Usage of Carson Beck against Samford could be another positive development for Georgia football offense

Related: NFL draft status, Heisman Trophy odds drastically change for Stetson Bennett after win over Oregon: ‘He’s got some (Tony) Romo in him’

That is where the real intrigue lies this week as far as the quarterback position goes. How aggressive is Kirby Smart in terms of getting Carson Beck, Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton real reps against an opponent?

“Everyone has been getting better every day,” wide receiver Adonai Mitchell said. “Carson be ripping that thing. Stetson rip that thing. Brock rip that thing, little Gunner rip that thing. We got something.”

Bennett and Georgia overwhelmed Oregon so much to the point that Beck entered the game in relief of Bennett in the third quarter. He completed five of his six pass attempts for 71 yards and a touchdown pass to Kendall Milton.

He was the only quarterback other than Bennett to play for Georgia, clearly showing that he is the No. 2 quarterback for the Bulldogs as of right now. Beck had another solid spring and held off Vandagriff and Stockton as all three made strides in fall camp.

“Carson was very calm, cool, and collective,” Smart said of Beck’s play against Oregon. “His disposition is such that the moment’s not too big for him. Like he’s done multiple times before, I thought he did a good job.”

What will be worth watching is how aggressive Georgia elects to get with Beck as well as Vandagriff and Stockton. Assuming the game goes to plan and Georgia is up big early in the second half, the Bulldogs could elect to just run the ball, eat clock and get out of dodge before next week’s game against South Carolina.

Georgia is down to just four scholarship running backs though, so the idea of feeding freshman Branson Robinson may not be as appealing as it once was. Georgia is also banged up at wide receiver with CJ Smith and Arian Smith dealing with injuries but there’s a curiosity to see what freshmen De’Nylon Morrissette and Dillon Bell bring to the offense.

“I’m riding them really hard because I have high expectations for them and they can help us,” Smart said. “They each have really good attributes and they both really want to help our team. They’re great young men. They do everything right off the field, they do what they’re supposed to do, they work really hard.”

There is tremendous value in getting in-game reps, even if it is against inferior competition. Bennett likely doesn’t make the throws he does in the College Football Playoff if he doesn’t light up UAB to start last season.

Showcasing the backups in a pass-oriented offense also helps combat the recruiting narrative forming around Georgia as far as its passing game at the moment. It would help players accumulate stats, something young players look for when considering a school.

The performance against Oregon opened a lot of eyes to what this offense could be. Smart himself admitted it was nice to see Beck operate in an offense that wasn’t designed to drain the clock.

How Beck and the other quarterbacks play on Saturday could add yet another chapter to the growing narrative that the Georgia offense is a different one going forward.

Even against an FCS team in the Samford Bulldogs.

“I promised to develop them,” Smart said. That’s what we promised them to do along with Coach Monken and our staff. There’s not a lot of places you can go to play for an offensive coordinator that coached quarterbacks and receivers in the NFL.”

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