University of Georgia Athletics
‘You Have To Bring That Every Week’
October 14, 2025 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
When Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton was growing up in the tiny town of Tiger, in the North Georgia mountains, he was a ball boy at Rabun County High School football games. His father, Rob, was the Wildcats' defensive coordinator, and one of the team's star players was tight end Charlie Woerner, who went on to have a great career at Georgia and is now in his sixth season in the NFL.
As you drive into Tiger, population around 430, heading north on Highway 441, there is a sign on the right side of the road celebrating Woerner's football career. Stockton, it would seem, is on his way to earning his own sign one day.
"I haven't done what Charlie's done yet," Stockton said with a laugh. "When I grew up, he was playing in high school, and my dad was a coach, so I always looked up to Charlie when I was younger."
Woerner's uncle is Georgia legend and College Football Hall of Fame inductee Scott Woerner, who had a brilliant UGA career and helped the Bulldogs win the 1980 national championship with a pair of interceptions in the Sugar Bowl victory over Notre Dame. Scott was Stockton's P.E. teacher in elementary school.
Last week, when the No. 9 Georgia played at Auburn, rallying from a 10-0 hole to beat the Tigers 20-10, Stockton overcame a slow start and was excellent in the second half, completing 17 of 23 passes for 158 yards and rushing 10 yards for a win-sealing touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
"It was awesome," the redshirt junior said. "Definitely going into a road environment like that, at Auburn, with the history of the game, it was definitely special."
It was also a bit of redemption for the Stockton family. Back in 1986, as ESPN's Mark Schlabach wrote last week, Stockton's grandfather, Lawrence Stockton, was an unfortunate part of the "Game Between the Hoses." When Georgia upset No. 8 Auburn, 20-16, that day in Jordan-Hare Stadium, some Bulldog fans stormed the field. Auburn grounds crew members were instructed to turn water hoses on the fans on the field to try to get them to leave.
Dozens of Bulldog fans were arrested, including Stockton's grandfather, who passed away in 2010. There was even a photo in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of him being handcuffed.
"I really didn't even know about it until probably three or four years ago, probably because my dad was a little embarrassed by it," Stockton said.
Lawrence Stockton surely would have been proud of what his grandson did on the Plains last Saturday. While Auburn dominated most of the first two quarters and led 10-0 late in the first half, Stockton and the Bulldogs quickly turned things around.
After Georgia's defense made a goal-line stand and forced a fumble inside the 1-yard line with 1:39 left until halftime, Stockton led the offense (with some help from several Auburn penalties) into field-goal range, where Peyton Woodring got Georgia on the scoreboard with a 29-yard kick.
While the Bulldog defense shut the Tigers out in the second half, Stockton and the offense found their rhythm. Their first drive of the second half didn't result in any points, but Georgia got a couple of first downs. On the second drive, Stockton hit wideout Colbie Young for 21 yards on the first play. Later, he had a 30-yard completion to Noah Thomas down to the Tiger 2; running back Chauncey Bowens scored on the next play to tie the game 10-10.
After the defense forced a three-and-out, Georgia got the ball back at its 40, and Stockton hit tight end Oscar Delp for 14 yards on first down. He ran for 8 yards on the next play, and Woodring later put the Bulldogs ahead with a 53-yard field goal with 1:22 left in the third. Georgia out-gained Auburn 100-11 in the quarter.
In the fourth, with Georgia ahead 13-10 and 10:38 on the clock, Stockton led the Bulldogs on a marathon drive of 16 plays that lasted 8:45. Stockton's first pass of the drive was incomplete, but he then connected on his next seven throws, covering 63 yards, and then the quarterback ran the ball in from the 10 to make it 20-10 with 1:53 to play.
Stockton completed a third-and-8 throw early in the drive to wideout London Humphreys for 17 yards. Later, on third-and-4 at the Georgia 47, he found receiver Zachariah Branch for 6. He found Branch again for gains of 9 and 10 yards, and when the Bulldogs opted to go for it on fourth-and-3 at the Tiger 40, Stockton connected with Humphreys again, this time for 8 yards. Three plays later, Stockton was in the end zone, and the Bulldogs had secured their ninth straight win over the Tigers.
"I think it definitely gives you confidence, just to be able to lean back on it," Stockton said of putting together drives like the late one Saturday. "But you have to bring that every week; you can't transfer it over, but it definitely helps."
When asked Monday what about Stockton impresses him, redshirt freshman cornerback Ellis Robinson IV said: "Everything. I've been playing against Gunner since my freshman year here, and I've always seen that it was there. Once he got the opportunity, I was like, he's going to take this thing over."
Stockton has played some of his best football this season in the big moments away from Sanford Stadium, when the Bulldogs had to make something happen. Calm and humble by nature, Stockton helped Georgia rally from a 21-7 deficit in front of more than 100,000 fans at No. 11 Tennessee on Sept. 13, completing 23 of 31 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns; he also ran for a 6-yard score that night in Knoxville.
Against Auburn last week, Stockton helped quiet the 88,000-plus at Jordan-Hare by making a lot of big plays with the game on the line. Stockton said those are the moments he came to Georgia to experience.
"It's definitely hostile," he said. "When you're on the field, they're booing and the whole nine yards. That's what makes college football special, and that's what you dream of. Those environments are definitely kind of what you dream of."
Stockton and the Bulldogs will be in a much friendlier environment Saturday, when they host No. 5 Ole Miss at Sanford Stadium.
