Carson Beck has chance to lead Georgia to big win in homecoming
ATHENS, Ga. — Carson Beck is coming home, and it’s with one goal in mind: lead his Georgia Bulldogs to a victory over the arch rival Florida Gators.
Set to start on Saturday in Jacksonville where he once was a star high school quarterback, Beck’s demeanor at practice this week wasn’t any different than other ones according to his coach. While everyone knows that he certainly wants to win, it’s about the team – not him.
“Nothing different from last week. I thought he was good last week,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “He continues to work on the things that will help us win: him being accurate, him making good decisions, him putting us in the right plays.”
“He’s a bright kid. He sees a lot of defense in the offseason and walk-throughs here. So, when you see a lot of defense and have been exposed to a lot of things, I think that gives him confidence,” he continued. “And he knows it’s not all on him. He’s got people around him to help him.”
That combination of Beck’s football smart, growing confidence and the talent that’s around him has helped get Georgia off to a hot start this season. The Bulldogs rank No. 5 nationally in passing yards per game while Beck individually is top-10 in both yards per game and completion percentage.
Beck’s path to the starting position isn’t that of a traditional blue chip quarterback though. As has been well documented, he waited his turn behind the likes of JT Daniels and Stetson Bennett before eventually getting an opportunity in his fourth season.
That’s not all too different from his recruiting too. Georgia didn’t come on the radar for the Mandarin High School product until the spring prior to his junior season. With a change at offensive coordinator, the Bulldogs offered Beck in February. He was quick to commit, doing so less than a week later having previously been a Florida baseball commit and a pledge of Alabama’s to play quarterback.
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This season has certainly been worth the wait, and this weekend’s opportunity at EverBank Stadium, about a 20 minute drive away from Mandarin, certainly has been one Beck’s been looking forward to for years.
“He’s been a little bit more energetic at practice,” Beck’s classmate and teammate, offensive lineman Tate Ratledge, said. “I think he’s really looking forward to this game and getting to go back to his hometown and play. I know this is a big game for him, so I’m excited to see what he can do.”
“The main thing was, he was like he’s visiting his hometown, which I can understand coming from where I came from. He really just said that he just wanted to lead us to a victory, but he wants to do it while having fun,” wide receiver Dominic Lovett, who will be playing in his first Georgia-Florida game as a transfer from Missouri, added. “He is excited to play in his hometown. I mean, who wouldn’t be? I understand where he’s coming from. That was the big thing: he just wanted us to stay locked in, stay focused, don’t overwhelm ourselves, but he does want to help us win because it’s in his hometown.”
Kickoff time for Saturday’s showdown between the Beck’s Bulldogs and Gators is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
