to go in the third quarter. He got things started by finding CJ Wiley for a short gain. Four plays later, Montgomery delivered the highlight of the day, a 54-yard bomb to Jeremy Bell to help the Bulldogs take a 56-3 lead.  Montgomery's deep shot to Bell stood as his last rep of the day. He ended the win 2-of-2 for 60 yards and 1 touchdown. Like Montgomery, Millender only led one drive on Saturday. Like Montgomery, Millender made sure the Bulldogs ended that drive with points. Millender showed off his legs early in the fourth quarter with a 13-yard run and a 9-yard run, respectively. He found Dallas Dickerson for a 17-yard gain as part of a drive that ultimately ended with Jae Lamar's 11-yard score. While Smart believes game reps only mean so much, he understood how important the chance to play was for those three quarterbacks. "It's really not so much about the development because they get those same reps every day in practice. Like, what's the difference in when we go out there and do eight third downs against our defense or we do eight third downs out there? I think they get better work in practice, honestly," Smart said. "I'm glad for them and their families and the work they do and all the work they put in that they got to play and see a little bit of a reward for what they do." Following a strong start to the game, Stockton took on a bystander role as his backups took turns playing. Stockton said Georgia has one of the best QB rooms in the country, which he felt was evident on Saturday. "You know, they all came out, played really good," Stockton said. "I was in their shoes not too long ago, so I know how it feels to stay there and get ready thinking you're going to play. So they all did great and, you know, they all played winning football." Given Stockton's status as QB1, playing opportunities for the backups will be few and far between this season. Those quarterbacks did their best to maximize the moment on Saturday, which set the stage for the Bulldogs' 60-point victory.

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Teams: Georgia

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