Georgia overcomes Carson Beck's 3 INTs and gets past Florida

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Carson Beck jumped into the stands with black eye paint on his face and a big smile. His three interceptions were a distant memory. All he cared about was celebrating another win in the game he cares about most.

Beck threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns to offset three interceptions in his hometown, and No. 2 Georgia escaped the “greatest outdoor cocktail party in the world” with a 34-20 victory over Florida on Saturday.

Beck is 2-0 as a starter against the Gators.

“This is my dream. It’s a super cool circle for me,” Beck said. “This is my favorite game of the year. I wouldn't say I ever put any pressure on myself. I'm going to play football. … Of course I want to throw a perfect game: 30-for-30, four touchdowns. This is what I thought about going to the stadium, it was like I was the man going back to my hometown of Jacksonville.

“What should I do? We just won. I’m happy.”

But Beck says he knows he has to reduce or perhaps even eliminate turnover for Georgia to do something special. He has eight interceptions in his last three games, all of them wins.

“Some of the throws he makes are quality throws,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “He only threw the ball over the middle a couple of times late. You can't do that. You can't turn the ball over and be a good football team; He knows that.”

“I don’t think it’s a matter of decision making. I think sometimes he pushes and it's a big game for him; he is from here. We won’t win this game without Carson Beck.”

The Bulldogs (7-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) won their fourth straight in the series, their longest streak since six straight wins between 1978 and 1983, taking advantage of Florida's quarterback problems and a special teams error.

Freshman standout DJ Lagway left the game on a cart in the second quarter with a left hamstring injury with the Gators (4-4, 2-3) leading 10-3. Things were mostly ugly without him.

Walk-on Aidan Warner completed 7 of 22 passes for 66 yards, with one interception. Warner was thrown onto the field because Florida starter Graham Mertz tore ligaments in his left knee last month at Tennessee and is out for the season.

“I think the game went the way we wanted it to,” Florida coach Billy Napier said. “We made things ugly at times. But we had our team in position to win the game.”

The Gators kept the game close due to stingy defense that forced Beck into more errors. Jack Pyburn, Aaron Gates and Devin Moore had picks that combined for 10 points for Florida.

However, the Gators had the biggest turnover. Jeremy Crawshaw failed to handle Rocco Underwood's low snap for a 51-yard field goal attempt late in the third. This resulted in a loss of 31 yards and set up Beck's first touchdown pass.