Best QB decommit from Gamecock Flip to Georgia bulldogs Over Alabama and Auburn choose Bulldogs…
Best QB decommit from Gamecock Flip to Georgia bulldogs Over Alabama and Auburn choose Bulldogs…
ATLANTA — Georgia coach Kirby Smart didn’t think Carson Beck would return to the field in Saturday’s SEC championship game against Texas after his starting quarterback injured his right arm on the final play of the first half.
Beck had to come back on the final play of overtime, however, after backup quarterback Gunner Stockton was forced out of the game when he lost his helmet during a jarring tackle by Longhorns safety Andrew Mukuba on an 8-yard gain.
All Beck had to do was take the snap and hand the ball to tailback Trevor Etienne, who fell into the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown that gave the No. 5 Bulldogs a 22-19 victory over the No. 2 Longhorns at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“This team never ever says no [and has a] never-die attitude, man,” Smart said. “They were so fired up at halftime. The offense was in there pumped out. … Gunner was coming out, them guys were fired up and ready to go, man.”
It was Georgia’s second straight victory in overtime — the Bulldogs needed eight extra periods to take down rival Georgia Tech 44-42 at home Nov. 29 — and this one gave the Bulldogs their third SEC title under Smart.
Just as importantly, Georgia will be one of the top four seeds and will receive a first-round bye in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff when the field is announced Sunday.
That means the Bulldogs probably won’t play again until a CFP quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on New Year’s Day (8:45 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+).
“It means rest for our team that [SEC commissioner] Greg Sankey and his staff sent on the road all year long,” Smart said. “We get to take a little bit of a break and get ready for [the] College Football Playoff. This team needs some rest mentally, needs a little time off. We’re going to celebrate this one for maybe 48 hours because it is a big one.”
That extra rest might be important because Smart said Beck couldn’t grip a football in the locker room and was in pain. Smart didn’t know the extent of Beck’s injury, saying only that he had an upper-extremity injury and would have an MRI.
On the final play of the first half, Georgia faced first-and-5 at the Texas 42 with one second to play. Instead of taking a knee, the Bulldogs ran one more play. Beck dropped back, and Longhorns linebacker Trey Moore hit his right arm as the
