{"id":74471,"date":"2024-11-04T07:36:10","date_gmt":"2024-11-04T13:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/overreactions-georgia-cant-win-title-with-this-version-of-carson-beck-why-its-ok-to-expect-more-from-james-franklin\/"},"modified":"2024-11-04T07:36:10","modified_gmt":"2024-11-04T13:36:10","slug":"overreactions-georgia-cant-win-title-with-this-version-of-carson-beck-why-its-ok-to-expect-more-from-james-franklin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/overreactions-georgia-cant-win-title-with-this-version-of-carson-beck-why-its-ok-to-expect-more-from-james-franklin\/","title":{"rendered":"Overreactions: Georgia can\u2019t win title with this version of Carson Beck, why it\u2019s ok to expect more from James Franklin"},"content":{"rendered":"

With so many shakeups in the Top 25 rankings<\/a> and various conference standings, Week 10 is ripe for overreactions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After spooky Saturday, here\u2019s what I\u2019m overreacting to.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Week 10 overreactions:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nov 2, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck (15) reacts after throwing an interception against the Florida Gators during the first quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Georgia can\u2019t win the national championship with this version of Carson Beck<\/strong><\/p>\n

Coming into the 2024 season, no one had Carson Beck<\/a><\/strong> on their \u201cREASONS WHY GEORGIA<\/a><\/strong> WON\u2019T WIN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP\u201d bingo card.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\n

Can’t remember a player sinking his NFL Draft stock worse than Carson Beck. <\/p>\n

He’s gone from being a guy talked about as a Top 5 pick to someone who might be fortunate to go in Round 3.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jesse Simonton (@JesseReSimonton) November 2, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/span>\n<\/div>\n

He was coming off a season where he went 13-1 as a starter with 28 total touchdowns, nearly 4,000 passing, and crucially \u2014 just six interceptions. Beck was a preseason All-American and talked about among real NFL Draft gurus as a Top 5 overall pick. And yet, 10 weeks through the 2024 season, No. 2 Georgia is winning in spite of its redshirt senior quarterback.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beck has been mostly a disaster over the last month. He has six interceptions and just two touchdowns in the wins over Texas<\/a><\/strong> and Florida<\/a><\/strong>, and while he\u2019s come up with clutch throws in both games, he looks nothing like the QB that was atop Heisman Trophy odds at the start of the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For a guy who can reportedly solve a Rubix code in 30 seconds<\/a>, he\u2019s not seeing anything right, right now. Beck\u2019s inability to make smart decisions, avoid throwing into double-teams and reading a defense\u2019s keys has gone from a strength, to a worrisome showing against Alabama<\/a>, to flaws outright detrimental to Georgia\u2019s ultimate goals this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For all the talk about no Brock Bowers<\/a><\/strong> or Ladd McConkey,<\/a><\/strong> the Bulldogs don\u2019t lack skill talent. They have guys making plays. There\u2019s been too many drops, yes, but Dillion Bell<\/a><\/strong>, Arian Smith<\/a><\/strong>, Dom Lovett <\/a><\/strong>and Nate Frazier<\/a><\/strong> are all capable playmakers. Trevor Etienne will be a factor once he returns from his rib injury.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Georgia\u2019s defense remains loaded with freakazoids, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But Carson Beck drives a Lamborghini because the expectation was he\u2019d be the extra horsepower that would get Georgia back on top. A third title in four years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Not anymore, though. Not unless he dramatically improves his play. Smart isn\u2019t going to bench Beck for Gunner Stockton<\/a><\/strong>, so this is what UGA has \u2014 and all evidence right now is that Beck is simply a panicky, turnover-prone quarterback capable of making a few impressive throws intermittently. <\/p>\n

If that\u2019s what UGA has at QB, then the Bulldogs might make the CFP but they won\u2019t win the national title this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Penn State<\/a> gets Charlie Brown\u2019d again, <\/strong>but should Nittany Lions fans expect more from James Franklin<\/a>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

For five minutes, it looked promising. Different, even?<\/p>\n

Drew Allar <\/a><\/strong>was making plays. Nick Singleton<\/a><\/strong> was churning out yards as a runner and receiver. The Nittany Lions\u2019 defense came up with a monster pick-six on Ohio State\u2019s<\/a><\/strong> opening drive. Some 111,000 PSU-faithful were white-hot with hope.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

Penn State 10. Ohio State 0.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But then Lucy took the football home again<\/em>, and James Franklin\u2019s team went full Charlie Brown in a big game again.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ohio State 20, Penn State 13.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Saturday was a complete missed opportunity by James Franklin and Penn State\u2019s entire program, and it\u2019s fair to admit the Nittany Lions should expect more. <\/p>\n

Ohio State was there to be got. <\/p>\n

The Buckeyes had lost to Oregon and were coming off a very concerning showing against Nebraska. They were down to their third-string left tackle. Meanwhile, Penn State was undefeated, at home, with every college football pregame show in town. James Franklin\u2019s crown-jewel recruiting class are now all upperclassmen, ready to be coronated on a national stage. Instead, they looked like kitties at the most inopportune times against their biggest rivals. <\/p>\n

