Carson Beck and the Georgia Bulldogs suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday when they fell 41-34 to the Alabama Crimson Tide on the road.
The performance marked the worst this season so far for Beck, who came into the year largely considered to be the best quarterback, and perhaps even the best prospect, in the nation.
Despite the three interceptions, though, Beck actually finished out with an otherwise admirable stat line, completing 27 of his 50 passing attempts fort 439 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
He impressed particularly with the way he was able to help the offense pick things back up after trailing 30-7 at the half.
If anything, that might have been what caught the attention of scouts more than some of the ill-advised decisions he did make.
“What he did from first half to second half was really impressive because with what happened to him in the first half, there’s not many people that can overcome that,” an NFL scouting source told CBS Sports in a recent report from the network. “It’s hard. He looked much looser in the second half. He gave his players a chance to make plays. So if anything, he helped himself because you’re going to make mistakes in the NFL.
“You’re going to have a bad quarter. You’re going to have a bad half. But are you going to let it turn into a bad game? The snowball effect can’t happen at quarterback. It’s got to be stopped at some point. He did a good job of that. He nipped it in the bud and turned things around.”
One question that now remains is as to whether or not Beck’s draft stock should take a large plunge from top dog after a performance that featured some of the mistakes that this one did, and in reality, it’s way too early to tell.
For now, there’s still plenty to like about Beck’s performance as a quarterback, what he brings to the table from a tangibles and an intangibles perspective, and the resiliency he’s shown.
The rest of the season will tell the story of whether Alabama may truly be the best team in the nation, making it the toughest opponent for all of CFB to go up against, and if those interceptions said more about Beck or the Alabama defense that has shown improvement in its secondary in a big way here.
Beck’s road to the draft will continue Saturday as the team faces the visiting Auburn Tigers in Sanford Stadium at 3:30 p.m. ET.