Staff Writer
When Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton was growing up in the tiny town of Tiger, in the North Georgia mountains, he was a ball boy at Rabun County High School football games. His father, Rob, was the Wildcats' defensive coordinator, and one of the team's star players was tight end Charlie Woerner, who went on to have a great career at Georgia and is now in his sixth season in the NFL.
As you drive into Tiger, population around 430, heading north on Highway 441, there is a sign on the right side of the road celebrating Woerner's football career. Stockton, it would seem, is on his way to earning his own sign one day.
"I haven't done what Charlie's done yet," Stockton said with a laugh. "When I grew up, he was playing in high school, and my dad was a coach, so I always looked up to Charlie when I was younger."
Woerner's uncle is Georgia legend and College Football Hall of Fame inductee Scott Woerner, who had a brilliant UGA career and helped the Bulldogs win the 1980 national championship with a pair of interceptions in the Sugar Bowl victory over Notre Dame. Scott was Stockton's P.E. teacher in elementary school.
Last week, when the No. 9 Georgia played at Auburn, rallying from a 10-0 hole to beat the Tigers 20-10, Stockton overcame a slow start and was excellent in the second half, completing 17 of 23 passes for 158 yards and rushing 10 yards for a win-sealing touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
"It was awesome," the redshirt junior said. "Definitely going into a road environment like that, at Auburn, with the history of the game, it was definitely special."
It was also a bit of redemption for the Stockton family. Back in 1986, as ESPN's Mark Schlabach wrote last week, Stockton's grandfather, Lawrence Stockton, was an unfortunate part of the "Game Between the Hoses." When Georgia upset No. 8 Auburn, 20-16, that day in Jordan-Hare Stadium, some Bulldog fans stormed the field. Auburn grounds crew members were instructed to turn water hoses on the fans on the field to try to get them to leave.
Dozens of Bulldog fans were arrested, including Stockton's grandfather, who passed away in 2010. There was even a photo in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of him being handcuffed.
"I really didn't even know about it until probably three or four years ago, probably because my dad was a little embarrassed by it," Stockton said.
Lawrence Stockton surely would have been proud of what his grandson did on the Plains last Saturday. While Auburn dominated most of the first two quarters and led 10-0 late in the first half, Stockton and the Bulldogs quickly turned things around.
After Georgia's defense made a goal-line stand and forced a fumble inside the 1-yard line with 1:39 left until halftime, Stockton led the offense (with some help from several Auburn penalties) into field-goal range, where Peyton Woodring got Georgia on the scoreboard with a 29-yard kick.
While the Bulldog defense shut the Tigers out in the second half, Stockton and the offense found their rhythm. Their first drive of the second half didn't result in any points, but Georgia got a couple of first downs. On the second drive, Stockton hit wideout Colbie Young for 21 yards on the first play. Later, he had a 30-yard completion to Noah Thomas down to the Tiger 2; running back Chauncey Bowens scored on the next play to tie the game 10-10.
After the defense forced a three-and-out, Georgia got the ball back at its 40, and Stockton hit tight end Oscar Delp for 14 yards on first down. He ran for 8 yards on the next play, and Woodring later put the Bulldogs ahead with a 53-yard field goal with 1:22 left in the third. Georgia out-gained Auburn 100-11 in the quarter.
In the fourth, with Georgia ahead 13-10 and 10:38 on the clock, Stockton led the Bulldogs on a marathon drive of 16 plays that lasted 8:45. Stockton's first pass of the drive was incomplete, but he then connected on his next seven throws, covering 63 yards, and then the quarterback ran the ball in from the 10 to make it 20-10 with 1:53 to play.
Stockton completed a third-and-8 throw early in the drive to wideout London Humphreys for 17 yards. Later, on third-and-4 at the Georgia 47, he found receiver Zachariah Branch for 6. He found Branch again for gains of 9 and 10 yards, and when the Bulldogs opted to go for it on fourth-and-3 at the Tiger 40, Stockton connected with Humphreys again, this time for 8 yards. Three plays later, Stockton was in the end zone, and the Bulldogs had secured their ninth straight win over the Tigers.
"I think it definitely gives you confidence, just to be able to lean back on it," Stockton said of putting together drives like the late one Saturday. "But you have to bring that every week; you can't transfer it over, but it definitely helps."
When asked Monday what about Stockton impresses him, redshirt freshman cornerback Ellis Robinson IV said: "Everything. I've been playing against Gunner since my freshman year here, and I've always seen that it was there. Once he got the opportunity, I was like, he's going to take this thing over."
Stockton has played some of his best football this season in the big moments away from Sanford Stadium, when the Bulldogs had to make something happen. Calm and humble by nature, Stockton helped Georgia rally from a 21-7 deficit in front of more than 100,000 fans at No. 11 Tennessee on Sept. 13, completing 23 of 31 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns; he also ran for a 6-yard score that night in Knoxville.
Against Auburn last week, Stockton helped quiet the 88,000-plus at Jordan-Hare by making a lot of big plays with the game on the line. Stockton said those are the moments he came to Georgia to experience.
"It's definitely hostile," he said. "When you're on the field, they're booing and the whole nine yards. That's what makes college football special, and that's what you dream of. Those environments are definitely kind of what you dream of."
Stockton and the Bulldogs will be in a much friendlier environment Saturday, when they host No. 5 Ole Miss at Sanford Stadium.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: http://georgiadogs.com/
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