Statement Saturday.
That was the title for Week 12 in the SEC. ESPN even had Peloton as the sponsor for this one. Will we get Georgia coach Kirby Smart on an exercise bike for a commercial before Rivalry Week?
Nobody made a bigger statement in the SEC on Saturday than Georgia – and it was a fully-loaded weekend in a conference that had seven teams in the top 14 of the latest College Football Playoff rankings.
No. 3 Texas A&M rallied from a 30-3 deficit for a 31-30 victory against South Carolina in the early window. No. 11 Oklahoma upset No. 4 Alabama 23-21 in the afternoon window. No. 7 Ole Miss even held off Florida 34-24.
The Aggies, Crimson Tide and Rebels still have hope for the SEC championship game. Yet it was the Bulldogs who made the loudest statement with a series of aggressive calls from Smart in a 35-10 victory against No. 10 Texas at Sanford Stadium on Saturday.
"You gotta be aggressive to win," Smart said on the ABC telecast afterward. "This league's tight, and the margin's are small. You've gotta be aggressive and take chances to win the game.”
Quarterback Gunner Stockton finished 24 of 29 for 229 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. He added a rushing TD to cap the 21-point fourth quarter.
Georgia (9-1, 7-1 SEC) might not even make the SEC championship game, and they still feel like the team best equipped to win the College Football Playoff championship game out of the best conference in college football.
That is a hell of a statement right?
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Smart's bold plays beat Texas
Texas trimmed Georgia's lead to 14-10 with 5:27 left in the third quarter when Arch Manning hit Ryan Wingo for a seven-yard TD. That cashed in an interception from Anthony Hill Jr., and the Longhorns (7-3, 3-3 SEC) had all the momentum in a defensive struggle where neither team could establish a running game. Georgia also was without star linebacker CJ Allen, who left in the second quarter with a leg injury.
On fourth-and-1 from the Georgia 36-yard line, Smart opted to go for it. Stockton slipped a pass to Chauncey Bowens for a 10-yard gain. Three plays later and after two negative plays, Smart went for it again on fourth-and-5. Stockton drew Texas offsides. That led to a 30-yard TD pass to London Humphreys, the hero from the 44-41 shootout against Tennessee on Sept. 13.
Georgia led 21-10, and Smart stayed on the heater. Cash Jones recovered an onside kick, then drove for yet another touchdown on a six-yard TD pass from Stockton to Lawson Luckie with 8:53 remaining.
GEORGIA RECOVERS THE ONSIDE KICK 😱 pic.twitter.com/dQCcAcRXdi
— ESPN (@espn) November 16, 2025
Was it uncharacteristic from Smart? A little. Was it a brilliant way to knock the Longhorns out of the SEC – and likely College Football Playoff – race? You bet.
Stockton added a four-yard TD run with 4:43 remaining that completed the blowout victory. This game was all about Stockton, too.
Stockton leads Bulldogs
Stockton staked Georgia to a quick 14-3 lead in the first half with a pair of touchdown passes to Noah Thomas on the Bulldogs' first two drives. Stockton was 14 of 17 for 139 yards and two TDs in the first half.
Georgia had just four rushing yards in the third quarter, and Stockton threw that interception midway through the third quarter. He hit 4 of 4 passes for 52 yards in the fourth quarter, however, and erased any doubt about who the right quarterback is for the Bulldogs in their next College Football Playoff run.
Carson Beck is at Miami and will need help to get to the CFP. Manning – who the Bulldogs were all-in on during the recruiting process – finished 27 of 43 for 251 yards, one TD and one interception. There should be no hypothetical QB discussions after this victory.
Remember, it was Stockton who stepped in late to lead Georgia to a 22-19 victory in the 2024 SEC championship game against Texas last season. This team appears poised for more.
Georgia's SEC, CFP chances
The Bulldogs still need help to make the SEC championship game. Texas A&M (11-0, 7-0) remains unbeaten in SEC play, and Alabama (8-2, 6-1) has a 24-21 head-to-head victory against Georgia on Sept. 27. The Bulldogs need one of those teams to lose to make it to Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Dec. 6.
Of course, Georgia will be there the week before on Black Friday to face No. 16 Georgia Tech (9-1) in the sequel to last year's 44-42 overtime thriller. No matter what happens, the Bulldogs will clinch a playoff spot with a win against Charlotte in Week 13. That gives Georgia 10 wins, and they are in the SEC clubhouse with a 7-1 record. There is nowhere to go but up, and that's a great place to be.
It is possible that the Bulldogs could miss the SEC championship game and still finish in the top four – where straight seeding would give Georgia a first-round bye. After watching the fourth quarter Saturday, is there any doubt? The Bulldogs have to be considered one of those teams on the short list to challenge No. 1 Ohio State – which continues to barrel toward a second straight national championship.
That is the statement the Bulldogs made Saturday.