Beck: 'We always have the mentality to never give up'
ATLANTA – Carson Beck held his head high after Georgia’s 27-24 loss to No. 8 Alabama on Saturday.
The junior gave it his all, driving the Bulldogs down the field as they trailed by 10 points late in the fourth quarter. A touchdown by running back Kendall Milton cut the Crimson Tide’s lead to 27-24.
However, Alabama closed the game out on its next possession. Quarterback Jalen Milroe did what he does best, which was picking up chunk gains with his feet as the Crimson Tide ran the clock out.
“Yeah, I mean, to go through an SEC schedule, 12 games, and to win each one, it's not something easy to do. It's not easy, but super proud of these guys,” Beck said. “Obviously, come into this game and not finish the way that we wanted to and kind of leave the destiny of our team in someone else's hands rather than ourselves—that's hard. At this point, it's out of our control. We fought hard. I thought throughout the season we showed we were a dominant team.”
Georgia’s chances to make the College Football Playoff for a third consecutive season are slim to none. Regardless, Beck and the Bulldogs are guaranteed at least one more game this season next month.
Beck was proud of his teammates—specifically Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey—for battling injuries and giving it their all. Beck wants one more opportunity to play with those two guys.
“I mean, obviously, it would mean everything to us. We fought so hard through the season. I mean, it's been a gruesome season. Guys out, fighting to get back. Just like Coach Smart said earlier, Ladd, Brock, guys that are going to go on and play football for a long time, haven't practiced at all for the past 15 days. Two weeks.” Beck said. “They're out there battling. Obviously, we think that anybody who steps out on that field is going to go execute and play. I really have a ton of confidence in every guy that's out there and love them to death. I mean, we're in there fighting together each and every day. To be given that chance would be everything to us.”
Georgia has faced a lot of adversity this season, although the Bulldogs have battled back each time. Beck has been right at the center of it all, helping Georgia fight and claw its way back into games.
Beck’s grown immeasurably in his first year as a starter. While he didn’t shine on Saturday like he has at other times during the season, Beck didn’t falter, especially after a fumble that led to an Alabama score.
“We've practiced that play a ton. It's a simple flip-back. I'm not exactly sure what happened,” Beck said of the turnover. “I'll have to go see it on film. I wasn't able to see the replay. I flipped it. The next thing I knew all the guys were running, and the ball was on the ground. I don't know what happened. Just go back and hope to fix it if we ever run that play again.”
After that fumble, Alabama went up 20-10 with 48 seconds left in the third quarter. Beck dug his heels in, and two drives later, drove the Bulldogs down the field, scoring on a quarterback keeper.
“We always have the mentality to never give up. It's never over. I truly believe that every guy on that sideline through every second of that game never gave up,” Beck said. “I'm super proud of this team. It shows how resilient we are. It didn't finish the way that we wanted it to, but to see the guys fight and care and love each other on the field, truly fight for one another, is special.”