Something just isn’t there this year. This was Beck’s third consecutive multi-interception game — and fourth in his past five — after not having any last year, when he threw 24 touchdowns to just six picks.
It can’t be blamed simply on not having Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey as security blankets this year, because Beck didn’t have them for portions of last year either. (Bowers missed four games, McConkey missed five.) And there has been plenty of good happening this season: Georgia came in ranked 11th in the nation and third in the SEC in pass plays of 20 yards or longer. Beck is also on track to throw for more yards (2,302) than last year (3,941). That includes this game, when the go-ahead drive showed he and the receivers can connect on big plays: Arian Smith for 34 yards on third-and-7, then Lawson Luckie for 21 yards, and then Lovett converting another third down, this time for a 10-yard score.
The problem is those critical errors. The first two interceptions were just inexplicable, right at defenders. The third pick, while Beck was being hit on a drop-back early in the third quarter, shouldn’t have been thrown. There was another near-interception and a few misses of open receivers. Beck finished 25-of-40 for 309 yards with two touchdowns and the three picks.
The only good news for Beck and Georgia: As much as he’s struggling, they’re still 7-1. They can only hope this has been an extremely rough patch, they rode through it, and have evidence he can still be a championship-level quarterback.
First appeared on www.nytimes.com