University of Georgia Athletics
Photo by: Tony Walsh/UGAAA
Beck, Smith Had Career Days Against State
October 14, 2024 | Football
Lindsay Rogers
Georgia Sports Communications
The passing game could not be stopped, as wide receiver Arian Smith and quarterback Carson Beck had career days, leading the fifth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs to a victory over Mississippi State, 41-31 in front of an electric crowd at Sanford Stadium on Saturday.
Smith recorded five catches for a career-high 134 yards and a touchdown. Although he headed to the locker room with an apparent injury before the end of the first half, Smith was optimistic coming back into the game after halftime.
"I just got the wind knocked out of me. I just felt like something was bothering me, but I'm all good," Smith said.
Smith, a native of Bradley, Fla., has struggled on and off with injuries during his time at Georgia, limiting his playing time. This season, he has seen more time on the field.
Beck and Smith got into quite a rhythm on the field, which Smith credits to practice.
"Practice. We practice like we've been doing it. As long as I stay healthy and he stays healthy, we're good," Smith answered.
His one touchdown came in the third quarter on a 42-yard pass from Beck.
Beck, from Jacksonville, Fla., had a memorable game as well, going 36 of 48 passing with 459 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. He completed passes to 11 different receivers, which included touchdown passes to Smith, wide receiver Dillon Bell, and tight end Lawson Luckie. Five of his targets caught four or more passes.
"I thought we had a really good plan, as far as Coach (Mike) Bobo instilling that early in the week," Beck said. "When you throw the ball that many times, you're bound to have a bunch of yards. It was a lot of fun."
One of Beck's three touchdowns was a 31-yard pass to Bell in the back of the end zone. Bell was able to hold onto the ball and toe-tap his way to the touchdown. The score gave Georgia a 20-10 lead with 6:32 left in the second quarter.
"The touchdown catch D-Bell had in the back of the end zone was crazy," Beck said. "I still haven't seen it on film, but I saw it in person and that was insane."
When Beck announced his return for the 2024 season, Georgia fans were excited and optimistic to see the quarterback excel with the offense under Coach Bobo, Georgia's John and Alice Sands Offensive Coordinator. Beck ranked first in the SEC in passing yards in 2023, with 3,941 yards in 14 games.
Beck's 36 completions Saturday tied the school record, last done by Cory Phillips in 2000 against Georgia Tech. His career-high 459 passing yards is the third most in a game in Georgia history. It was the most since Eric Zeier threw for 485 yards in 1994 against South Carolina. Beck's previous career-high passing yards came earlier this season when he threw for 439 at Alabama.
With Georgia's win on Saturday, the Bulldogs have won 19 straight conference games at Sanford Stadium. Their last home conference loss came on Oct. 12, 2019, in overtime to South Carolina, meaning that this year's group of seniors have never lost a conference game in Athens. This year's class of seniors has the best overall record in the FBS, at 47-3, three games away from tying the class of 2023's total wins of 50, which is a program-best.
The Bulldogs face another tough SEC test this week against top-ranked Texas in Austin.
Georgia Sports Communications
The passing game could not be stopped, as wide receiver Arian Smith and quarterback Carson Beck had career days, leading the fifth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs to a victory over Mississippi State, 41-31 in front of an electric crowd at Sanford Stadium on Saturday.
Smith recorded five catches for a career-high 134 yards and a touchdown. Although he headed to the locker room with an apparent injury before the end of the first half, Smith was optimistic coming back into the game after halftime.
"I just got the wind knocked out of me. I just felt like something was bothering me, but I'm all good," Smith said.
Smith, a native of Bradley, Fla., has struggled on and off with injuries during his time at Georgia, limiting his playing time. This season, he has seen more time on the field.
Beck and Smith got into quite a rhythm on the field, which Smith credits to practice.
"Practice. We practice like we've been doing it. As long as I stay healthy and he stays healthy, we're good," Smith answered.
His one touchdown came in the third quarter on a 42-yard pass from Beck.
Beck, from Jacksonville, Fla., had a memorable game as well, going 36 of 48 passing with 459 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. He completed passes to 11 different receivers, which included touchdown passes to Smith, wide receiver Dillon Bell, and tight end Lawson Luckie. Five of his targets caught four or more passes.
"I thought we had a really good plan, as far as Coach (Mike) Bobo instilling that early in the week," Beck said. "When you throw the ball that many times, you're bound to have a bunch of yards. It was a lot of fun."
One of Beck's three touchdowns was a 31-yard pass to Bell in the back of the end zone. Bell was able to hold onto the ball and toe-tap his way to the touchdown. The score gave Georgia a 20-10 lead with 6:32 left in the second quarter.
"The touchdown catch D-Bell had in the back of the end zone was crazy," Beck said. "I still haven't seen it on film, but I saw it in person and that was insane."
When Beck announced his return for the 2024 season, Georgia fans were excited and optimistic to see the quarterback excel with the offense under Coach Bobo, Georgia's John and Alice Sands Offensive Coordinator. Beck ranked first in the SEC in passing yards in 2023, with 3,941 yards in 14 games.
Beck's 36 completions Saturday tied the school record, last done by Cory Phillips in 2000 against Georgia Tech. His career-high 459 passing yards is the third most in a game in Georgia history. It was the most since Eric Zeier threw for 485 yards in 1994 against South Carolina. Beck's previous career-high passing yards came earlier this season when he threw for 439 at Alabama.
With Georgia's win on Saturday, the Bulldogs have won 19 straight conference games at Sanford Stadium. Their last home conference loss came on Oct. 12, 2019, in overtime to South Carolina, meaning that this year's group of seniors have never lost a conference game in Athens. This year's class of seniors has the best overall record in the FBS, at 47-3, three games away from tying the class of 2023's total wins of 50, which is a program-best.
The Bulldogs face another tough SEC test this week against top-ranked Texas in Austin.
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