The SEC Championship’s tenancy in Atlanta has coincided perfectly with the Athens-based Georgia Bulldogs. The Dawgs have made the short trip to the capital city a modern tradition under Kirby Smart. Atlanta-based stars always come out to Mercedes-Benz stadium to show love to their in-state school. Rappers, football players and even hoopers. One Georgia native and UGA alum has shouted out QB Carson Beck in the lead-up to the latest wrinkle in this tradition.

T-Wolves’ superstar Anthony Edwards sure will have his eyes peeled on the proceedings. As Carson prepares to face arguably the best secondary in the country, Ant shared a vote of confidence in the quarterback. “Carson Beck, do your M–F’ing thing boy, you hear me? Do your thing”, said Edwards. He’ll hope Carson’s “thing” entails him continuing his recent upturn in form. Not revert to his previous misdemeanors, dishing out bulk interceptions!

Carson Beck wouldn’t have needed Ant-Man to remind him of the magnitude of the game. Nor is there the need to remind me of the importance of a bounce-back from his last outing against Texas with a mitigation of errors at the forefront. Despite Georgia’s 30-15 win in Austin, Carson had an evening to forget. He threw 0 TDs to go with 3 picks. The voices of both skepticism and support are loud, and Ant Edwards has now joined the extensive discourse surrounding him.

A fellow UGA alum, along with Ant and Carson, David Pollack, offered some reasoning for why Carson could be standing on the precipice of flicking a proverbial switch in his mentality. He believes Carson holds the keys to the Bulldogs’ trip to Atlanta. Not just the immediate one, but a potential return visit in January for the grand prize.

Pollack said, “[Carson’s] number 1 and number 2 goals were to win a Heisman and to be a first-round draft pick. Honestly, I think when those get lifted off of your shoulders, your next goal is to win a Natty. I think you can play more free. I think Beck is playing more free because of that and [is] more inclined to let it rip, more inclined to run [and] not slide. I’ve seen a lot of things from him that [are] very different.”

While Carson has earned the trust of a particular faction, one issue remains persistent- cynicism among the Bulldogs’ faithful.

Georgia fans have outwardly expressed a distrust in Carson Beck

After a mid-season stretch of where Carson Beck threw 9 picks in 4 outings, it was pandemonium in Athens. The walls were closing in on him. A substantial number of Georgia fans even asked to take him out of the firing line for backup QB Gunner Stockton. They say the night is darkest before dawn. In the 3 games since, he has zero interceptions. However, the bad taste of that poor stretch still haunts the fanbase.

“If you’re a Georgia fan, it’s hard to be like ‘Carson Beck’s good to go now. He’s turned a new leaf. He’s turned a new page…and that’s the Carson Beck that we’re gonna see moving forward’. I’m not sure we’re gonna see that”, said Matt DeBary, a prominent Georgia fan among the media sphere.

The Championship Game is expected to be a low-scoring affair, owing to the precedence the two defenses have set. This presents an opportunity for Carson Beck to get the figurative money off his back. Carson has yet to win any silverware for Georgia as a starter. Triumph in the southeast could be the spark which instigates a run at the Natty. This is inarguably the biggest game in his young career. Will he sink or swim?