Gators Face Familiar Foe at QB Against Miami

Carson Beck is in his first season at Miami, but he has plenty of experience against the Florida Gators.

Miami Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck started in games against the Florida Gators twice while at Georgia. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

While the Florida Gators will make a rare appearance at Hard Rock Stadium, its first road game at Miami since 2013, they will face a familiar foe at quarterback.

Carson Beck is in his first season with the fourth-ranked Hurricanes after four seasons at Georgia, two of which he was the starter. While with the program, the Bulldogs went 4-0 against Florida, including two wins with Beck as the starter.

"Being at Georgia, we value our rivalries," Beck said. "I mean, Georgia-Florida is one of the biggest games of the year for us every year. Being in Miami, you get two in-state rivalries, which is pretty dope. The tensions rise. The competition is always heightened with those rivalry games. And obviously, I’ve been in Florida my whole life, so I’m super familiar with all the rivalries.”

Despite the losses, Florida has had some of its better defensive success against Beck, including a three-interception game in last year's close loss. However, Beck has turned a new corner with Miami, throwing for over 800 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions as the Hurricanes began the season 3-0.

“Carson is one of the better quarterbacks in the country," UF head coach Billy Napier said this week. "... There’s arm talent, accuracy, and he’s hit the ground running. Different location, different system to some degree, but I do think we’ve all seen Carson at his best and when he’s on top of his game he’s as good as anybody."

Florida Gators defensive back Aaron Gates had one of the three interceptions against Carson Beck last season. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While Beck is in a new system, Florida is using its lessons from facing him previously in its game prep this week. The focus? Causing disruption in the backfield - something Florida has struggled with during the first three weeks of the season.

"Just getting there, getting to the quarterback, putting pressure on him," safety Jordan Castell said. "You know, everybody doing their job again, playing fast. So I think that's really the main thing."

The Gators only have two sacks this season, while its 68.5 pass rush grade from Pro Football Focus ranks 75th in the country. With star defensive tackle Caleb Banks set to miss significant time after undergoing foot surgery and sophomore edge rusher LJ McCray still nursing his own foot injury, the Gators will be slightly short-handed on Saturday.

Still, the Gators' defense has been its strength this season, holding all of its opponents to 20 points or less. Creating pressure on Beck will be the key.

"I feel like, you know, he's a good quarterback," edge rusher George Gumbs Jr. said. "I feel like going to every game with a good quarterback, our goal is to affect the quarterback. Like, the quarterback is usually going to be the team. So once we affect the quarterback, we slow the offense down."

Saturday's game between the Gators and Hurricanes is at 7:30 p.m. with television coverage on ABC.