The Jacksonville native and Georgia Transfer has lost only three games as a starter
TAMPA, Fla. – Carson Beck is 26-3 as a starting quarterback for a gaudy .896 winning percentage that is the best among FBS signal callers who have started at least five games. The losses? Against Alabama in the 2023 SEC championship game, at Alabama last September (439 yards, career high 3 INTs) and at Ole Miss last November.
Getting a veteran quarterback to replace Cam Ward following his one exceptional season with the ‘Canes was an offseason priority for Miami. Beck, who was a two-year starter for Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs after spending three years in the system as a redshirt in 2020 and backup to Stetson Bennett during the national championship seasons of 2021 and 2022, is off to an exceptional start for the No. 5/6 Hurricanes.
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“You watch him over the last couple of years, the kid’s a winner,” said USF coach Alex Golesh. “It doesn’t take a whole lot to see the win/loss record, and that doesn’t happen by accident. He’s big, he’s tall, he has a twitchy release. The deep ball is really impressive, the intermediate game is really good, and he is really, really talented.”
The 6-foot-4 and 225-pound Beck underwent surgery to his right (throwing) elbow, a procedure that rendered him idle in the spring after arriving in Coral Gables in January. He participated in summer workouts, was ready for preseason camp and has been on the money through two weeks.
On the money? Well, Beck completed 15 consecutive pass attempts in last week’s 45-3 rout of Bethune-Cookman, a streak that broke Vinny Testaverde’s school mark of 14. A week earlier, the Jacksonville native made his Miami debut by throwing for 205 yards and two TDs in a win over then-No. 3 Notre Dame on Labor Day weekend. On Saturday, he will be going against a USF defense that has allowed only 23 points in defeating then-No. 13/15 Florida and then-No. 25/25 Boise State.
READ: USF’s Hot Start: A Look Inside The Numbers
“Just watching the two games that they’ve played this year so far, against Boise State and Florida, they look like one of the better defenses in the country, from what I’ve been able to see,” Beck told the media Tuesday. “They have a lot of athletes. They’re going to challenge you with various pressures. They’ll be ready to come in and play, but we’re excited for the challenge.”
So are the No. 18/23 Bulls.
“I am expecting him to give it all he has got,” said corner De’Shawn Rucker. “He came (to Miami) to prove a point that he is still that guy, still one of the best quarterbacks in the country. I am expecting his best ball.”
It will certainly be a matchup between two quarterbacks who are protecting the football. Beck enters the game with a streak of 185 passes without an interception. Byrum Brown broke Marquell Blackwell’s USF mark for consecutive attempts without an INT last week and enters Saturday’s game at 240.
READ: The Fake Punt And Two Key First-Half Plays In USF’s Win Over Boise State
Of course, it helps to be surrounded by top-shelf talent and Beck not only has the likes of receivers Malachi Toney and C.J. Daniels to target, but he operates behind an outstanding and veteran line. The Hurricanes returned three starters (RT and preseason all-everything Francis Mauigoa, RG Anez Cooper, LG Matt McCoy) and a fourth (LT Markel Bell) who started five games. Center James Brockermeyer arrived from TCU where he earned All-America honorable mention recognition in his lone season with the Horned Frogs after beginning his career at Alabama.
“What they are able to do offensively starts there,” Golesh said of the line. “We saw it a year ago (50-15 loss at Raymond James) and they have gotten better. They are incredibly well coached, tough, gritty and play in sync, which is tough to defend.”
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