A lot has changed for Carson Beck in the last year. He went from projected top pick to falling down draft boards. He transferred from Georgia to Miami. He suffered an elbow injury, had surgery and rehabbed his injured arm until he was healthy.
But there is one thing that stayed the same: Beck is facing the Gators.
The veteran quarterback, now wearing orange and green instead of red and black, leads No. 4 Miami (3-0) into a home showdown with his frequent adversary, Florida (1-2), at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday night (7:30 p.m.).
“Experience in general obviously helps as you continue to grow and develop,” Beck said. “You can always get better, right? I’m never going to hit a plateau. Each game, there’s something for me to get better at. There’s something for me to learn from. But having played this defense and knowing the style, knowing kind of what they want to do, what they want to be. And obviously, there’s always change-ups and mix-ups that (defensive) coordinators are going to throw at you that you maybe haven’t seen before. But, again, it’s good. They’re very talented. … It’s going to be a challenge for us.”
Beck’s experience has been beating Florida. The Gators beat the Bulldogs when Beck was a freshman backup, but UGA has won the last four matchups, including the two where Beck was the starter. His favorite memory of those games was jumping into the stands with his teammates after the wins.
His current teammates also have fond memories of beating the Gators. Miami opened the season last year with a rout of UF in Gainesville, with Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal even getting in on the celebrations, breaking a faux Gator Chomp over his knee after the win.
But one Hurricanes player who does not have a good memory of last year’s game is Rueben Bain Jr. The defensive end missed nearly the entire game after suffering an injury that kept him out for weeks. When he did return, he was not 100 percent. Now he is back to his best form, and he is proving it on the field.
“It was very frustrating,” Bain said. “But that was last year. So just focusing on this year, and I’m super excited. But the chance to just go out there and play football again, very healthy, and just play a brand of football that I want to play, it’s an amazing opportunity.”
Bain has led a strong Miami defense through its first three games. It will pose a challenge for Florida’s solid offensive line, which has largely protected quarterback DJ Lagway this season.
Lagway has been a major issue of concern for the Gators, though. The former five-star quarterback threw five interceptions against LSU last week. According to Pro Football Focus, he has seven “turnover-worthy plays” this season, six of which came last week. Six of those turnover-worthy plays were in clean pockets, so if the Hurricanes can get past UF’s offensive line, it could make life even more difficult for Lagway.
“It’s very important,” defensive tackle David Blay Jr. said. “(Lagway is) a very good athlete. But I feel like the game plan and concepts we’re going with is the same for every week: keep pressure on the quarterback from all angles, from the middle to the edge. There’s nothing extraordinary that we’re doing.”
Florida’s defense has also been a strong suit early in the year. But unlike Miami, the Gators have struggled to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks. They have only two sacks this season, and PFF ranks UF 76th nationally in pass rushing. Beck performs well with a clean pocket, which gives him a chance to dissect opposing defenses.
“When he’s on top of his game, he’s as good as anybody,” UF coach Billy Napier said. “It will be one of the challenges of the game, trying to affect him, disrupt his rhythm, make it hard.”
For the Hurricanes, this is not only another chance to beat a rival. It is a chance to garner national attention — ESPN’s “College GameDay” is at UM for the first time in five years, and the game is in prime time — and make a strong impression on the dozens of recruits expected to attend. It is also a chance for Miami to continue establishing itself as the top program in Florida as a matchup with No. 7 FSU looms next month.
“The state championship in the state of Florida is always going to be one of the highest goals that we have,” Cristobal said. “These guys play against each other. The fan bases, the alumni bases, they’re at it all offseason. There’s deep meaning to it.”
