Carson Beck impressive again in Georgia win over UMass

ATHENS, Ga. — Carson Beck kept his impressive play going on Saturday in a 59-21 win over UMass. The Georgia quarterback went into the locker room at halftime with more touchdowns than incompletions. He didn’t turn the ball over for a second straight outing – and third time in four home games this season and finished with 297 yards and four touchdowns on 20-31 passing.

The UGA win will largely go unnoticed in the larger landscape of College Football with Ole Miss losing to Florida and previously unbeaten Indiana being dominated by Ohio State, but what isn’t going unnoticed in Athens is the improved play of the Bulldog quarterback.

“I think offensively, – and obviously, guys being on in and out of and things like that – I think we’ve really, like you said, kind of found our stride kind of late in the season,” Beck told reporters during his postgame availability. “Whether it’s in the run game, and being able to find explosive plays in the pass game, and executing in the red zone. I think we’ve just had a really high level of execution here lately, and it is a good time to start hitting guys.”

“First thing is, obviously, the offensive line is playing so well. When I’m not getting pressured as much and I can sit back there comfortably and make my reads, it makes life a lot easier for me,” he added. “… And then obviously, you know, our wide receivers are being explosive. And then, I mean, the run game, the run game always helps the pass game, play-action pass, being able to throw the ball deep and check it down when I have to. But no, I mean, our offense has been executing on a lot of levels.”

Beck was humble, and probably for the better playing an outclassed opponent like 2-9 UMass. However, what Georgia’s been able to do is something that can carry over to bigger games and better opponents, like the one the Bulldogs will see in six days when upset hungry Georgia Tech (7-4, 5-3 ACC) comes to town.

Ask Kirby Smart about that improvement of Beck and he is dismissive of the idea. To him, the quarterback is doing the same things he was just a few weeks ago when his struggles were obvious and the national narrative was about him holding this Georgia team back from reaching its potential.

“I haven’t really seen anything different. I mean, you guys read into the stats, you just look at the stats and say, ‘Ooh, clean game.’ There’s probably some throws there that could’ve have been picked, but there’s also some plays in the other games that shouldn’t have been picked,” Smart said. “I look at decision making and process, and he processes information really well, and he executes the offense really well.”

Beck, who participated in the Senior Day ceremonies pregame, will possibly take the field one final time at Sanford Stadium on Friday when Georgia hosts Georgia Tech (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC). He’s been appreciative of the opportunities each time they’ve come about and is doing his best to will the Bulldogs into earning another one – hoping to host in the opening round of the College Football Playoffs.

“When I talked to the team before Tennessee, I kind of talked about it, I said, we control our own destiny. Every game is a playoff game from here on out, and that’s how you have to approach it,” Beck said. “I mean, I think the challenge has been accepted week in and week out. We’re just focused on going 1-0, and then we control our destiny from there.”

“I think that’s something that we do a great job of is just taking it week by week and just trying to go 1-0 every week. I know I say that all the time, but that’s how you have to be,” he added. “We can’t look past anybody. We have a tough game this next week. I mean, they just beat a top-ranked opponent not too long ago. They have a really good offense, a good defense that’s gonna challenge you. So no, I’m excited to watch the film and enjoy this one and then move on tomorrow and start prep for Georgia Tech.”

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