CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Miami Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck has played in some historic college football stadiums, often in hostile circumstances.
He threw for 439 yards last year for Georgia at Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium in front of 100,000 or so fans. He threw for 313 yards two years ago at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium. He has won games at Texas and at Tennessee, both of those crowds topping the 100,000 mark. He has won in front of a raucous crowd at Georgia Tech.
And now Doak Campbell Stadium awaits.
Florida State’s crowd is always electric when the Hurricanes come to town, and even more so when that Miami team on the opposite sideline is ranked and undefeated. Beck is fully aware of what the environment in Tallahassee will be like Saturday night when third-ranked Miami (4-0) opens Atlantic Coast Conference play by taking on the 18th-ranked Seminoles (3-1, 0-1).
“The rivalry that this game is and what it means to not only the players, but also the fan bases, I’m sure that this stadium is going to be packed,” Beck said. “I’m sure it’s going to be rocking. I’m really excited for that opportunity.
“I am sure it’s going to be loud. We know we’re working through that and practicing through that with crowd noise and those types of things during practice. It’s going to be an electric environment. And we’re excited for the opportunity and challenge.”
The game has all the elements the Miami-Florida State rivalry became known for over the decades: title implications, prime-time television, tons on the line for both teams.
The Seminoles know their realistic ACC hopes — which took an early hit with last Friday night’s overtime loss at Virginia — might hinge on the outcome of this game. The Hurricanes are looking to kick off ACC play on the right foot and finish off a state title of sorts, having already beaten nonconference foes South Florida and Florida this season.
Beck, whose 2024 season at Georgia (his fifth with the Bulldogs and second as their starter) had some rocky moments and tons of criticism before ending in injury during the Southeastern Conference title game, has played like a Heisman Trophy candidate through his first month with the Hurricanes. The Jacksonville native has completed 73% of his passes for nearly 1,000 yards through four games, and Florida State coach Mike Norvell is among those who have taken notice.
“You see a quarterback that’s been through it,” Norvell said. “He’s played obviously at a really high level throughout his career. He’s had his challenges. … You can see that there in Miami he’s feeling very comfortable with what they’re asking him to do and what they’ve been able to accomplish here in the early part of the season.”
Beck has seen Florida State before. Sort of.
Georgia played Florida State in the Orange Bowl to conclude the 2023 season. The Seminoles were unbeaten and the ACC champions, but they didn’t get picked for the College Football Playoff — which was in its final season as a four-team event before expanding to a 12-team bracket last year — in large part because top quarterback Jordan Travis had been lost to a broken leg in the penultimate game of the regular season.
The Seminoles were missing several key players who opted out of the bowl game to begin focusing on the NFL draft, and the Bulldogs — who were coming off back-to-back national titles and were undefeated that season until losing the SEC title game 27-24 to Alabama — waltzed to a 63-3 win over a watered-down lineup.
Beck knows the Florida State team he’ll see Saturday will be far more competitive than that Orange Bowl lineup was.
“Obviously, they’re very talented up front,” Beck said of the Seminoles. “They do a really good job. Their secondary is very athletic, very talented. So again, we’re looking forward to the challenge.”