ATLANTA — Carson Beck didn’t live up to the ridiculously high hype surrounding him entering the season, but the fifth-year senior was more than good enough to lead Georgia to victory over Clemson.
Beck was 23-of-33 passing for 278 yards, also breaking off two impressive scrambles including a 13-yard first-down run, en route to improving his record to 14-1 as a starter — 6-1 against Top 25-ranked teams.
The win over the 14th-ranked Tigers in Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday didn’t come easy.
The Bulldogs led just 6-0 at the half, struggling early to run the ball with projected starters Trevor Etienne (suspension) and Rod Robinson (turf toe) sidelined
“I think we just came out slow in the first quarter, maybe there was a little nerves, especially the offense, we worked that out as the game went on,” Beck said in his on-field postgame interview with ABC.
“We came out and saw what they were trying to do and made those adjustments, and we were aggressive and picked it up in the second half.”
Georgia had several young players rise to the occasion, along with veteran players who were finally getting their chance to step into more prominent roles.
Freshman tailback Nate Frazier had 83 yards rushing and a touchdown on 11 carries, while sophomore Vanderbilt transfer receiver London Humphries had two catches for 63 yards including a 40-yard catch-and-run touchdown.
Veteran walk-on tailback Cash Jones made the most of his work, breaking off a 15-yard touchdown run, catching two passes for 14 yards and providing sound pass protection.
“Throughout spring ball, summer, and fall camp we’ve seen those guys be able to make plays,” Beck said. “If somebody is out, somebody has to make the play.
“I’m excited for them, especially Nate. First game as a Georgia Bulldog. It was amazing to watch. I expected that.”
Beck, per his steady nature, provided some insight into the Georgia football mindset moving forward with the home opener against Tennessee Tech next Saturday.
“The biggest thing for us is to be consistent and go week by week …. " Beck said. “Go 1-0 each week. We need to stay (consistent) and not be complacent.”