QB Carson Beck had a rough game but threw a go-ahead TD pass with 4:01 to go as No. 2 Georgia beat Florida 34-20.
Beck threw three interceptions on Saturday as the Bulldogs trailed for much of the first half and even found themselves tied halfway through the fourth quarter. But after Florida tied the game at 20-20 with 7:29 to go, Georgia responded with a 75-yard drive that took just seven plays and ended when Beck found Dominic Lovett for a 10-yard TD pass.
Florida still had plenty of time to engineer another game-tying drive but a shorthanded offense finally ran out of gas. Aidan Warner was picked off on the first play of the drive by CJ Allen and Georgia put the game away with just over three minutes to go on a TD by Dwight Phillips Jr.
Warner was playing for the injured DJ Lagway. The five-star freshman suffered a “pretty significant” hamstring injury according to coach Billy Napier. Lagway went down in the first half and immediately grabbed the back of his left thigh. He was even carried to a waiting cart after trainers tended to him on the ground.
Florida also played without starting RB Montrell Johnson and receiver Eugene Wilson III. But the Gators hung with the Bulldogs thanks to a strong performance from the defense.
The chances of an upset went haywire in the third quarter, however. The Gators lined up for a 51-yard field goal with the game tied at 13 but a low snap went careening past the kicker and holder. Georgia eventually recovered at the Florida 36-yard-line and needed just three plays to go up 20-13 on a pass from Beck to Cash Jones.
Carson Beck’s recent struggles
This was not Beck’s first three-interception game of the season. It was his third. And all three have happened in Georgia’s past five games.
Beck has thrown 11 interceptions since he didn’t throw a pick in any of Georgia’s first three games of the season. He threw three interceptions in the Bulldogs’ loss to Georgia, though he rebounded in the second half before throwing an interception in the end zone that basically ended the game.
He threw two interceptions three weeks ago against Mississippi State, and was picked off three times in Georgia’s 30-15 win over Texas on Oct. 19. That win was powered by Georgia’s defensive front getting after Texas’ offense. Beck was just 23-of-41 passing for 175 yards and three interceptions.
A potential first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft, Beck chose to come back to school after the Bulldogs missed out on the College Football Playoff a season ago. He’s carried a larger burden for the offense in 2024 and, so far, hasn’t been as good as he was a season ago.
Beck completed over 72% of his passes last season and threw for 3,941 yards and 24 TDs to just six interceptions. After a 25-of-40 passing performance for 309 yards on Saturday, Beck is now completing just under 66% of his passes this season and is averaging fewer yards per attempt while throwing three more interceptions than he did all of last season.
The recent propensity for turnovers means Beck’s Heisman chances are basically zero at this point. And he’ll have to play better if Georgia is going to get past Ole Miss and Tennessee over its next two games. The Bulldogs can’t count on the defense bailing it out against those ranked teams.
