Kirby Smart speaks about the leadership he sees in QB Carson Beck

The highlight from Georgia football’s 41-31 win against Mississippi State on Saturday was the play from QB Carson Beck. 36/48 for 459 yards and three touchdowns speaks for itself.

But it was something else that stood out to Kirby Smart that really impressed him about Beck.

His leadership.

"Well, he’s experienced. You know, the game gets a little tight there, two-score game. And he’s cool. He’s not panicked, takes us on a long drive. I think he continues to show he’s got poise in his pocket."

- Kirby Smart

It’s obviously nice to see that Beck is capable of a career performance like this, but I think we all know we can’t expect that every game. But something we can expect is this leadership and poise that Smart discussed.

If Beck was going to have a career night like he did it was probably always going to be against a struggling one win team like Mississippi State. Not that I’m trying to downplay his night, but it’s probably safe to assume he won’t play that well statistically against top teams like Texas or Tennessee.

But one thing we can expect to continue against any team are these leadership qualities.

Calmness under pressure, picking guys up when they’re down, poise in the pocket, and smart decision making, these are the attributes that Georgia can expect from Beck every game. And in a game when the offense may not be clicking like they did against Mississippi State, these actions could be the difference between winning and losing.

Beck will face his greatest test of the season next week as Georgia travels to No. 1 Texas. I think we all know Beck and the UGA offense won’t put up the same stats that we just saw against MSU, but they don’t need to in order to win this game. The Georgia defense needs to play a lot better, but if they can do that and Beck can play smart, mistake-free football then I believe the Bulldogs can and will win this game.