Georgia's receivers are proving valuable and reliable

There wasn’t any other place Gunner Stockton could have placed his pass.

On fourth-and-6 from the Tennessee 28-yard line, Stockton dropped back and lofted a throw for receiver London Humphreys. The Georgia quarterback put the ball over Humphreys’ right shoulder and away from the defensive back in coverage.

The ball had excellent touch and was about as beautiful a pass as you’ll see at this level.

Humphreys caught the ball and gave Georgia, which defeated Tennessee 44-41 in overtime, a chance to tie the game at 38 with an ensuing two-point conversion. The Bulldogs did just that, with receiver Zachariah Branch breaking open after a well-designed pre-snap motion to tie the game.

That brings us to this point.

How many times did Georgia’s receivers come through in those types of critical moments in 2024? It sure wasn’t often. For as much flack as Carson Beck took — and a lot was deserved and fair — the Georgia receivers didn’t make things easy for him. The Bulldogs led all of college football in dropped passes with 36, leading the coaching staff to add Branch and Noah Thomas in the transfer portal.

Whatever the issues were that contributed to last year’s drops have not been present through Georgia’s three games. Routine passes on target have not hit the ground. Branch has been electric in space, evidenced by his 38-yard catch-and-run to the end zone early in the second quarter.

Nine different players caught passes on Saturday, harkening back to the Stetson Bennett days of tossing the ball all over the field to numerous playmakers.

Against Tennessee, Branch caught five passes while Colbie Young and Dillon Bell caught four each. Lawson Luckie hauled in three passes and Humphries had two, with both of his receptions going for 31 and 28 yards. Unlike a year ago, the Bulldogs have weapons on the outside and should pose a mismatch for just about every opposing defense.

A maligned group in 2024, the Georgia receivers are now a strength. That will benefit Stockton and allow for his confidence to grow even more.

ICYMI

If you’re going to upset Kirby Smart and Georgia, you better not miss when you have the opportunity.

All of the important stats from Georgia’s win over Tennessee.

It as an instant classic in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Georgia was counted out late but found a way to win the game.

Here’s a closer look at the snap counts for each player in Georgia’s win.