For as good as the Texas defense has been this season, Saturday’s game against No. 5 Georgia is a dramatic upgrade in competition. Business at Royal-Memorial Stadium is about to pick up.
The nation’s No. 1-ranked defense is about to face its most threatening challenge yet.
Georgia’s Carson Beck is easily the most accomplished quarterback No. 1 Texas will have faced yet this season. The senior ranks eighth nationally in yards per game (298.3) and has thrown 15 touchdowns against five interceptions.
What’s more impressive, Beck is 18-2 as a starter and 6-2 against top-20 foes. A sold-out crowd of 100,000 screaming UT fans probably won’t rattle him like they might others.
Put it this way. In a head-to-head matchup of quarterbacks, Beck would have the edge on paper over Texas’ Quinn Ewers. Yes, the Longhorns (6-0, 2-0 SEC) will have their hands full.
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“He’s been in environments like this before,” UT linebacker David Gbenda said. “He’s well versed and comfortable with the offense, and he knows the different nuances that go into that offense. So I know that with this experience, it’s going to be a challenge to face him, but it’s going to be a fun challenge at.”
Safety Michael Taaffe said Beck commands the Horns’ respect. Beck led a wild comeback attempt against Alabama and finished with 439 yards and three touchdowns to offset his three interceptions early.
Beck threw for 240 yards in a workman-like performance against Auburn. Then last Saturday, Beck lit up Mississippi State, torching the Bulldogs’ beleaguered secondary for 459 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes.
“He can put the ball wherever he wants to put it,” Taaffe said. “He makes really good throws, makes really smart and precise throws, knows where he wants to go with the ball every single down.”
Taaffe continued to praise Beck for his skills and finally surmised, “So, yeah, it’s going to require our full attention.”
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, a former offensive coordinator at Alabama, always admires quarterbacks from up close or afar.
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“Carson Beck, I know really well. He was committed to us at Alabama, and then ultimately decommitted and went to went to Georgia,” Sarkisian said. “He’s a great young man. Military background from his father. He’s a big, strong kid, can make all the throws. He’s got a real presence in the pocket. And I think they have a scheme that fits him.
“They believe in the play action pass, they believe in the double moves,” Sarkisian continued. “They’re going to take plenty of shots down the field. They utilize the tight end. They utilize the running backs.”
Sarkisian said it’s difficult to fool a quarterback with this much experience.
“So that’s going to be our challenge, right? How do we disrupt him in the pocket?,” Sarkisian said. “How can we create a little bit of hesitation in him from a from a coverage standpoint? And then, we’re going to have to play really well in tight coverage, because he's going to make these throws.”
Texas has allowed only one team to amass 200 passing yards this season. That was against Michigan, a team that started a former walk-on that most Wolverines fans didn’t want starting in the first place.
Oklahoma started freshman Michael Hawkins Jr., the first true freshmen ever to start for the Sooners in the Red River rivalry. OU tallied a paltry 148 passing yards as Hawkins completed just 19 of 30 passes.
Beck is a completely different class of quarterback. It’s a fascinating challenge for the Longhorns and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski.
“He's somebody you have to be ready and dialed for,” defensive back Jahdae Barron said. “You know, he’s amazing. He does a lot of great things on film. I mean, he's a vet quarterback at this level. So it’s going to be a good matchup.
“We’ve just got to trust Coach PK’s plan. Whatever he has in mind, we’ve got to trust him and put his work to the test and we’ll be good to go.”
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