Greg McElroy shares appreciation for Carson Beck’s ‘redemption arc’
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
Miami is 1 win away from its first national championship in the College Football Playoff era, with a matchup against undefeated Indiana looming at Hard Rock Stadium. A key component to this magical run is senior quarterback Carson Beck.
The transfer from Georgia has passed for 3,581 yards and 29 touchdowns this season as Miami has marched from the lowest seed in the CFP to playing a home game for the national title.
ESPN’s Greg McElroy shared his appreciation for Beck’s redemption arc during a recent episode of Always College Football. Beck took over for Stetson Bennett after Georgia’s back-to-back national titles and was regarded as a high-level draft pick before undergoing surgery on his right elbow.
Beck arrived in Coral Gables with a chip on his shoulder and has silenced his critics who questioned whether he had anything left in the tank. Beck has transitioned into more of a game manager role since late in the regular season.
However, Beck has delivered timely plays, especially in the CFP, particularly with his game-winning rushing touchdown with 18 seconds left vs. Ole Miss in the semifinals.
“For the most part, all season long, Carson Beck has been steady…While the numbers won’t pop out at you in the first 2 playoff games, he took what the defense gave. He managed the game,” McElroy said. “But he hasn’t been asked yet at this point of the playoff run to ‘Hey man, shoulder the load.’…That’s the big thing when it comes to quarterback game managers. It’s not that they can’t. It’s just that they haven’t. That was on display last night with Carson Beck.”
The national title game between Indiana and Miami is set for Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN. It’ll be fun to see how Beck performs against Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
