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Carson Beck is ‘playing his best football’ when it matters most, says Aaron Murray
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Carson Beck has had quite the season.
Hailed in the preseason as a sure-fire first-round draft pick, Beck got Georgia off to a rolling start and then hit a slump that extended from late September into the start of November and had many in Athens feeling uncomfortable. In Georgia’s last 3 games — all wins — he seems to have regained his form and now has the Bulldogs on the doorstep of a first-round bye into the College Football Playoff.
Ahead of Saturday’s SEC Championship fight with Texas, former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray spoke about Beck’s season on SiriusXM radio.
“It was him trying to be Superman,” Murray said. “He was just trying to do everything.”
With Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey moving to the NFL, Georgia’s crop of skill players were dramatically overhauled this offseason. The pass-catchers have largely been underwhelming. Beck has had 28 passes dropped this season — one of the highest marks in the FBS.
The ground game has been inconsistent and Beck has gone through games where protection has just broken down.
“We all know Carson Beck is one of the most talented, gifted quarterbacks in the country. He is a bonafide first-round talent. No doubt about it in my mind. He has plenty of opportunities to work his way back into the first round,” Murray said. “It was just a matter of him understanding, ‘I don’t need to be Superman.’
“I think it has been an ongoing mental process for Carson to get to where he is now, but I think he’s playing his best football when it matters the most — end of the season, heading into championship weekend here in the SEC, and heading into the Playoff.”
Related reading: Storylines to know ahead of the SEC Championship Game
From Sept. 14 through Nov. 9, Beck completed 64% of his throws for an average of 7.5 yards per pass with 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Per PFF, he had 16 turnover-worthy throws.
In the 3 games since the loss to Ole Miss, Beck has completed 64% of his passes with an average of 8.3 yards per pass with 11 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. He has just 1 turnover-worthy throw.
“It’s a mental thing,” Murray said. “He has to play within himself and now he’s doing that.”
Beck threw 3 interceptions in the first meeting with Texas and yet the Bulldogs still managed a 30-15 win. He’ll look for a cleaner game in the rematch, which is set to kick off from Atlanta at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ABC. Texas is a 2.5-point favorite, via ESPN Bet.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
