Carson Beck saves Georgia football, hurts Tennessee’s CFP berth

On By Littum

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  • On a pivotal night, with Georgia’s season on the line, Carson Beck turned into a better quarterback than he’s ever been.
  • Georgia should move to the safe side of the CFP bubble, but does this knock out Tennessee? The Vols may now need some help.
  • Carson Beck rewards Kirby Smart’s faith in him.

ATHENS, Ga. – What a pivotal night, with Georgia’s season on the brink, with the Bulldogs’ final rites on the tip of their tongues, Carson Beck turned into a better quarterback than he’s ever been.

Where has this guy been all season?

Better question: If this quarterback who tortured Tennessee’s defense Saturday night is here to stay, can Georgia land a national championship contender?

Only a sucker would count out No. 10 Georgia.

By hitting No. 4 Tennessee 31-17 on Beck’s shoulders at Sanford Stadium, the Bulldogs proved once again that they achieve their greatest feats when faced with the greatest doubt.

The Bulldogs (8-2) understood their challenge: Beat Tennessee or be eliminated from College Football Playoff consideration. Georgia’s CFP hopes couldn’t afford a third loss.

“Win or go home,” Georgia offensive lineman Jared Wilson said. “We knew what was at stake.”

A few days ago, Kirby Smart was asked about the idea of ​​benching a struggling Beck in favor of a backup quarterback. Beck accounted for 14 turnovers in the six games prior to Saturday, but Smart quickly shot down the idea of ​​a quarterback change.

He dances with the one who brought him, and Beck rewarded that faith with a heroic performance against one of the nation’s best defenses. Georgia’s quarterback had a hand in three of his team’s touchdowns.

“I haven’t seen that Carson Beck in a couple of weeks,” Wilson said. “It was great to have him back.”

Carson Beck collects footballs in Georgia and gets a smile

Beck isn’t usually one for dramatic speeches, but when Smart and the coaches left the players to talk among themselves after a team meeting earlier in the week, several veteran players spoke up.

Beck decided he wanted to say a thing or two about this critical moment Georgia found itself in after a whimpering loss last weekend at Miss Ole.

“Everybody understood the situation we were in,” Beck said. “Our backs were against the wall and the only way out was through what was in front of you.”

In front of the Bulldogs was one Volunteers defense that hadn’t allowed more than 19 points to any opponent.

Georgia passed for 453 yards.

So much for Tennessee’s defense.

And so much for Georgia’s offensive woes.

Beck fueled the revival.

Although Georgia’s receivers dropped several passes, causing a few hiccups, Beck gained some valuable allies. His offensive line delivered a master class in pass protection, and Beck teamed up repeatedly with tight end Oscar Delp to exploit Tennessee’s defense through the middle of the field.

“There was just a fire around us tonight,” Beck said. “It seemed like we were having fun.”

A week ago, television cameras caught Beck laughing on the sidelines while chatting with a teammate in the closing minutes in Oxford as Ole Miss stomped Georgia. It created an awkward image of a quarterback smiling after a tough performance while his team lost.

The Bulldogs got their smiles after this triumph and were in a happy mood.

As Beck spoke to reporters afterward, Wilson caught his quarterback’s eye, jumped up and down, raised his fists and laughed.

Beck smiled back.

This one felt good – and overdue.

And that left the Vols in a spot of trouble.

What Georgia win means for CFP bracket and is Tennessee in trouble?

That result should push the Bulldogs back to the right side of the playoff bubble after they were the first team out of contention in Tuesday’s rankings update.

Win the next two games against Massachusetts and Georgia Tech at home, and Georgia should enter December on solid footing.

And what about Tennessee (8-2)?

The Vols went toe-to-toe against a Georgia team that hasn’t lost at home since 2019. Georgia didn’t get ahead by two scores until late in the fourth quarter.

That performance won’t extinguish Tennessee’s playoff case, but it didn’t cement it either.

The Vols could have taken control of their postseason destination with a win. Now the fate of the Vols will be entirely in the hands of an unpredictable playoff committee. This loss likely leaves Tennessee needing some help to feel comfortable with a playoff spot.

The playoff committee punished the Bulldogs after last week’s flop at Ole Miss by dropping Georgia nine spots in the playoffs, down to No. 12.

Tennessee probably won’t drop nine spots, but it can expect to drop more.

The SEC remains topsy-turvy. Georgia failed the eye test — and every other test — last week. The Bulldogs were much easier on the eyes against Tennessee.

A dart-shooting quarterback sure helps.

Cold hand Carson Beck shows up at the perfect time for Georgia

Beck passed for two scores. He scored another on a critical third-down scamper, running away from a pass rusher and into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter.

He finished 25 of 40 for 346 yards, his third-highest yardage this season.

Importantly, he didn’t commit any turnovers and kept his cool after Tennessee raced to a 10-point lead after one quarter.

Beck threw enough accurate strikes to remind us why many considered him a safe first-round NFL draft pick entering this season before a rocky stretch of games in the middle of this season required a review of his stock.

Beck played so well that he brought back memories of Stetson Bennett IV, his predecessor who quarterbacked Georgia to back-to-back national championships.

While Bennett lacked Beck’s NFL tools, he ran on moxie and enjoyed big moments. Bennett surpassed Tennessee star Hendon Hooker two years ago when the Vols sat atop the CFP rankings.

On this night, Beck outclassed Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava, the Vols’ redshirt freshman.

A Bennett-type performance?

“I guess you could say that,” Beck said.

Better to put it this way: A performance that reminded us of Beck’s abilities.

In a game-changing moment, Tennessee’s feared edge rusher James Pearce had Beck in his sights in the backfield with a chance for a drive-ending sack.

Beck outran Pearce, sprinted into the end zone and saved Georgia from the playoffs.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read all his columns.