Kirby Smart makes his opinion clear on "benching" Carson Beck for the Tennessee game amid Georgia QB's dip in form
Georgia Bulldogs quarterback, Carson Beck, has been unable to step up to the plate this season as far as the Heisman hype is concerned. Last Saturday, in Oxford, Kirby Smart’s No. 3-placed Georgia Bulldogs admitted defeat to the No. 16-placed Ole Miss Rebels.
During the fixture, the 22-year-old signal caller threw another interception and could not even register a single touchdown pass. Prior to Saturday’s loss to Ole Miss, Beck had thrown three interceptions in the Bulldogs’ last two fixtures.
Is Kirby Smart due to bench Carson Beck?
Carson Beck is responsible for 14 of the turnovers throughout the past six games. Head Coach for the Bulldogs, Kirby Smart, does not believe that there is any need for a quarterback change even though college sports analyst, Shannon Sharpe believed differently. During a press conference last Monday, Smart was asked if the team has any desire to make a change to the quarterback position.
“Absolutely not!" Smart said. "We've got the quarterback we've got who's completely competent and capable and understanding of our system. He gives us the best chance to win."
While passing the buck to the quarterback for the team’s offensive struggles is easy, Smart delineated how it has more to do with the difficulty of their fixtures.
The Bulldogs have played the toughest-ranked schedule in the SEC and are still 7-2 with another big game at hand against the Tennessee Volunteers. It’s important to note that their overall outcome can be attributed to Carson Beck’s arm saving the Bulldogs late in the game.
"Well, we've played really good defenses," Smart further commented. "So you guys will look at a stat sheet, and you'll say, where do they rank? And I'll say, well, against who? Because relative to who we've played, we've played some really good teams. But I would be remiss if I would say that we're happy with where we are," Smart said.
"We're not happy with where we are. We've played some really, really, really, really good defenses, I think, this year, more than most people in terms of their schedule. And when you look at SEC games, the ones that matter the most, SEC versus SEC, and you look at all those, it's not as glaring as a difference because there are some really good defenses in our league in terms of what you play against," he added.
Is Carson Beck on the cards in Bulldogs vs. Tennessee?
It goes without saying that despite how hard the schedule has been for the Bulldogs, Kirby Smart is not ignorant of the fact that his team needs to improve both in terms of defense and offense. The 48-year-old stated that the need of the moment was to be more productive as far as their upcoming SEC matchup against seventh-placed Tennessee Volunteers this upcoming Saturday was concerned.
"We want to be able to throw the ball vertical down the field. We want to be able to shoot play-action. Play action is set up off of your back and off of your ability to run the ball. In some games, we have been able to run the ball better than others. In some games, we've been able to drop back past better than others. But regardless of those two things, you must protect the ball. And we have not done that. And that's the key to the drill," Smart said.
"If you don't turn the ball over, guys, you're going to have a chance to win. And then the flip side of that is you've got to get turnovers. So where are our strip outs? Where are our rip-outs? Where are our takeaways, I would say? Because to win turnover margin, it's a two-way street. It's not just a one-way street," he added.
Beck is currently enjoying his fifth season with Smart’s Georgia program. In the previous season, the two-time National Champion led the NCAA in terms of passing yards. Despite the 22-year-old's shaky performance, the Bulldogs' only loss came in a thrilling matchup versus the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. Beck has drawn compliments from Volunteers gaffer Josh Heupel for his contributions:
“He's the key that turns the ignition for them on offense!”
There are compelling reasons why coach Smart is unwilling to rely on Gunner Stockton, even though he might supply Georgia’s offense with more quarterback run games. Fans are hopeful that Georgia’s offensive line will better protect Beck against Tennessee than they did against Ole Miss. At 7-2, the Bulldogs cannot afford a loss. If Georgia wins against Tennessee, Massachusetts, and Georgia Tech down the road, then there’s a sport for the Bulldogs in the 12-team field!