Carson Beck gave Georgia the QB performance it needed on a night of validation

ATHENS, Ga. – The story going around was that Tennessee fans had found and leaked Carson Beck’s phone number. Just like they did two years ago for Stetson Bennett, Beck’s predecessor as Georgia’s quarterback, and we all remember how it turned out: Bennett taunted Vols fans after a touchdown run, making the phone-to-ear sign.

It was true that Beck’s number was leaked this week. His phone number from high school, that is. Tennessee fans, it turns out, either turned on a dead number or some other poor soul.

“I’m two steps ahead,” Beck said Saturday night.

He smiled. And yes, this time Beck was allowed to smile.

As tough as this season has been for Beck and his team, tonight was a confirmation. The season was almost at stake. The criticism of Beck was top notch. And he led Georgia to a 31-17 victory, playing his best game of the season, scoring 31 points on a Tennessee team that hadn’t even given up 20 all season.

And it didn’t happen because someone leaked his phone number. It happened because it had to happen.

Five days earlier, after the team’s usual Monday meeting, coach Kirby Smart instructed the coaches to leave the room. It was time for the players to talk alone. Jalon Walker got up before the team. Tate Ratledge. Malachi Starks. And then Beck.

“It’s not something I do often,” Beck said. “I don’t talk that much, so I think it means something when I do.”

The short version of what he and the others said, according to Beck: “Everybody understood the situation we were in. Our backs were against the wall. The only way out is to do what is in front of you.”

Smart tried to downplay the meeting, saying it was not a “world-changing event.” But he also admitted there was “an emotional conversation” making sure everyone knew the importance of this game.

Beck is not a fiery guy. The fifth-year senior’s demeanor can be misunderstood, like when cameras caught him smiling on the bench at the end of last week’s 28-10 loss at Ole Miss. Backup quarterback Jaden Rashada had just said something to try to light up Beck in waning moments, but that became an excuse for critics to come down harder on Beck, who had thrown 12 interceptions in six games. Smart actually fielded a question at Monday’s press conference about whether he would ever consider playing another quarterback. Smart shot it down on Monday and referenced it again after Saturday’s game.

“Carson is doing well and I’ve been very consistent, even with some of the dumbest questions in the world, no offense, about our quarterback because we see him every day,” Smart said. “You know, he’s judged on results and stats, but we don’t judge based on that. We judge internally based on what gives us the best chance to win.”

True, Beck didn’t play too badly at Ole Miss. His lone interception came on a fourth-and-long. Georgia’s problem was more its lack of a running game, receiver drops and protection issues on the offensive line. But the quarterback often gets the blame, especially one who had been plagued by turnovers in the previous five games.

“Being a quarterback at Georgia has got to be one of the hardest things to do. The things he has to deal with on a daily (basis),” tight end Oscar Delp said. “I wouldn’t wish it on anybody, what he has to go through every day. He’s a great player, he’s a baller, he knows it and we know it.”

Did Delp notice anything different than Beck this week?

“He was practicing his ass, just like everybody else,” Delp said. “When everyone is on the same page, good things happen.”

The good things:

• The offensive line has not signed anyone for perhaps the first time all season. Left tackle Monroe Freeling made his first career start, right guard Tate Ratledge played his first full game in months, and the result was zero sacks, a week after giving up five at Ole Miss.
• Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo created a game plan that kept Tennessee off balance and saw five different receivers or tight ends finish with at least 50 yards.
• The running game, minus starter Trevor Etienne, effectively complemented the passing game. True freshman Nate Frazier stopped and rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown.

Pretty good for an offense that drew deserved criticism, including from the head of the College Football Playoff selection committee, who cited the offense as one of the reasons the Bulldogs fell out of the projected bracket. That will change this week, and Smart used the chance to express his disbelief.

“I don’t know what they’re looking for. I really don’t,” Smart said. “I wish they could really define the criteria. I wish they could do the eyeball test where they come down here and look at the people we’re playing against and watching them and you know, you can’t see that stuff on TV and I don’t know what they’re looking for, but that’s up to somebody else to decide.”

Was it fair for them to criticize your offense, Smart was asked?

“They’re always going to do it because that’s what they say about the eyeball test,” Smart said. “So they’ll probably look at this week and say, well, we just played against one of the best defenses in the country and we went for 453 (yards), you know, and could have been more. So it’s just every week’s narrative and we’re trying to be the cumulative whole team of really good quality and not be on this emotional rollercoaster that’s controlled by people in a room somewhere who maybe don’t understand football like we do as coaches.”

Coaches, players, people in the athletic department, everyone in Georgia knew the effort this week. It was also the first home game in ages (35 days), and the first three games of the season were not very big games. So they whipped up everything they could for this one: Fireworks in the foreplay, between quarters … and after Georgia scores.

The running joke was that they don’t need much fireworks in this one. And for a while it looked like that might be the case. Georgia’s first three drives went nowhere. As the first quarter ended, Georgia had just 21 total yards and faced third-and-long.

Then it changed. Beck saw a Tennessee edge rusher leap over the line.

“It’s a free play, we run four verticals,” Beck said. “Let it rip.”

He let it rip to Dominic Lovett for a 38-yard catch and run. That sparked what would be four consecutive drives with a score, a rhythm for the offense that hadn’t been there in a while.

“I just thought we had juice and intensity. We had a fire around us tonight,” Beck said. “It seemed like we were just having fun.”

As Beck spoke, center Jared Wilson stood behind the reporters, smiling and waving his arms at Beck. The quarterback saw him, smiled, then continued to answer questions. Wilson moved on.

The questions for Beck do not go away. He needs to lead his team to two more regular-season wins — the Georgia Tech game isn’t just a formality — to feel confident about making the playoffs. Then there’s the Playoff, which at this point appears to be coming after Georgia, due to tiebreakers, sits out the SEC Championship Game, which could be a boon for this battered football team, physically and emotionally.

But it’s less of an emotional beat-up than it was before Saturday. This victory was a jolt to the spirits that could carry the team for a while. How long and how far is yet to be seen. It may depend on Beck.

And if that’s the case, Georgia’s chances suddenly look a lot better.

(Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)