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2 hours ago
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Georgia is not out of the playoff hunt yet, even with two losses. Despite the Bulldogs' 7-2 record — which matches Georgia's loss total across the previous three season combined — one glaring weakness has marred the Bulldogs' season so far: Carson Beck's turnover issues.
More than halfway through the season, Beck has thrown six more interceptions than he threw during the entirety of the 2023 season. As a result, Georgia's offense hasn't been nearly as productive. In the Bulldogs' two losses, to Ole Miss and Alabama, Beck has had multiple turnovers.
The Dawgs have games remaining against Tennessee, UMass and Georgia Tech. If Georgia wants to make it to the College Football Playoff, Beck needs to fix his turnover problems as soon as possible.
Let's dive into Beck's turnover issues throughout the 2024 season.
Carson Beck leads the FBS in interceptions through nine games
Beck's total of 12 interceptions is tied with several quarterbacks for the 2024 season. Here's the rest of the group:
Player | School | Interceptions |
Carson Beck | Georgia | 12 |
Kyle McCord | Syracuse | 12 |
Joey Aguilar | App State | 12 |
Devon Dampier | New Mexico | 12 |
Ethan Garbers | UCLA | 12 |
Alan Bowman | Oklahoma State | 12 |
Beck's interceptions this season are the most thrown by an SEC player since Matt Corral in 2020.
In fact, the 22-year-old's performance against Ole Miss marked his fifth time in six games with multiple turnovers:
- Week 5 vs. Alabama: Three interceptions, one fumble
- Week 7 vs. Mississippi State: Two interceptions
- Week 8 vs. Texas: Three interceptions
- Week 10 vs. Florida: Three interceptions
- Week 11 vs. Ole Miss: One interception, one fumble
Georgia's last three games of the regular season will come against Tennessee, UMass and Georgia Tech. The Vols' defense has eight interceptions this season, while UMass has four. Georgia Tech has just two interceptions this year.
If the Dawgs want to win against Tennessee on Saturday and stay in the College Football Playoff hunt, Beck taking care of the football will be critical.
Beck entered 2024 as a potential first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. But the regression so far this season is jarring. Just look at his numbers from last year to his 2024 stats so far:
| Year | Comp-Att | Passing Yards | Touchdowns | Interceptions | Passer Rating |
| 2023 | 302-417 | 3,941 | 24 | 6 | 167.9 |
| 2024 | 210-321 | 2,488 | 17 | 12 | 140.5 |
What's wrong with Carson Beck?
While pinpointing a specific reason for Beck's struggles is difficult, Beck did have to replace his three favorite targets from last year, as tight end Brock Bowers and receivers Ladd McConkey and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint are now in the NFL.
Georgia's two leading receivers in 2024, Arian Smith and Dominic Lovett, haven't matched the production of their predecessors. Georgia also leads the nation in dropped passes.
Two of Beck's expected targets are also nowhere in the picture. RaRa Thomas was dismissed following an arrest for multiple family violence charges. Colbie Young was suspended following his arrest earlier last month on misdemeanor charges of battery and assault on an unborn child.
Without consistent receivers, Beck is seemingly struggling to settle into his normal rhythm.
"He's not the same guy," NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay said on his podcast with The Ringer. "I don't know the why behind it. I know the product on the field and that's what we're here to talk about... the product on the field shows me a quarterback that desperately misses the comfort level of Ladd McConkey and misses the security blanket of Brock Bowers."
Another clear glaring issue of Georgia's offense is the lack of a consistent run game. Despite averaging 191.21 rush yards per game last season, the Bulldogs rank an abysmal 104th in rush yards per game in 2024. Coincidentally, Georgia sits in between Georgia Southern (103rd) and Georgia State (105th).
Without getting solid production on offense, Beck is being asked to air it out far more than he did last season, or so it seems. After the loss to Ole Miss, Beck addressed his frustration with Georgia's run game.
"It's not about how I play but how we play," Beck told 247Sports. "Our identity is to run the ball. We just weren't able to do that tonight. Maybe whenever that happens, I have to step up and we have to make some explosive plays in the passing game. Or maybe I got to start making some plays on the ground. Somebody has to step up and make a play whenever we're not able to run the ball comfortably."
While some Georgia fans may take Beck's comments to be passing off blame, the Dawgs might not be sitting with two losses if they could run the ball more efficiently. Here's how Georgia's running backs have done this year:
- Trevor Etienne: 477 yards on 95 carries with seven touchdowns, averaging 59.63 yards per game
- Nate Frazier: 333 yards on 72 carries with three touchdowns, averaging 41.63 yards per game
- Dillon Bell: 104 yards on seven carries with one touchdown, averaging 11.56 yards per carry
- Brandon Robinson: 73 yards on 25 carries with three touchdowns, averaging 12.17 yards per game
Unsurprisingly, the unit has regressed as a whole in 2024. Georgia's offense ranks just 50th overall in total offense, and is 48th in scoring offense (30.6 PPG) this season. Last year, the Bulldogs finished top-five in both categories.
If Beck can figure out how to get his turnover issues fixed and help lead Georgia to a playoff berth, he could get back in Bulldog fans' good graces. More of the same from him likely won't cut it.
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