Mario Cristobal’s offense last year was a treat to watch with Cam Ward behind the center and wins coming in like shopping at a Walmart. They even went undefeated until that Georgia Tech game, and if not for McCord and Syracuse’s brilliance, might have even made it to the playoffs. That was one of the reasons why Cristobal went all in and spent $4 million to get none other than Carson Beck to fulfill that playoff dream. However, the move came with its complications.
Carson Beck, while talented as evidenced by his 2023 season, still faced issues at Georgia last year. For instance, the team led the country in drops, and Beck’s efficiency dropped drastically to 65%, which was well over 72% in 2023. Moreover, there was also an issue with an injury to his throwing arm, due to which Beck missed much of the spring practices. And now, a prominent analyst has specified another major issue impeding Beck’s success at Georgia.
J.D. Pickell of On3 highlighted how Miami’s offense isn’t tailored to Beck’s needs in his July 18th podcast episode. “Miami’s offense is a vertical passing attack. You saw that last year with Cam Ward. As talented as Carson Beck is, we saw what he looks like without any uh major talent at wide receiver. We saw what he looks like without having any dudes that can real deal go win one-on-ones for you and finish plays downfield,” echoed Pickell.
While J.D. Pickell’s premise is true, it needs to be said that Beck had underwhelming weapons at Georgia last year. And when he had those weapons, we saw what he could do in the 2023 season, where he totaled 4,000+ all-purpose yards. At Miami this year, though there was some attrition, Cristobal has done a commendable job in improving the WR room, and that is a silver lining for Beck’s success.
NCAA, College League, USA Football 2024: Pop Tarts Bowl Iowa State vs Miami DecDEC 28 December 28, 2024: Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal during warmups before the Pop Tarts Bowl in Orlando, FL. Romeo T Guzman/Cal Media/Sipa USACredit Image: Romeo Guzman/Cal Sport Media/Sipa USA Orlando Camping World Stadium Fl USA NOxUSExINxGERMANY PUBLICATIONxINxALGxARGxAUTxBRNxBRAxCANxCHIxCHNxCOLxECUxEGYxGRExINDxIRIxIRQxISRxJORxKUWxLIBxLBAxMLTxMEXxMARxOMAxPERxQATxKSAxSUIxSYRxTUNxTURxUAExUKxVENxYEMxONLY Copyright: xCalxSportxMediax Editorial use only
For instance, the Miami head coach brought in CJ Daniels from LSU, who came after receiving for 480 yards. Even before that, when Daniels was at Liberty in 2023, the guy totaled 1,067 receiving yards. Apart from Daniels. Cristobal has also brought in Tony Johnson from Cincinnati, who comes after receiving 449 yards. Then there is Keelan Marion, too, who brings a wealth of experience from BYU and UConn. So, the weapons are there; now Beck just needs to take the next step at Miami.
More woes for Carson Beck as his ghosts of the past surface
Despite the weapon additions in the WR room, Beck still has some issues with accuracy and inconsistency. Then there is the issue that Beck missed much of the offseason without throwing for Miami, and that has led to several analysts delivering their harsh verdicts. Moreover, there were personal issues, too, ranging from his girlfriend to his alleged Snapchat leak.
“Do you trust the guy? And I’m not talking about the quarterback. I’m talking, ‘Do you trust the guy? ‘” asked Todd McShay, and gave a harsh verdict. “If this guy was that good, and more importantly, if they trusted him and they loved the guy… and it was about the team, and about the guys in his huddle, the guys in the locker room… You’re telling me the Dawgs wouldn’t have come up with the money and made sure that this was the No. 1 priority.”
Carson Beck truly has several doubters this year after his whole drama surrounding his transfer and months post that. Yet, despite these speculations, Beck still has the talent to succeed, and he might not generate Heisman-level conversations. But Beck can upgrade himself enough to lead Miami deep into the playoffs, at least.
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