Carson Beck, QB1 for the Bulldogs, has shown sparks of greatness in 2024, but his tendency to throw costly interceptions at critical moments in games has led many to wonder what exactly is going on with Georgia’s offense and why it is tied for second in the FBS for turnovers so far this season.
To understand more, I turned to YouTube and Reddit and found two resources that have been extremely helpful in understanding what’s going on with the Bulldogs offense. The Film Guy Network and former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray have provided what I believe two excellent perspectives, offering more detailed breakdowns of Beck’s performance this season and better context for what Beck as a quarterback may be going through in this stage of his development.
The Film Guy Network – Carson Beck Film Breakdown | INTs Becoming a Problem for Georgia Football
To truly understand why Georgia’s offense has struggled with turnovers this year, Brooks Austin, the host of the Film Guy Network YouTube show, breaks down each of the 11 turnovers and looks at what went wrong with a pretty detailed play by play analysis: “Understanding the ‘why’ behind each interception is crucial; it’s about learning and improving, not just pointing fingers.”
After watching the video, I took the transcript, analyzed the Close Captions with ChatGPT, and dropped my findings into the table below.
| Interception # | Opponent | Down & Yardage | Likely Mistake By | Cause and Timestamp |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | 3rd & 10 | WR #11 | Wrong route on screen pass, 3:05 |
| 2 | Alabama | 1st & 10 | QB | Missed underneath defender, threw flat pass, 5:08 |
| 3 | Alabama | 3rd & 8 (Red Zone) | WR Kobe Young | Poor positioning on fade route, 9:16 |
| 4 | Mississippi State | 2nd & 10 at GA 16 | LG Dylan Fairchild | Tipped pass due to poor blocking on stunt, 13:03 |
| 5 | Mississippi State | 2nd & 3 at MSU 11 | QB | Forced throw hoping for a penalty, 18:07 |
| 6 | Texas | 3rd & 10 | WR Arion Smith | Incorrect depth on hitch route, 23:12 |
| 7 | Texas | 1st & 10 | Safety | QB didn’t confirm safety position, leading to INT, 27:35 |
| 8 | Texas | 3rd & 10 | QB | Forced pass under pressure, 32:54 |
| 9 | Florida | 1st & 10 | QB | Questionable double-move pass, forced under pressure, 34:51 |
| 10 | Florida | 2nd & 9 | QB | Didn’t let the concept develop; threw late, 36:40 |
| 11 | Florida | 1st & 10 | QB | Overly complex read progression, threw late, 38:47 |
Looking at the data, it becomes clear that the blame for the turnover does not always fall on his shoulders. Although he has created problems of his own, Georgia’s receivers are contributing to the problem.
“It’s not just on Carson,” Austin says. “There are route miscommunications and protection breakdowns contributing to these turnovers.”
Here’s the breakdown of what Austin views are the key issues:
1. Miscommunication or Mistakes in Route Running by Receivers
Several interceptions stemmed from receivers running incorrect routes, either by not adjusting to the play correctly (as with WR #11 on a screen pass) or running at the wrong depth (e.g., Arion Smith’s incorrect hitch route depth in the Texas game).
This misalignment leads to timing and placement issues for the quarterback, resulting in interceptions.
2. Quarterback’s Decision-Making Under Pressure
Carson Beck was noted to occasionally force throws when pressured, especially in high-stakes situations like the red zone or during critical downs. Examples include forced throws under heavy pressure, such as the Florida game’s double-move pass, where he tried to make a play but overlooked potential defenders.
This tendency to push plays or not throw the ball away can be attributed to Beck’s attempts to be aggressive or make up for trailing situations, but it backfired in certain instances.
3. Failure to Confirm Defender Positioning (Especially Safeties and Hook Defenders)
On several interceptions, Beck did not fully confirm the position of defenders, especially hook defenders and safeties dropping into coverage. This was especially visible in plays like the Alabama game, where he threw into the middle without recognizing the lurking linebacker, or in Texas, where the safety dropped underneath a route Beck expected to be open.
This lack of confirmation or situational awareness led to interceptions on still evolving plays, even when the primary concept was correctly executed.
In Summary
Generally, Beck’s interceptions appear to result from a mix of high-pressure decisions in the red zone, miscommunications with receivers, and challenges in reading defenses.
QB Film Breakdown with Aaron Murray!
Aaron Murray, a former Georgia quarterback and NFL prospect himself, offered additional insights based on his (very relevant) experience. He acknowledged Beck’s immense talent and potential to become a high NFL draft pick, but he also highlighted areas where Beck could benefit from scaling back his aggression—especially given a scenario without key targets like Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey.
“Without Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey, Carson feels the need to force plays, trying to compensate for their absence. This pressure leads to decisions that aren’t characteristic of his usual play style.”
With the absence of reliable star receivers, Murray believes Beck may feel outsized pressure to shoulder more of the playmaking responsibility. This pressure, Murray notes, has led Beck to take risks he might not otherwise choose.
Murray outlined a few key takeaways from Beck’s performance:
Solid Performance but Room for Improvement
Murray noted that Beck has shown an impressive quick-passing ability and overall solid game performance. However, he also mentioned that Beck occasionally “lulls” during games, missing some opportunities he would normally capitalize on.
Decision-Making and Timing
While Beck often makes quick decisions, especially in the RPO game, Murray sees room for improvement in his timing on deeper routes, where Beck sometimes hesitates. For Murray, this suggests that Beck could focus on trusting his reads and checkdowns rather than always hunting for the deep play.
NFL Potential
Murray remains optimistic about Beck’s NFL potential, seeing him as a first-round caliber player. However, he emphasizes that Beck’s growth in areas like field vision and pressure management will be key to solidifying his draft stock.
Is This A National Championship Team?
The question of whether this Bulldogs squad is a championship team remains to be answered, and their performance against Ole Miss this week and Tennessee next week will be a good test of how the team is adjusting after the Florida game. The Bulldogs and Carson Beck need to tighten receiver communication and improve decision-making under pressure—essential adjustments that could make or break their national championship hopes.