ATHENS, Ga. — In the midst of a disappointing season, Carson Beck came up huge for the Georgia Bulldogs when they needed him most, guiding them past No. 6 Tennessee on Saturday night in Athens, 31-17.
On a raucous Saturday night between the hedges, Beck once again looked like a quarterback who could lead Georgia to another national title -- sealing a 29th straight home victory for the Dawgs in an FBS-leading streak that dates to 2019.
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Showing off his arm and his legs, Beck silenced his critics by throwing for two touchdowns and running for another in a win that gave a huge boost to Georgia's College Football Playoff hopes.
“The way we were able to bounce back from last week, I'm just so proud of these guys,” Beck said. “The word that really identifies us is resilient. We stay so composed in high-pressure moments. Although it might not look perfect, it might not look pretty, we're gonna get the job done.”
Georgia (8-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference, No. 12 CFP) bounced back from a 28-10 loss at Ole Miss that left the Bulldogs just outside the provisional 12-team postseason field.
Now, they are positioned for a likely playoff berth — and a shot at winning their third national championship in four years — if they can close out the regular season with wins over UMass and Georgia Tech.
“A week ago, we were dead and gone,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “People had written us off.”
Beck connected on a pair of touchdown passes to tight end Oscar Delp in the first half and scrambled for the go-ahead score in the third quarter, darting 10 yards to the end zone for his first rushing TD of the season.
Georgia sealed the victory with a 92-yard drive — its longest of the season — in the closing minutes. Freshman Nate Frazier finished it off with a 2-yard touchdown run with 2:26 remaining.
Beck, who had thrown 12 interceptions in the previous six games, didn't have any picks against the Volunteers. He completed 25 of 40 passes for 347 yards.
The Georgia quarterback isn't known as much of a runner, but he posted a career-high 32 yards on three carries — all of them huge plays for the Bulldogs.
A bruising 14-yard run set up his first touchdown pass to Delp, an 8-yard run on third down extended the drive that led to Woodring's field goal near the end of the first half, and the touchdown run came on third-and-7 from the 10.
“He's a good athlete,” Smart said. “He can make plays with his feet.”
