ATHENS — Baseball was on Kirby Smart’s mind when speaking to reporters on Monday. Not because the Atlanta Braves host the Philadelphia Phillies in a crucial playoff game later this evening but because of how his quarterback played on Saturday against Kentucky.
Carson Beck had a stellar game, throwing for 389 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 51-13 win over Kentucky. The performance earned Beck co-SEC Players of the Week honors.
Beck was at his best against the blitz, completing 13 of his 15 pass attempts for 200 yards and 4 touchdowns.
“A great mental processor. He’s a great processor,” Smart said of Beck. “I mean, Carson’s very intelligent, guys. You know, you can say what you want about the quarterback position, but you have to process information rapidly. And the more information you can handle, the more flexibility your offense has. The flexibility of an offense is usually tied to what the quarterback can handle. Our quarterback — not only because he’s smart but because he’s also of age and been in the same system for multiple years — has been able to grow from that.”
From there, Smart ended up raving about Beck’s ability to handle pressure. Smart pointed to Beck’s baseball background as to why he is so calm in the face of pressure.
At one point during his high school career, Beck was committed to play baseball at Florida. But that was prior to his pledge to Georgia, where he has quickly blossomed into one of the top quarterbacks in the league.
“I think, a baseball background, I’ve learned, gives you the ability to handle pressure,” Smart said. “There’s no greater pressure than you have to throw a strike. Nobody can help you throw that strike, no coach, no pitching coach. You’ve got to stand out there and throw a strike. That pressure is not the same as a man running in your face, but it is pressure. He does well under pressure.”
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