University of Miami quarterback Carson Beck met with the media today ahead of the Cotton Bowl in Arlington. Here is everything he said:
What’s it like being on this stage, especially after being around playoff games at Georgia?
“Obviously, it’s always cool. It was always a super dope opportunity to make it this far and be in this position. But honestly, I was having this conversation the other day with my family and it’s like my whole college football career, even when I wasn’t playing at Georgia, we were always in these types of games. So it kind of feels normal to an extent. I know that’s a little weird to say that it’s normal to always be on the stage, but I’ve been in these games and moments even not playing, being on the sideline, being around teams that have been here. And then it feels a little bit better to be the quarterback to lead a team to this position and just super blessed to have this opportunity.”
What did you take from those Georgia playoff experiences, even when you weren’t starting?
“I think the biggest thing is just understanding what it takes to win games like this, to get to this position. The preparation, the work, the week of what it looks like, how to handle this environment, how to handle these type of weeks. And it’s a little bit different now with having the 12-team playoff, having more rounds. But again, just handling the week and handling the preparation, that’s something that I learned being on those teams.”
How do you handle a week like this?
“There’s a lot going on. You don’t normally have this during a normal week. You come to the stadium, the bowl site, all these different things. But you just have to treat it like another normal week of preparation. And honestly I like it a lot more sometimes because you’re in the hotel, you’re around your whole entire team all the time. You can watch more film around your guys. Everything’s in one centralized location. If you keep all the outside stuff where it is and hone in and focus on the things that need to be focused on, it makes the preparation a lot easier.”
Is this the most complete defense you’ve played this season?
“They’re very talented. You look at their front seven, you look at the DBs, and then obviously the scheme that they run with Coach Patricia and what they do on defense. They’re very talented and they make you earn each yard. We have a good plan, but we know the challenge they’re going to pose for us.”
Do you enjoy preparing for a defense like Matt Patricia’s?
“Absolutely. You play against talented defensive coordinators, guys that are really talented in their mind. At the end of the day it’s a chess game. Offense versus defense, checks and balances, seeing things happen before they happen. I always love games like this where you know you’re going up against a really good team and a really good coach. They’re very disciplined. They’re not out of place very often. When you pair that with talent, it’s why they’re one of the best defenses in the country.”
How have you and Shannon Dawson stayed on the same page all season?
“Me and him being on the same page is a huge key for success on our offense. My trust in him and his trust in me has been really good and we’ve continued to build throughout the season. Heading into this game, we’re confident about our plan. We’ve put together a lot of good plans all season. Ultimately it just comes down to us going out there on Wednesday and executing.”
What do you anticipate Ohio State doing with Malachi?
“I don’t know how they’ll play it to be completely honest. We can guess and look forward to how they’re going to do certain things, but we won’t know until we go out there and play.”
How much do you lean on your offensive line against a front seven like this?
“I’ve said this the whole entire season that our trenches on offense and defense have led this team. We go as they go. We understand the talent that they bring in their trenches as well. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to compete.”
What did you take from the end of the Texas A&M game?
“Our defense steps up, makes a play, then we make a huge play on special teams. Then when we need it most at the end, it’s smashmouth football and Mark Fletcher bangs off a 50-yard run. Malachi Toney gets a jet sweep into the end zone. Then Bryce [Fitzgerald] gets a pick to seal it. All three phases of the game working together to win in one of the hardest places to play in the country in a playoff game.”
How do you gauge your success from Georgia to Miami?
“Success is about winning. To be in this position in the playoffs, winning our first playoff game, getting to this opportunity in the quarterfinals, I’d say it’s been a successful season.”
Do you feel like you need to play a special game to win this one?
“I just need to execute each and every play. I don’t need to be more or less than just be me. I’ve got 10 other guys out there that are **** of football players. I can lean on them, they can lean on me, and we just trust each other.”
What do you think about coming in as the underdog?
“Once you get to the playoffs, numbers and seeds don’t matter. Nobody would be here if they didn’t have the talent to be here. I believe we can compete with anybody and we’ve proved that throughout the season.”
What has this last 13-month journey meant to you?
“It’s been a crazy turnaround. Thirteen months ago I was at Georgia and my mind was in a totally different spot. You don’t always have control over what your story is going to be. This journey taught me to take things one day at a time, show gratitude for the opportunities. I’m super thankful for what Miami has given me, what Coach Cristobal and Coach Dawson have done, and what these teammates have done to have my back. It’s been honestly amazing.”
What has Miami given you as a person and a player?
“I’ve grown as a football player from countless reps against a great defense every day in practice and having the opportunity to play in big games. And as a man, being around Coach Dawson, his calm, cool demeanor, the way he carries himself, that’s really helped me on and off the field.”
What stands out most about Ohio State’s defense?
“How disciplined they are. They’re rarely out of place. When you pair talent with discipline, it creates really good defensive football. They’re very unselfish.”
What does it mean to face a Matt Patricia-coached defense?
“It’s a great opportunity. Every defensive coordinator has their own wrinkles. They do a lot of different things, disguise a lot of coverages and pressures. I’m sure they’re going to throw everything at us, but it’s an opportunity to go execute.”
What makes Patricia so challenging?
“Mixing up looks and pressures, disguising one thing as another so it takes half a second more post-snap to figure out what they’re in. With talent around you, that half second makes a difference.”
What has center James Brockermeyer meant to you?