Again.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The Buckeyes proved to be the tougher team Saturday, but for all the talk about Ohio State\u2019s $20 million roster, they were not more otherworldly talented than Penn State. The differences at receiver were stark for sure, but PSU\u2019s front seven is arguably more dynamic and ferocious.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The difference is that Franklin\u2019s teams always get out-classed and out-coached in the key moments of these big games. You know who else faced all sorts or pressure with something to prove Saturday? Ryan Day, Chip Kelly and Ohio State. And they did.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And Penn State did what it does under Franklin \u2014\u00a0fail to meet the moment time and again \u2014\u00a0no matter who is at QB or OC. \u00a0<\/p>\n

After seeing Will Howard fumble at the goal line and then surviving their own turnover from the 1-yard line, the Nittany Lions still had 1st-and-goal with a chance to the game with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Yet after riding star tight end Tyler Warren<\/a><\/strong> (who had their team\u2019s longest run and catch on the afternoon) all the way down the field, they willingly chose not to give their best player a single touch again. <\/p>\n

Four plays later. Zero points.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Only the game still wasn\u2019t over. Ohio State was backed up, with the shadows of the goal post reflecting off the Buckeyes\u2019 silver helmets. But as was the case last year against Ohio State and Michigan, Penn State\u2019s awesome defense suddenly folded late, allowing Ohio State to bleed out the clock to win the game.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s all on the coaching staff. The play-calling at the goal line. The clock management at the end of the first half. And the inability to get a stop late falls on James Franklin and his staff.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For all of Franklin\u2019s gripes about PSU\u2019s lackluster NIL, Penn State brought in several starters from the transfer portal. Just like Ohio State, they made a significant investment at offensive coordinator this offseason.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t about a lack of investments or resources. This is a get-it-done business, and in the biggest games, the Nittany Lions always find a way to come up short. <\/p>\n

Some have argued that Franklin\u2019s 3-18 record against Top 10 teams is an unfair stat because he was an underdog in so many of those games. Maybe three years ago, but now? Miss me with that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

James Franklin famously said himself that he would take Penn State from \u201cgood to great to elite\u201d and yet he\u2019s 13-27 against Top 25 teams with the Nittany Lions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I don\u2019t buy the \u201coptimistic, all our title hopes remain intact\u201d narrative that some (including Franklin) were selling after the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reality of college football is everything is still ahead of us,\u201d Franklin said.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s technically right, but how much will simply making the College Football Playoff and losing another marquee matchup change the perception of the program? What does a game in December that has a fancy playoff tag attached mean for most Nittany Lions fans if the results never change?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not a believer that just because you haven\u2019t, doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t or won\u2019t. But it\u2019s not just a trend at this point with James Franklin\u2019s team. It\u2019s an annual sing-along of \u201cHello darkness, my old friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams-Brice Stadium is a Top 5 night environment<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve covered many games at South Carolina<\/a><\/strong>, and even when the Gamecocks are bad, Williams-Brice Stadium can buzz with the best of them. This preseason, EA Sports College Football 25 ranked Williams-Bryce as the No. 15-toughest road environment, and that\u2019s a fair ranking on a typical Saturday afternoon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But this past Saturday was not that. What we saw this weekend was a prime example of why Williams-Brice Stadium is right up there with Tiger Stadium, Ben Hill Griffin or Autzen at night.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s electric.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sandstorm on repeat. The rooster crowing blasting. The seats swaying.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When it gets dark in Columbia, that place becomes a house of horrors with Houdini powers \u2014\u00a0especially if South Carolina is decent (or better).\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Saturday, No. 10 Texas A&M<\/a><\/strong> learned that lesson the hard way.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Coming off their emotional comeback win over LSU<\/a>, the Aggies went on the road and got immediately ambushed by a frenzied Gamecocks\u2019 team and crowd. They were down 17-0 in a blink, and while they would right the ship to take a 20-17 lead, Williams-Brice never quieted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And it only got louder and more delirious as South Carolina gashed Texas A&M for 24-unanswered points en route to a blowout win.\u00a0The Gamecocks, which entered the day near the bottom of the SEC in offense, had 530 yards against Texas A&M\u2019s Top 10 defense. The last time the \u2018Cocks had that sort of offensive output at home against a FBS team? When it stunned No. 5 Tennessee at night in 2022.<\/p>\n

\n\n

MOOD. pic.twitter.com\/eb2gr3Thrm<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Gamecock Football (@GamecockFB) November 3, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/span>\n<\/div>\n

The Aggies were uncharacteristically sloppy (seven flags for 70 yards) and had two costly turnovers. Just like how LSU caved to crowd pressure last weekend in College Stadium, Texas A&M got a taste of that medicine Saturday night.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shane Beamer<\/a><\/strong> is just 25-21 as the head coach at South Carolina, but he\u2019s 13-3 in night games at Williams-Brice Stadium \u2014 with multiple Top 25 upsets including wins now over No. 5 Tennessee and No. 10 Texas A&M.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The post Overreactions: Georgia can\u2019t win title with this version of Carson Beck, why it\u2019s ok to expect more from James Franklin<\/a> appeared first on On3<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With so many shakeups in the Top 25 rankings and various conference standings, Week 10…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74471\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}