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As Georgia prepares for its College Football Playoff opener on January 1 in the Sugar Bowl, it will do so without starting quarterback Carson Beck. 

After suffering a UCL injury in his throwing elbow on the final play of the first half against Texas in the SEC Championship, Carson Beck is continuing to look for a long-term solution, while his teammates prepare to play either Notre Dame or Indiana in New Orleans. 

Beck returned to the sidelines in Atlanta, but did not return to the game, leading to backup Gunner Stockton helping the Bulldogs defeat the Longhorns for the conference title. Following the game, Kirby Smart mentioned that Beck could not grip the football at halftime, but he was able to come into the game for the final play in overtime when Stockton was forced to exit after taking a hit. 

All Carson had to do was hand the ball off to Trevor Etienne, who scored the game-winning touchdown. 

According to multiple sources, Carson Beck has not been on the practice field as the Bulldogs prepare for their CFP appearance, and his family continues to search for different opinions on how to repair the injury, with surgery being an option. The Bulldogs are of the mindset that Gunner Stockton will be the starting quarterback throughout the playoffs. 

On3 was first to report Beck could miss the Sugar Bowl. 

With Carson Beck Hurt, Georgia Turns To Gunner Stockton For CFP

As for Georgia, the Bulldogs are practicing and planning for the playoffs with the idea that Carson Beck will not return this season, however long it might last. The unfortunate news for Beck came at a time when he was also looking ahead to the NFL Draft, with some projections having him go as high as the first round before the injury. 

Now, all the attention has been focused on getting Gunner Stockton ready to lead this team. He passed for 71 yards in the second half against Texas, and will not be tasked with helping the Bulldogs win a national championship. 

“I think his strengths are somewhat different than Carson’s, obviously, but we’ve known that. We don’t think we have to change much in terms of that,” Kirby Smart recently said about Gunner Stockton. “He does give us the capability of doing some different things with his athleticism, and I thought (offensive coordinator) Mike (Bobo) and those guys did a good job using that. The team has a lot of confidence in Gunner. He’s very smart, very intelligent. 

“So I don’t know that it’s a lot of change. It’s probably more picking the volume correctly in terms of not having everything that we have with Carson, but having things that fit Gunner.”

It will be interesting to see how either Notre Dame or Indiana prepares for a Georgia offense led by Gunner Stockton. 

This was certainly not the way Georgia thought it’d be heading into the postseason, but luckily the Bulldogs have had time to adjust.