CFB expert has divisive Stetson Bennett vs. Gunner Stockton take
· Yahoo Sports
There have been many debates on Gunner Stockton's talent, but a few are really high on him. Jake Crain, one of the hosts of On3's Crain and Cone podcast, said he believes that he'd rather play against Stetson Bennett than Gunner Stockton, showing that he thinks Stockton is better than Bennett. He was on with DawgsHQ co-owner Rusty Mansell.
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"Stetson was great, it's a great story, but he was also on some teams that we were in the 'you can't monopolize yet,'" Crain said. The 2021 and 2022 teams Bennett played on were loaded. They had just one loss in their march to back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022, and the offense was full of NFL talent, such as George Pickens, Ladd McConkey, Brock Bowers, James Cook and Darnell Washington.
Stockton hasn't have quite that level of a supporting cast at Georgia, but he still has a pair of SEC championship victory. Zachariah Branch set Georgia's record for receptions in a single season and the two-headed monster of Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens is fantastic, but the supporting cast isn't what Bennett had with the team. The Bulldogs have already suffered three losses in the Gunner Stockton era.
"When you look at Gunner's evolution, to me, I don't think it'd be a bad idea to sprinkle a little coin on him to win the Heisman," Crain added. Gunner's ability as a runner and with overall toughness makes him a pest to deal with. He led Georgia in rushing touchdowns last season.
"Stetson would drive that ball down the field, throwing it into tight windows. When you've got AD Mitchell and Brock Bowers...sometimes you're going to bet on your guys to make plays," Mansell said. "But with Gunner, the scouting report's out. Tennessee played him man-to-man, and he shredded them. The next progression for Gunner Stockton was playing zone. At times, he did, and at times he was really hesitant." Stockton needs to elevate his play against zone coverage, something that Bennett thrived against.
Statistically, Stockton holds up decently to Bennett. In their first full year as the starter, Bennett had 2,862 yards, 29 passing touchdowns, and seven interceptions, while Stockton had 2,894 yards, 24 touchdowns and five interceptions. However, in Bennett's second season, he had 4,127 yards, 27 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions. If Stockton's going to make that leap, he'll need to dissect zone coverage better while also getting elevated play from a receiving room with several departing players.
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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: College football expert prefers Gunner Stockton to Stetson Bennett