JACKSONVILLE – Quarterback Carson Beck wasn’t making any excuses after his third game with three interceptions left a damper and more questions about the senior and his recent play.
“We’ve got some stuff to fix and it starts with me,” Beck told reporters after Saturday’s 34-20 win over Florida.
The numbers haven’t been particularly pretty.
With two first-half interceptions and one in the third quarter, Beck now has eight picks over his past three games, for a total of 11 after also tossing three in the Bulldogs’ loss to Alabama.
The 11 interceptions is the most for a Georgia quarterback since Smart has been the head coach of the Bulldogs. Beck's first two picks were thrown into coverage.
His struggles continued in the third quarter.
A missed block by Dylan Fairchild led to a hit on Beck as he threw the ball, resulting in his third interception marking back-to-back games with three picks in a game. He also threw three against Alabama.
“I’m not feeling any pressure. I’m here to win. But at the end of the day, it’s a bottom-line business. I want to go throw a perfect game. You know what I'm saying? Like, 30 for 40, four touchdowns. I mean, that's what I was thinking about walking into the stadium. You know what I'm saying? Like, I felt like I was, I was the man. I'm walking back into my hometown in Jacksonville. Like, let's go.’”
Head coach Kirby Smart acknowledged the turnovers are a concern.
“Some of those are on Carson, some of them aren't, and we've got to do a good job helping him because when he's needed to play well and we needed him to step up once again tonight, backed up, third down and — I don't know what it was, third-and-5 maybe — he made plays. He did a great job.”
Smart was asked what the Bulldogs could do to help Beck with his consistency.
"Well, I mean, he did some really good things. Some things go unnoticed. What he can't do is throw the ball late over the middle, and we've got to do a better job protecting him. He got hit one time and the ball went up in the air,” Smart said. “But the two plays that he would want back were late, scramble, throw-it-up plays. And to be honest with you, “he hasn't done that much, you know? He's always been smart. He'll take off and run or he'll just throw it away and live for another day.
"I thought he pressed on those two plays, but he also made some really good plays, and we've got to do a good job helping him around with the run game.”
However, Beck knows that it’s ultimately up to him for the mistakes he’s making to end.
“I feel like I prepare well, but there's just certain situations in games where maybe I try to make a play that doesn't need to be made. Maybe it's a throwaway instead of trying to force something and just moving on to the next play,” Beck said. “I think it really comes down to me at the end of the day. There are things that people around me can do to help. They did it tonight, I mean, go watch the film.
“There's a lot of plays that a lot of receivers made. You look at Cash (Jones), he runs through a double team, goes and scores. So, when I have guys around me that are gonna help me make plays, I mean, that takes a lot of it off of me. For me, I just, I mean, I have to be better. And whether that's in the preparation or when I get into the game and just this in-game decision-making and that'll come.”
