Kirby Smart considers similarities between Carson Beck, Quinn Ewers

Kirby Smart hasn’t seen much of Quinn Ewers, other than tape study this week, but Ewers and Carson Beck have similarities as quarterbacks.

Ewers just returned from injury to help Texas beat rival Oklahoma last weekend. Beck’s been the steady signal caller for the Bulldogs in 2024.

Smart didn’t get too detailed, but noted some intangibles that both Ewers and Beck share and whoever performs at a higher level could very well be the difference Saturday.

“I don’t get a chance to watch them,” Smart said. “I didn’t get to watch them last year, other than watch their playoff game, obviously. And then watch them in the offseason some, and then you don’t have a full quota of (games he’s played). The games he’s played in, there (are similarities) in terms of knowledge, understanding of their offense, protections. 

“You know, it doesn’t seem pressure affects him much. He seems like he has really good composure … they both have the ability, if something goes wrong, to get you out of a bad play, and typically avoid catastrophes. That’s what both quarterbacks do and (those are) the similarities that they seem to have.”

So who’s going to avoid catastrophe in Austin Saturday? That can be a big difference between who wins and loses between Ewers and Beck, well Texas or Georgia.

This season (four games), Ewers has 890 yards, nine touchdowns, three interceptions and a 72.2% completion percentage. Beck (six games) has 1,818 yards, 15 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 67.9% completion percentage.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian knows what he has in Ewers, but he recently opened up on Beck in Georgia’s offense under Mike Bobo.

“Coach Bobo has been a great offensive mind for quite some time,” Sarkisian said. “We all have to evolve every year, and I think for Georgia they had to evolve. When you lose the caliber of players they lost off of last year’s and the last couple of years’ teams, most notably Brock Bowers where so much of that offense was kind of centered around him, it’s almost like they had to re-invent themselves a bit …

“Like I said earlier in the week, Carson has the ability to do all of that. I think he threw a touchdown pass the other day where I think the ball was in the air 62 or 64 yards. He’s got big-time arm talent. He’s got great pocket presence. Yet, as you’re trying to defend all that down the field, you still have to worry about the advantage throws, the receiver screens, the things of that nature where they can get completions and move the ball down the field.”