Carson Beck and Jaxson Dart are Southeastern Conference senior quarterbacks who are heading into Saturday afternoon’s showdown inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (3:30 on ABC) from very different directions.
Beck has led No. 2 Georgia to a 7-1 overall record and a 5-1 mark in league contests but is coming off consecutive games against Texas and Florida in which he’s thrown three interceptions. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder from Jacksonville has been picked off 11 times this season after only enduring six last year.
“We really didn’t get stopped unless I turned the ball over,” Beck said in a news conference following Saturday’s 34-20 win over the Gators, “which is a good thing for our offense and a bad thing for me.”
Dart, meanwhile, is coming off a 63-31 shellacking of Arkansas inside Reynolds Razorback Stadium in which he set Ole Miss single-game records with 515 passing yards and 562 total yards. The 6-2, 225-pounder from Kaysville, Utah, has a 192.37 efficiency rating that leads the nation — Beck’s 143.95 clip ranks 40th — but the Rebels are ranked No. 16 with their 7-2 record that includes a 3-2 league mark.
Ole Miss has three-point losses to Kentucky and LSU, and the Rebels led each of those games in the fourth quarter and with the ball.
“Our backs are against the wall each week, and we understand that,” said Dart, who began his career at Southern California and is now the winningest quarterback in Ole Miss history. “We know the expectations we have for ourselves. Each and every week, we know we have nothing to lose now, so we’re going to give it our all.
“We all understand what’s next, and we’re excited for the opportunity.”
A third defeat would likely eliminate the Rebels from the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, especially given that the loss to Kentucky was in Oxford and that the Wildcats have dropped four straight games since to fall to 3-6. Ole Miss will also be out of statement opportunities following this weekend, as the Rebels close with injury-riddled Florida and struggling Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs have to turn around from this week’s trip by hosting No. 7 Tennessee.
“This isn’t just about Ole Miss,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Monday in his news conference. “We’ve got a tough schedule remaining, and Ole Miss is who we’re focused on this week, but it’s about us looking inside and seeing what we can improve on and get better at that could help us in this game.
“This is going to be a very passionate, competitive, high-stakes game on the road in the SEC.”
When Georgia and Ole Miss collided last November in Athens, the Bulldogs rolled to a 52-17 rout. The last time they squared off in Oxford, which was Smart’s first season guiding the Bulldogs in 2016, Ole Miss scored the game’s first 45 points and cruised 45-14.
Smart has been asked multiple questions about Beck’s abundance of interceptions this year and painted a more upbeat picture Monday.
“I think his decision-making is the bottom line,” Smart said. “I was more pleased after watching the tape than anything, because I think out of 73 snaps, he had 68 winning decisions or really good decisions, and 68 out of 73 is pretty good for any sport that you’re in. The concern is that your mistakes can’t be catastrophic.
“He had two turnovers that weren’t great looks defensively against that call. We were expecting something else, and when that happens, you’ve got to play for the next down and be willing to concede that down. That’s especially the case when it’s first down.”
Rebels up front
When Georgia clobbered Ole Miss last November, the Bulldogs exposed a mediocre run defense by pounding out 300 yards. The Rebels ranked 73rd a year ago against the run, allowing 152.8 yards per game.
Entering Saturday, the Rebels are second nationally, yielding just 82.2 rushing yards a contest.
“They’re big, and they’re physical,” Smart said. “The only remedy for stopping the run is having big people who are hard to move. In our history here at Georgia, we’ve traditionally been pretty good at stopping the run. You go back to the Jordan Davis days, which were probably the best we had, and it was a strong, physical defensive line.
“They have that now. They are physical at the point of attack, and they’re good at attacking and stopping the run.”
Bulldogs bites
Georgia leads the series with Ole Miss 33-13-1 and has won 12 of the last 13 meetings. … This is the last regular-season road game for the Bulldogs. … Next week’s home game against Tennessee will be at 7:30 on ABC. … Georgia seniors are seeking a 50th career victory against just three defeats. … Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin on Saturday’s matchup: “It’s a great challenge. We screwed up two games earlier in the year, and when you do that, you put yourself in this situation.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.