Miami-Florida State showdown puts Carson Beck back in spotlight

Carson Beck is back in the spotlight, throwing spirals for a Miami football program that has not made the College Football Playoff since its inception in 2014 and is desperate for relevancy.

Beck will lead the No. 3-ranked Hurricanes (4-0, 0-0 ACC) into Tallahassee to face No. 18 Florida State (3-1, 0-1) in a 7:30 p.m. game airing on ABC that figures to have College Football Playoff implications.

As fascinating as the game promises to be, the tenor of the narrative surrounding Beck’s seasons at Georgia and transfer to Miami could prove just as interesting.

The story of Miami football is fascinating enough, as the Hurricanes were a win away from clinching a spot in the ACC Championship Game last season before stumbling in the final game of the regular season, falling 42-38 at Syracuse.

The Seminoles bring their own story into Saturday night’s action, too. Florida State shocked No. 10 Alabama 31-17 to open this season after a 2-10 campaign in 2024, only to stumble in a double-overtime loss at then-unranked Virginia last Saturday.

Beck, meanwhile, has faced Florida State before — two seasons ago, with a one-loss Georgia team that saw its stars opt in to play in the Orange Bowl and rout a previously unbeaten Seminoles team that had a handful of its top players opt out.

The Bulldogs’ 63-3 win still stands as the most lopsided bowl victory in history, underscoring the importance of programs building a strong team culture amid the new NIL era.

Beck played only two quarters of the Georgia win over Florida State, completing 13 of 18 passes for 203 yards with two touchdowns as UGA raced out to a 42-3 halftime lead in a game some felt damaged the Florida State culture.

Two seasons later, so much has changed.

There’s a new narrative surrounding the Seminoles, a new storyline for Beck, and hope in Miami that the Hurricanes can return to greatness.

Miami hasn’t had back-to-back finishes in the AP Top 25 since former Georgia coach Mark Richt was at the helm for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

Beck’s transfer has seemingly opened the door for a return to greatness, even as the former Georgia quarterback said he found himself just as surprised as anyone that things worked out this way for him.

“It was never a plan for me to leave Georgia and go elsewhere, my plan was to spend my career and time at Georgia and ultimately go to the NFL,” Beck told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an interview at the ACC Media Days in July. “But it’s the way the cards played out and the hand I was dealt with the injury.”

Beck originally declared for the 2025 NFL Draft after suffering a torn UCL ligament in his elbow before pivoting to Miami, where head coach Mario Cristobal and his new Hurricanes’ teammates have embraced him as a worthy replacement to departed No. 1 overall draft pick Cam Ward at quarterback.

ESPN did the most recent deep dive into this new version of Beck, summarizing his struggles during the 2024 season.

“Beck’s decreased efficiency and accuracy weren’t necessarily all his fault: Georgia had issues across its offensive line, both in protecting Beck and running the ball. Georgia ranked No. 102 in the nation in rush offense, the worst mark under (Kirby) Smart. The pressure rate on Beck increased, too, from 19.1 percent to 20.6 percent. The Georgia receivers dropped 36 passes to lead the nation.”

The level of competition Georgia faced with road games at Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas — and the injuries on the offensive line and at tailback — had a great deal to do with Beck’s challenges.

Those factors were not noted in the ESPN story — no fault of Beck’s — but certainly something NFL talent evaluators took note of then and now as Beck looks to restore the first-round draft stock he once held.

According to one source familiar with Beck’s standing among NFL evaluators, the move to Miami has paid off.

“He’s got receivers who are actually catching the damn ball, and his teammates are playing well around him,” the source told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the condition of anonymity, as his comments could compromise his position.

“But Miami also has a really good team, all around, there’s not many holes.”

Beck said in the ESPN article that last season he was “trying to be Superman, trying to save the day,” as the Georgia offense struggled through October.

Beck, who threw nine of his 12 interceptions last season in a four-game stretch leading up to a win over Tennessee, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last summer it was “probably the worst month of football by a quarterback, ever,” adding, “Thank God we had a really good defense that was able to hold me up.”

From there, Beck said, he changed his approach to be more concerned about the team and not his individual draft stock, and strong performances followed.

“I took the approach I’m going to serve others, this isn’t about me, this is about Georgia, and that worked for me,” Beck said in the AJC interview. “I think those last three games, we turned it around …”

Beck has continued to take responsibility for the off-field distractions he endured last season at Georgia after posting pictures of the Lamborghini he purchased and trips to South Florida.

“It’s really weird, because my whole life I’ve been very introverted, and whether people believe it or not, I’ve really tried to stay out of the limelight,” Beck told ESPN. “A lot of times, in my position, you can’t because there is that hyper-focused attention on you. I probably put myself in some situations that wouldn’t align with me saying that I tried to stay out of the limelight, and obviously that’s on me.”

Cristobal told the AJC last summer that Beck has learned from his social media miscues and has been focused on football since arriving at Miami.

There have been and will continue to be comparisons from Beck’s current status at Miami to last season’s challenges at Georgia.

• Beck has increased his yards per attempt from 7.8 to 8.7

• Beck’s passer rating is 161.4 in 2025, up from 145.3 in 2024

• Beck’s current 73.2 completion percentage is a career high for Beck

Those numbers are years in the making, as Beck has said numerous times he’s thankful for the five seasons he had preparing and playing football at Georgia.

The UGA fan base has been somewhat split on Beck, with some staying in support of him while others would just as soon not hear his name again.

The Bulldogs, after all, have their hands full with a young, rebuilding team that has the teeth of another rugged SEC schedule ahead of them.

Gunner Stockton, Beck’s understudy and Georgia’s first-year starting quarterback, has proved himself capable in the clutch even if he does bring a different set of skills to the field.