ATHENS — Carson Beck told reporters after Georgia’s 48-7 win over UT-Martin that he didn’t really settle in until the second quarter. That he was anxious during the first quarter of the first start of his career.
The hope is that much like in the win over UT-Martin, Beck will settle in during his second start on Saturday against Ball State.
Beck wasn’t the only player contributing with the first-time offense. Oscar Delp was in a similar position and scored his first Sanford Stadium touchdown in the win.
“I think it’s definitely a big thing to get that first game under your belt,” Delp said. “It was awesome being out there and getting to experience that with a great crowd like we had last week. I think it definitely helped to kind of get that first game out of the way, and I’m excited for this week.”
Beck isn’t the only one who has things to improve on coming out of the first game. The offensive line struggled to generate push and there were a handful of drops from the wide receiver position.
Georgia knows that there are plenty of areas outside of Beck’s purview that have to be improved.
“I mean, just fixing the little things, certain things on certain plays that may have gotten busted or may not have been handled as well as we have,” Delp said. “We work those in practice. Just fixing the little things and just going out there and just preparing for Ball State an what they bring.”
Georgia will get at least one key piece back to help Beck and the offense this week in the form of senior wide receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint. He did not play in the team’s opening week game due to internal team discipline after an offseason arrest.
“It really helps Carson’s confidence,” Smart said of Rosemy-Jacksaint’s presence. “That’s one of the things about having Marcus around. Marcus knows every fast ball play, Marcus knows exactly what to do when he checks, Marcus knows the route tree. Marcus gives you comfort as a quarterback that he’s going to do it right. Not just the physicality and blocking because he’s more than a blocker. He goes up and makes plays on the ball.”
Adding Rosemy-Jacksaint to a wide receiver group that includes Arian Smith, Dominic Lovett and others should help Beck. Georgia also may get Ladd McConkey back from injury as he has been dealing with back spasms.
Those weapons, along with more experience, should help Beck feel at ease when Georgia takes the field on Saturday against Ball State.
“He had huge catches last year over the middle, the end zone catch against Tennessee,” Smart said. “He’s very reliable, and I think having him back gives all those guys a little more swagger and confidence at receiver because he’s out there. It also takes a little bit of a load off of the other guys in terms of volume.”
For as much has been made about the weapons and the offensive line, Beck knows he has room to grow and get better. Saturday’s game represents an opportunity for him to do so.
And there is still the same strong belief in Beck that was there before the first game, where he went out and completed 21 of his 31 pass attempts for 294 yards and no turnovers.
“He’s going to be that guy for sure. He has his confidence,” wide receiver Dillon Bell said. “Once he’s rolling, he’s rolling. I would say that for sure.”
