Carson Beck injury update: Severity of injury, status for College Football Playoff revealed on Georgia QB

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck‘s health is a major factor for the Bulldogs going into the College Football Playoffs.

Beck suffered an “upper extremity injury” during the SEC Championship Game following a hit on a throw. He exited the contest and only returned to hand the ball off on the final play in overtime after backup quarterback Gunner Stockton lost his helmet, forcing him to the sideline for one play.

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Coach Kirby Smart provided the latest on Carson Beck on Monday as the school released a statement. Beck apparently suffered an elbow injury and has no timetable for return. He also revealed that punter Brett Thorson is out for the season with a knee injury.

“Carson and Brett are both fierce competitors and extremely hard workers,” Smart said in a statement. “I’m confident they will attack their rehab with the same determination they exhibit in their daily habits. We will be here to support them every step of the way.”

That’s significant news for the Bulldogs, who have relied on Beck as the starter throughout the season.

Though he’s had some ups and downs, Carson Beck has helped captain Georgia to a College Football Playoff berth with some high-quality play in a few of the team’s wins.

One such performance came in an eight-overtime game against rival Georgia Tech, one in which Georgia’s season was on the line. The Bulldogs outlasted the Yellow Jackets in eight overtimes, with Beck throwing for 297 yards and five touchdowns without an interception.

On the season, Beck has thrown for 3,485 yards with a 64.7% completion percentage, throwing 28 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. Beck has also run for 71 yards and a score.

Clearly there’s a high degree of trust in Beck, as evidenced by him taking the final snap against Texas in overtime, rather than third-stringer Ryan Puglisi. Smart explained the decision to use Carson Beck rather than Puglisi after the game.

“I can’t remember what game it was this year,” Kirby Smart said. “We had a targeting somewhere where the helmet came off and the officials came over and told us that the kid could stay in if it was confirmed targeting and he had to come out if it wasn’t.

“And so it immediately came to my mind, when it happened with Gunner, I just assumed he’d be able to stay in because I thought it was gonna be targeting, and then I saw the replay and realized he led with his shoulder and we were gonna have to take a snap with another quarterback, which we were prepared to put Ryan Puglisi in, and he knows the system. He knows what to do. But we felt like, once the offensive coach called and said, Carson can take a snap, it’s not an issue.”