Roman Harper claims Georgia winning 'inspite of Carson Beck ... inspite of his turnovers'

The Georgia Bulldogs were tested by the Florida Gators and it wasn’t only until late in the game when they were able to pull away. For quarterback Carson Beck, it was an inconsistent performance with three interceptions that contributed to the slow starts for Georgia.

Those inconsistent performances from Beck have become a concern for analyst Roman Harper and, during a Sunday morning appearance on SportsCenter, he shared that he feels the Bulldogs are winning inspite of Beck and his turnovers.

“I am a fan of Georgia and Carson Beck himself. That is why I am concerned. So should everyone else. Look, they have won inspite of Carson Beck not because of Carson Beck recently. When you say those things, and you’re like, ‘Why?’ Well, you can’t continue to turn the football over the way that he has in crucial moments in crucial games.”

Carson Beck has struggled with interceptions this season. His 11 interceptions in eight games are up from six interceptions in 14 games last season. All 11 of those interceptions have come in the last five games, going back to the loss to Alabama. During that stretch, the Bulldogs are 4-1, though, largely thanks to the play of their defense.

“Luckily this defense has played like their hair is on fire the last couple of games and setting this team up in scoring position and allowing them to win, inspite of his turnovers,” Harper said. “I know this, now that we have a Playoff in college football and for an SEC Championship, you cannot turn the ball over three or four times a game and expect to still try to go out there and win that game because I am not going to apologize that I have championship aspirations and dreams for the Georgia Bulldogs. I’m not going to back off that statement. They are too good, too talented, for me to all of a sudden take that back.”

In the new College Football Playoff format, the top four ranked conference champions get a first round bye. So, for those teams with a bye, they need to win a conference championship game, then the quarterfinal, and semifinal just to make the National Championship Game. If a team doesn’t earn a bye, it means they have an additional Playoff game. That leaves plenty of opportunities for a loss.

“So, what they have to do is protect the football and play better because, whether you like to admit it or not, they have gotten by inspite of the turnovers and not because of Carson Beck leading this team,” Harper concluded.

Next week, Georgia will have a tough road test against Ole Miss. That’s before hosting Tennessee. So, Carson Beck will likely need to address his recent turnover concerns quickly.