Miami glad to have Carson Beck: ‘A flat-out winner and difference-maker’
Carson Beck was comfortable in the spotlight Sunday night, showing the poise of a veteran familiar with such pressure in leading Miami to a thrilling 27-24 victory over Notre Dame.
“Winner,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said of Beck in his on-field interview with ESPN after the game. “A flat-out winner and difference-maker.”
Beck, no doubt, was key to No. 10 Miami knocking off No. 6 Notre Dame at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Beck was 20-of-31 passing for 205 yards and two touchdowns, but just as important, he avoided the sort of catastrophic plays that Marcus Freeman-led defenses often create.
“A fresh start is exactly what he needed,” ESPN commentator Greg McElroy said. “The numbers won’t blow you away, but when he’s playing well, he can play as well as anybody in the country at the quarterback spot.”
Georgia fans know that better than anyone, as Beck was 24-3 as the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback, going 4-2 against top-10 teams and 13-0 in home games.
Georgia extended its SEC-record home win streak to 32 games with its 45-7 win over Marshall on Saturday.
An emotional Beck showed grace in his on-field interview after Sunday’s game.
“Oh man, the past eight months have been so hard,” said Beck, whose final season at Georgia was cut short when he suffered an elbow injury in the SEC Championship game. “I’m just so blessed to be out here and have the opportunity to play again.”
Beck’s final play for the Bulldogs came on the last play of the 22-19 SEC title game win over Texas, when he returned to the game with his injured arm dangling at his side, taking care to make a clean handoff to Trevor Etienne for the game-winning touchdown after quarterback Gunner Stockton had been knocked out of the game.
Beck expressed appreciation for his Miami teammates and their work ethic and praised Notre Dame’s quarterback for a worthy effort. When asked how complete this Miami football team is, Beck answered in the same manner as his previous head coach, UGA’s Kirby Smart.
“It’s super complete, but obviously we have a lot to work on,” Beck said. “It’s Week 1.”
Beck has big shoes to fill replacing former Miami quarterback Cam Ward, who was the No. 1 overall player taken in the most recent NFL draft.
Beck, himself, had planned to enter the NFL draft after suffering the season-ending injury at Georgia before reevaluating his draft status and opening himself to the idea of returning to college football.
Smart and the Bulldogs had interest, but Miami’s offer was more lucrative, in addition to being an opportunity to be showcased in a different type of offense against new competition. That is something NFL teams value, according to former Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy.
Now it’s a new season and a new team for Beck, and McElroy was impressed with what he saw from the former Georgia starter. Beck operated in the opener behind a strong offensive line while throwing to a rebuilt receiving corps that lost five receivers off last season’s team, including its starters.
“Carson Beck has looked like the 2023 version of himself,” McElroy said. “He’s been very decisive …"
Beck completed 11 consecutive passes as Miami entered the fourth quarter with a 24-14 lead before Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr rallied the Fighting Irish to tie the score 24-24.
It was up to Beck, with 3:21 left, to lead the Hurricanes from their own 25-yard line for the game-winning score.
Beck settled in and sparked the drive with a 9-yard completion on the first play. Two plays later, Beck unleashed a deep pass down the left sideline after seeing receiver Keelan Marion beat his man in single coverage.
Beck’s decision and throw left Irish defender Christian Gray no choice but to tackle Marion before the ball could arrive, drawing a 15-yard penalty that moved the ball into Notre Dame territory.
Miami’s powerful offensive line took over from there, paving the way for Hurricanes running backs to move the ball to the Notre Dame 30-yard line and set up Carter Davis’ game-winning, 47-yard field goal.
The win completes a successful transition for Beck, who had been the subject of many offseason social media-driven stories involving his personal life and relationships.
McElroy revealed that Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson had a long conversation with former Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken about Beck during the offseason, in search of background information.
“Monken went on for about an hour, all positive,” McElroy said he was told. “(Monken said) he’s a competitor, he makes all the throws, you’re going to love having him, and Dawson said that’s all turned out to be true.”
Cristobal told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an exclusive interview at the ACC football media days in July that he was aware of Beck’s past social media dealings and was confident he had grown from the experience.
“It’s like anything else, it’s reps,” Cristobal said. “Carson has been through it, he understands what’s important now, and he’s focused.”
About the Author
Mike is in his eighth season covering SEC and Georgia athletics for AJC-DawgNation and has 30 years of collegiate sports multimedia experience, 25 of them in the SEC including beat writer stops at Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee and now Georgia. Mike was named the National FWAA Beat Writer of the Year in January, 2018.
