The Georgia Bulldogs’ (7-1) 34-20 win over the Florida Gators (4-4) in Week 10 was a tale of two halves. This was epitomized by Carson Beck quite damningly. Beck threw 2 picks and had a measly 52% completion rate at the break as Georgia trailed 13-6. An upturn did transpire in the second half, albeit he threw a 3rd INT. However, the writing about his misfortunes was already on the wall figuratively and on the back pages literally.

As everybody convened to find reasons for Beck’s slump of 8 INTs in 3 games, OC Mike Bobo was in the firing line. Bobo caught flak for persisting with putting the ball in Beck’s hand. Georgia’s rush attempts in the Gators game were well below their season average. Amidst the scrutiny, Bulldogs legend David Pollack offered his take on why Bobo wasn’t the culprit. In fact, Pollack believes he was the rescuer and a major contributor to the Bulldogs’ comeback.

Pollack lent his thoughts on a live stream in the aftermath of Week 10. In an excerpt posted on his Instagram, he said “Bobo saved [them], because everything in the second half was manufactured. Everything was quick game, It was reverse. Everything he did was to try to alleviate the pressure from Beck, because he was struggling”. Pollack also broke down Beck’s demeanor and offered advice on how he can climb out of this hole.

“If [Beck] has too much time and he starts to move a little bit, if the eyes go down, the play’s dead. He’s not throwing it. I’d love to see him just continue to climb in the pocket. Or be able to keep his feet hot, instead of circle around and start to run around when he feels a little bit of pressure”. It’ll be fascinating to see if Beck onboards this advice via a legend such as Pollack.

Georgia, ranked no. 3 in the first CFP rankings of the season, need Beck to find his mojo as they head into the business end of the season. Kirby Smart is going to trust Mike Bobo to provide Beck with the tools to do so. However, the Bulldogs’ faithful trust is wavering.

Why did Georgia shy away from their run game?

Bobo’s reluctance to run the ball after star RB Trevor Etienne’s injury was a cause or concern among fans. Etienne left the field on Saturday with a rib injury in the 2nd quarter. This was off the back of his best performance of the season against Texas. Etienne ran riot against the Longhorns with 87 yards on 19 carries and 3 TDs.

The injury leaves Georgia thin in terms of their running back depth. Kirby Smart spoke about the injury on Monday and signs are positive. “Etienne I feel good about. He felt good yesterday, and did some things yesterday with our guys. The big thing is just his ability to sustain and deal with a little bit of pain, because he’s going to have some there. But he’s a tough kid, and I think he’ll do well with it”.

Freshman Nate Frazier and Junior Cash Jones are the only backs available to Bobo. Jones has had 4 carries all season. Fans’ issues with Mike Bobo’s play calling may have legs to them, but one can see the reasons for trusting a veteran albeit struggling QB in a tough away environment. Beck will hope to turn things around against Ole Miss this weekend as Georgia marches towards the CFP.