The Georgia Bulldogs had much to celebrate last weekend, not only for their impressive victory over the then No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns, winning 30-15, but also for head coach Kirby Smart achieving a significant milestone—his 100th career win as a college football head coach. Before they entered week 8, many questioned if they would win against head coach Steve Sarkisian. However, Smart and his squad were ready with their answers on the field.

Despite the win, questions linger about quarterback Carson Beck’s performance. If we go back to 28th September, when Alabama defeated the Bulldogs, Beck faced similar criticism for his play, particularly in the first half when he struggled to respond to Alabama’s defense. However, he managed to come back stronger against Auburn. On October 19, his performance against their strongest competition was questionable. Senior national recruiting analyst for On Texas Football, Gerry Hamiltoon, has joined the ongoing conversation, raising concerns about Beck’s ups and downs this season. His form this season is a hot topic. Will his performance stop them from entering the playoffs?

Hamilton highlighted the growing concerns about his consistency as the Georgia Bulldogs prepare for critical upcoming games. Beck has been consistent in terms of passing yards. But the problem for him this season is the interceptions. In their recent game, he threw not one or two but three interceptions. Hamilton is talking about the same: “Carson Beck has a three-interception performance again, and I know Ole Miss isn’t playing well at Ole Miss or Tennessee at home or the SEC Championship game. They could lose one of those games if Carson Beck turns in a stinker; he’s had a couple of them this year.”

Further commenting on Bulldogs’ overall performance, the insider added, “Georgia dropped passes against Texas, which made that game a little closer than it probably should have been considering how the Texas offense played, but he still threw three picks in that game, and it could have been five if he throws another game on the board like that.” In the last two games, Beck has recorded five interceptions, with a completion rate of just 56%.

Moving ahead, the season is going to get more intense. As Smart and his team move deeper into the season, the intensity of their schedule is going to increase. Following a bye week, the team had the opportunity to go back and watch the film and work on their mistakes. Looking at their schedule ahead, Hamilton stated, “They can lose. You can lose to Tennessee doing that. I mean, it’s possible, yeah, but Georgia is, um, defensively hitting their stride.” So far, the biggest concern for Smart is the inconsistency on offense.

Beck has completed 66 per cent of his passes in 2024, with 1993 yards and 15 touchdowns, which is not that bad. Right? He has displayed some impressive games compared to other QBs, but will he bounce back stronger this season and put a full stop to criticism? We heard what the insiders have to say; let’s hear HC Smart’s opinion on Beck’s performance.

‘I don’t agree with that’: Kirby Smart defends Carson Beck

While criticism of Carson Beck’s performance has been rising following his struggles against Texas, head coach Kirby Smart has come to his defense. “I don’t agree with that,” Smart said when asked about winning when Beck was not at his best. We all know now that Beck is struggling with interceptions; against Texas, he threw three interceptions and averaged 4.3 yards per attempt.

He added, “He had probably eight or nine drops, and that’s hard on a quarterback. Psychologically, when you start a game and you have drops, sometimes it affects you.” Beck was not alone; the entire offense was a problem. The senior QB threw a pair of interceptions, one of which was in the red zone. Do you still remember the game? The offense was not able to score in the first half. This allowed Texas to remain competitive, as they capitalized on Georgia’s offensive mistakes.

Smart continued to defend the player and appreciated him for the third down conversion. “I’m not saying he played perfect, but I saw a third-and-four scramble where he put his life and body on the line and made an incredible play.”

Smart feels that everybody just looks at stats and other things. What’s next for the Bulldogs? They are facing the Gators at home.  Billy Napier’s team has made some sort of a comeback (4-3) after starting bad this season. Let’s see how they hold their own against the Bulldogs.