ATLANTA — Georgia starting quarterback Carson Beck will not return for Saturday’s SEC championship game against Texas after injuring his right shoulder on the final play of the first half, head coach Kirby Smart told ESPN’s Holly Rowe.

Sophomore Gunner Stockton started the second half at quarterback for Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium while Beck left the locker room late. He wore his helmet and walked to the sideline.

With the No. 5 Bulldogs trailing the No. 2 Longhorns 6-3, Georgia faced first-and-5 at the Texas 42 with one second to play. Instead of going into halftime, the Bulldogs ran one more play. Beck dropped back and Longhorns linebacker Trey Moore hit his right arm as he threw.

Beck fumbled the ball, which was recovered by linebacker Anthony Hill.

Stockton led Georgia on a 75-yard touchdown drive on its first possession of the second half. He threw a 12-yard pass to Arian Smith on third-and-2 from the Georgia 33. He ran for 3 yards on third-and-1 from the Texas 40. Then, on first-and-10 from the Texas 18, Stockton picked up 8 yards on a designed quarterback run.

Tailback Trevor Etienne ran into the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown on the next play, giving Georgia a 10-6 lead with 10:27 left in the third quarter.

In two games behind Beck this season, Stockton, from Tiger, Georgia, completed 13 of 16 passes for 135 yards. He was ranked the No. 4 dual-threat quarterback in the country and the No. 7 prospect in Georgia by ESPN Recruiting in the 2022 class.