Georgia’s Carson Beck was very good last season. It’s why he’s among the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy this year. But if Beck is to be the nation’s most outstanding player this season, then he’s going to have to be even better.
Beck no longer is throwing to star pass-catchers Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey, ex-Bulldogs now in the NFL. Georgia’s running back group had a lot of turnover, and the best of the bunch, Trevor Etienne, was suspended for the season opener. Georgia’s defense usually is elite, but the massive NFL attrition of the past two three years means there’s a chance that group will be merely very good.
Those circumstances raised some questions about top-ranked Georgia’s season opener against No. 14 Clemson at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday. Beck had an answer for them all. He was brilliant as the Bulldogs routed the Tigers 34-3.
Beck tallied 278 yards on 33 attempts with two touchdowns. It wasn’t easy. The Bulldogs led just 6-0 at the break. They couldn’t run the ball against Clemson’s stout defensive front. Two of Beck’s pass first-half pass attempts totaled 54 yards. His other 17 attempts added up to only 72 yards.
“Maybe there was a little bit of nerves,” Beck said. “Maybe guys were just trying to get warmed into the game.”
The Bulldogs were getting the ball first after halftime. Beck was on the sidelines studying Clemson’s defensive alignments on a tablet when he looked up at Kirby Smart and made a declaration.
“He told when we came out for the second half, ‘We are going to go down there and score, Coach,” Smart said. “And sure enough, we did.”
The Bulldogs got in scoring range on Beck’s 32-yard pass to Arian Smith. Dillon Bell’s end-around run for 27 yards moved Georgia into the red zone. The drive ended with Beck’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Colbie Young.
Finally, Georgia’s offense was unlocked.
The Bulldogs scored another touchdown on their next drive. They punted with a 27-3 lead late in the third quarter, then scored touchdowns on consecutive drives. Beck’s five completions in the second half totaled 99 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown to London Humphreys. That was a pretty pass by Beck on an in-route.
Beck and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, who calls plays from the press box, got together at halftime to dissect Clemson’s defense. They found some potential vulnerabilities. Then Beck exploited them.
“Seeing what they were doing against us, it was everything that we saw ( of them) on film that we watched from last year,” Beck said. “So we just kind of deciphered which ways we wanted to attack them and maybe tried to be a little bit more aggressive coming out at the half, and I think we did a really good job of that. We got on the perimeter, had some good perimeter runs and were able to throw the ball down the field a little bit, and that ultimately ended up opening things up for us.”
No Bowers was no problem for Beck against Clemson. He spread the ball around to nine different pass-catchers. Five of them had at least one reception for 20-plus yards. Young’s TD catch put Georgia ahead 13-0. Humphreys’ 40-yard TD score in the fourth quarter put Clemson away.
Young and Humphreys are transfer players. Incumbents Smith and Bell also made big plays.
“I think that wide receiver (group) has so much depth,” Beck said. “Everyone wants to say guys left and there’s no talent in there, but there’s so much talent, and we have so much confidence in every single guy that goes out there.”
This was a great performance by Beck under the circumstances. For one thing, Clemson’s defense is legitimate. The Bulldogs likely will face only two better groups this season, Texas and Alabama.
Also, think about what the Bulldogs lost. Bowers is an all-time great college tight end. McConkey was Georgia’s best wide receiver over the past three season. Florida transfer Entienne is supposed to lead the running backs after the two top ball carriers left, but he sat out the opener as punishment for his DUI and reckless driving arrest (the DUI charge later was dropped).
Those developments meant Beck would have to carry more of the load. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said he was worried that Beck would do it.
“I think he showed he’s a really, really good player,” Swinney said. “He’s incredibly accurate. That’s one of my concerns going into the game was, if we let him hold the ball on third-and-long, he’ll find ‘em. And he did.”
When Beck couldn’t find an open man, he gained yards or bought time by running with the ball. Beck’s 15-yard scramble during Georgia’s first drive moved the chains and flipped the field. If no target was available downfield, Beck delivered short passes to the flats.
Beck made all the right decisions. He usually does. But there was some uncertainty about whether he could be as good without Bowers, McConkey and an explosive running game. Beck had all the answers in the opener.
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