JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Carson Beck jumped into the stands wearing black eye paint smeared across his face and a wide smile. His three interceptions were a distant memory. All he cared about what celebrating another victory in the game he cherishes most.
Beck threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns to offset three interceptions in his hometown and No. 2 Georgia escaped “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” with a 34-20 victory over Florida on Saturday.
Now he’s 2-0 as a starter against the Gators.
“This is my dream. It’s a super cool circle for me,” Beck said. “This is my favorite game of the year. I wouldn’t say I ever put pressure on myself. I go play football. … Obviously, I want to throw a perfect game: 30 for 30, four TDs. That’s what I was thinking about walking into the stadium. I felt like I was the man, walking back into my hometown of Jacksonville, let’s go. This is fun.
“What am I supposed to do? We just won. I’m happy.”
But Beck knows he has to reduce — maybe even eliminate — turnovers for Georgia to do something special. He has eight interceptions in his last three games, all wins.
“Some of the throws he makes are big-time, elite throws,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “He just has a couple of times where he threw the ball over the middle late. You can’t do that. You can’t turn the ball over and be a good football team; he knows that.
“I don’t think it’s a matter of decision making. I think sometimes he presses there, and it’s a big game to him; he’s from here. We don’t win that game without Carson Beck.”
The Bulldogs (7-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) won their fourth straight in the series, their longest streak since winning six in a row between 1978 and 1983. They took advantage of Florida’s quarterback woes and a special teams error in this one.
Standout freshman DJ Lagway left the game on a cart in the second quarter with a left hamstring injury and with the Gators (4-4, 2-3) leading 10-3. Without him, it was mostly ugly.
Walk-on Aidan Warner completed 7 of 22 passes for 66 yards, with an interception. Warner was thrust onto the field because Florida starter Graham Mertz tore a ligament in his left knee at Tennessee last month and is out for the season.
“I do think the game went the way we wanted it,” Florida coach Billy Napier said. “We made it ugly at time. But we had our team in position to win the game.”
The Gators kept the game close thanks to a stingy defense that forced Beck into more mistakes. Jack Pyburn, Aaron Gates and Devin Moore had picks that led to a combined 10 points for Florida.
But the most significant turnover belonged to the Gators. Punter Jeremy Crawshaw failed to handle Rocco Underwood’s low snap on a 51-yard field goal attempt late in the third. It resulted in a 31-yard loss, setting up Beck’s first TD pass.
The takeaway
Georgia: If the Bulldogs make the College Football Playoff, they won’t likely go very far if Beck continues his turnover trend. He now has 11 interceptions in his last five games. It’s baffling for a guy who opened the season as one of the Heisman Trophy front-runners.
Florida: The Gators need to ask themselves how they ended with a walk-on quarterback playing meaningful snaps in a rivalry game. Napier has lost eight scholarship QBs earlier than expected in three years, including Jalen Kitna, Jack Miller, Max Brown and Jaden Rashada.
Crowded injury reports
With Jason Marshall and Ja’Keem Jackson already sidelined, the Gators lost two more cornerbacks against Georgia. Moore injured his right knee in the first half and Dijon Johnson injured his left hamstring in the second.
Georgia running back Trevor Etienne, who transferred from Florida after last season, left the game with a rib injury. Backup Nate Frazier ran 19 times for 82 yards and a touchdown. He also got an earful from coach Kirby Smart after getting flagged for making a throat-slash gesture.
Up next
Georgia plays at No. 19 Ole Miss next Saturday.
Florida plays at No. 6 Texas next Saturday.
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