Carson Beck shares what he learned about himself in SEC Championship loss

Carson Beck finally lost a game as the Georgia starting quarterback, and it couldn’t have come on a bigger stage. The Bulldogs fell, 27-24, to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday afternoon.

But Beck, who is draft eligible but also potentially returning to Athens for a second year of starting, is taking the loss in stride. Plus, he learned plenty from the performance, especially about himself and his teammates.

“I mean, obviously to always have the mentality to never give up. It’s never over. I truly believe that every guy on that sideline through every second of that game never gave up,” Beck said. “Obviously I’m super proud of this team. It shows how resilient we are. Obviously it didn’t finish the way that we wanted it to, but to see the guys fight and care and love each other on the field, truly fight for one another, is special.”

Beck also credited head coach Kirby Smart and his staff for instilling that belief in him and his teammates.

“I mean, it goes to say how special this program is and how Coach Smart has built this program. I mean, we just kept going out there and fighting and kept going,” Beck said. “Obviously it didn’t go our way at times. But just never give up.”

The Bulldogs have another opportunity to learn and develop in the bowl game

Georgia isn’t just preparing for the Orange Bowl against Florida State this month. The Bulldogs are also getting a head start on next season.

After finishing one win away from the College Football Playoff in 2023, Kirby Smart is hoping to lead Georgia back there next year.

Smart spoke recently about the opportunity the Bulldogs have to develop their team over the next few weeks.

“The guys that come back, they’re going to make a commitment to getting ready, getting better. It’s not just about this game, it’s about the practices you get to have for this game. And a lot of guys are going to be guys that play for us next year, that are going to get 15 practices or 13 practices that they get ready, almost like an extra spring practice,” Kirby Smart said. “Not to mention the midyears that get to come in and practice with you, too. So this is a tremendous time to develop and get better, and we’re going to do all we can to get our team in the best shape they can to get ready to go compete against Florida State.”

Smart is well aware that Georgia will not have everyone available for the bowl game. The Bulldogs will have some players opt out to turn pro, while others will enter the transfer portal. In fact, that has already started to happen.

With that said, Smart believes that the players that stick around will be ready to go.

“I did talk to our team, and they are very excited. And I think of all the bowl games we could be in, outside of the playoff, this is where our kids would have loved to have been. So that part is good,” Smart said. “And I think we’ve got a really high character team, a bunch of fun guys to coach. The guys that want to play in it, and they’re going to continue with us, they’re going to enjoy that.”