MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Carson Beck was part of two national championship runs at Georgia.
To him, those seasons weren’t as good as this one was for him at Miami.
Beck’s last pass as a college quarterback was an interception, one that essentially sealed Miami’s fate in a 27-21 loss to Indiana in the College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday night. He had to watch the Hoosiers celebrate on what was his home field, watch the turf littered in crimson-and-white confetti.
And yet, when he reflected on the end of his journey, he declared this year at Miami the best of his life.
“Yeah, it was,” Beck said after a 19-for-32 passing, 232-yard, one-touchdown, one-interception performance in the final. “And not because we made the national championship, not because won a bunch of football games or we made great plays or things of that sort. Man, for me, my whole entire life changed.
“You know, 365 days ago, I was in just a really dark place, and I was trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was a really difficult thing. There was just a lot going on, mentally, physically, emotionally, to be able to battle and fight through the roller-coaster that life is.”
At this time a year ago, Beck was no longer wanted at Georgia, his elbow had just been surgically rebuilt, every move of his personal life became social-media fodder and he knew the doubters were everywhere.
He almost got the last laugh. Beck started all 16 games for Miami, led the Hurricanes to a 13-3 mark and set a school record by completing 72.4% of his passes. The last pass was a bit underthrown, and there seemed to be some sort of miscommunication on the final play. (“Their defense played really well tonight,” Beck said.) But Miami knew long before that play that without Beck, they wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near the CFP title game.
“He earned the respect of his teammates, teammates working hard with him,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “We win together, we lose together. Proud of him.”
Beck was at Miami for one year. He made clear after his final college game that whatever the future brings, he’ll have the Hurricanes to thank.
“I really couldn’t have done it without all these people around me,” Beck said. “This university truly saved me and helped me rebuild into the man that I am today.”