Carson Beck JT Daniels Georgia football

ATHENS — There’s a chance Georgia backup quarterback Carson Beck could get the start against UAB on Saturday at Sanford Stadium, and that has college football abuzz.

Starter JT Daniels has aggravated an upper-body injury that was originally suffered in the team’s second scrimmage on Aug. 21. The oblique muscles/core, as well as pectoral muscle, have been referenced, though there has been no confirmation or comment from the head coach.

Daniels didn’t show any signs of injury during or in the immediate aftermath of the Bulldogs’ 10-3 win over Clemson, a game that saw him sacked just once.

But Daniels, operating with an inexperienced receiving corps down four players, was little more than efficient in the win, 22-of-30 passing for 135 yards with an interception against a stacked Clemson defense.

Observers and sources have told DawgNation that Daniels’ repetitions this week have been limited.

Beck, a second-year player out of Florida, has gotten a majority of the work with the first-team and could start or play prominently when the Bulldogs play the Blazers at 3:30 p.m. (TV: ESPN2) at Sanford Stadium.

There’s an old saying that “the backup quarterback is the most popular player on the team,” a phenomenon that has played out over and over again in watercooler and now social media discussions.

Here are three scenarios involving Beck playing on Saturday amid this seemingly suddenly fuzzy quarterback situation:

Beck starts, performs well

SEC all-time leading passer and former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray said Beck looked better than any of the other quarterbacks at scrimmage -- last year.

But Beck played sparingly, to the extent of not having any statistics in the 2020 season.

Former Georgia quarterback Hutson Mason, now a college football analyst for ESPN and Atlanta’'s 680 The Fan, said this could evolve into an explosive situation.

“If I’m JT Daniels the only way I wouldn’t play is if they didn’t put the equipment in my locker,” said Mason, who in his senior year of 2014 beat Clemson and played through a rib injury. “If I don’t play for a week or two, and No. 15 comes in and plays well … it makes for a tougher decision for the head coach. You don’t want to lose that job.

“There’s a reason Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Brett Farve were notorious for never giving any of their backups any reps. All it takes is one game to open the door.”

Beck starts, struggles

Daniels could be well enough to play in an emergency situation, or Kirby Smart might turn to redshirt senior Stetson Bennett, who rescued the team from last season’s slow start at Arkansas.

Daniels did not appear limited at Clemson, as he layered a nice downfield throw into the hands of Ladd McConkey, which was dropped. If Daniels is as capable this week as he was against the Tigers, and UGA would merely be sitting him out as a precaution, then using him if Beck struggles would be an option.

If Daniels isn’t healthy enough to play, then Bennett would be the most likely next man up, as he has game experience and is familiar with the playbook and personnel.

Freshman Brock Vandagriff has the highest ceiling of talent, but he has been working with the scout team.

Daniels starts struggles/performs well

If Daniels is well enough to start but an injury prevents him from making all of the throws or protecting himself with his mobility, it’s possible Georgia could bring Beck on in relief.

Beck does have more mobility than Daniels — though he’s not a runner — and he exhibited a command of the offense in the G-Day Game.

G-Day Stats from 2021 (UGA spoerts/Dawgnation)

If Daniels plays despite the soreness that has led to limited reps and performs well, then the recent speculation has been a learning exercise for what happens when media is not allowed to observe, and programs are not upfront about their injuries.

And, lest anyone forget, Daniels was amazingly efficient in the four games he played in last season with a capable receiving corps, posting the highest QB rating of all returning quarterbacks from the time he stepped on the field against Mississippi State.

Daniels’ past two games have come against elite defenses with key personnel missing, including an offensive line shuffle in the bowl and four missing receivers against a salty Clemson defense.

Smart has proven an elite coach, but he has quickly drawn a reputation for being less than forthright about the team’s player availability and the extent of injuries.

Smart is hardly the first coach to attempt to hide or mislead where injuries are concerned, but he’s doing it on a brightly lit stage with a championship-caliber program.