“He’s one of my best friends on this team. We spend a lot of time together. He makes the calls, and then I have the final veto. Most of the time he’s right, and it makes my job easier so I can focus on other things.”
What does Brock bring to the team?
“He’s a hard worker. He watches film 24/7. He works his butt off. He’s the centerpiece of an offensive line full of leaders and he’s been a huge addition to this team.”
What does it mean to have a chance to lead a championship team?
“To be part of a championship team and to lead one are two totally different things. To have the opportunity to lead a team to a championship means the world to me. It’s everything I’ve ever worked for.”
How different does this moment feel compared to a year ago?
“It’s been an unreal journey. It’s been a full 180, full circle. I’ve had to work my butt off to get back to this position. I couldn’t have done it without these teammates and these coaches. I’m super thankful.”
What’s it like being on this stage, especially after being around playoff games at Georgia?
“Obviously, it’s always cool. It was always a super dope opportunity to make it this far and be in this position. But honestly, I was having this conversation the other day with my family and it’s like my whole college football career, even when I wasn’t playing at Georgia, we were always in these types of games. So it kind of feels normal to an extent. I know that’s a little weird to say that it’s normal to always be on the stage, but I’ve been in these games and moments even not playing, being on the sideline, being around teams that have been here. And then it feels a little bit better to be the quarterback to lead a team to this position and just super blessed to have this opportunity.”
What did you take from those Georgia playoff experiences, even when you weren’t starting?
“I think the biggest thing is just understanding what it takes to win games like this, to get to this position. The preparation, the work, the week of what it looks like, how to handle this environment, how to handle these type of weeks. And it’s a little bit different now with having the 12-team playoff, having more rounds. But again, just handling the week and handling the preparation, that’s something that I learned being on those teams.”
How do you handle a week like this?
“There’s a lot going on. You don’t normally have this during a normal week. You come to the stadium, the bowl site, all these different things. But you just have to treat it like another normal week of preparation. And honestly I like it a lot more sometimes because you’re in the hotel, you’re around your whole entire team all the time. You can watch more film around your guys. Everything’s in one centralized location. If you keep all the outside stuff where it is and hone in and focus on the things that need to be focused on, it makes the preparation a lot easier.”
Is this the most complete defense you’ve played this season?
“They’re very talented. You look at their front seven, you look at the DBs, and then obviously the scheme that they run with Coach Patricia and what they do on defense. They’re very talented and they make you earn each yard. We have a good plan, but we know the challenge they’re going to pose for us.”
Do you enjoy preparing for a defense like Matt Patricia’s?
“Absolutely. You play against talented defensive coordinators, guys that are really talented in their mind. At the end of the day it’s a chess game. Offense versus defense, checks and balances, seeing things happen before they happen. I always love games like this where you know you’re going up against a really good team and a really good coach. They’re very disciplined. They’re not out of place very often. When you pair that with talent, it’s why they’re one of the best defenses in the country.”
How have you and Shannon Dawson stayed on the same page all season?
“Me and him being on the same page is a huge key for success on our offense. My trust in him and his trust in me has been really good and we’ve continued to build throughout the season. Heading into this game, we’re confident about our plan. We’ve put together a lot of good plans all season. Ultimately it just comes down to us going out there on Wednesday and executing.”
What do you anticipate Ohio State doing with Malachi?
“I don’t know how they’ll play it to be completely honest. We can guess and look forward to how they’re going to do certain things, but we won’t know until we go out there and play.”
How much do you lean on your offensive line against a front seven like this?
“I’ve said this the whole entire season that our trenches on offense and defense have led this team. We go as they go. We understand the talent that they bring in their trenches as well. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to compete.”
What did you take from the end of the Texas A&M game?
“Our defense steps up, makes a play, then we make a huge play on special teams. Then when we need it most at the end, it’s smashmouth football and Mark Fletcher bangs off a 50-yard run. Malachi Toney gets a jet sweep into the end zone. Then Bryce [Fitzgerald] gets a pick to seal it. All three phases of the game working together to win in one of the hardest places to play in the country in a playoff game.”
How do you gauge your success from Georgia to Miami?
“Success is about winning. To be in this position in the playoffs, winning our first playoff game, getting to this opportunity in the quarterfinals, I’d say it’s been a successful season.”
Do you feel like you need to play a special game to win this one?
“I just need to execute each and every play. I don’t need to be more or less than just be me. I’ve got 10 other guys out there that are **** of football players. I can lean on them, they can lean on me, and we just trust each other.”
What do you think about coming in as the underdog?
“Once you get to the playoffs, numbers and seeds don’t matter. Nobody would be here if they didn’t have the talent to be here. I believe we can compete with anybody and we’ve proved that throughout the season.”
What has this last 13-month journey meant to you?
“It’s been a crazy turnaround. Thirteen months ago I was at Georgia and my mind was in a totally different spot. You don’t always have control over what your story is going to be. This journey taught me to take things one day at a time, show gratitude for the opportunities. I’m super thankful for what Miami has given me, what Coach Cristobal and Coach Dawson have done, and what these teammates have done to have my back. It’s been honestly amazing.”
What has Miami given you as a person and a player?
“I’ve grown as a football player from countless reps against a great defense every day in practice and having the opportunity to play in big games. And as a man, being around Coach Dawson, his calm, cool demeanor, the way he carries himself, that’s really helped me on and off the field.”
What stands out most about Ohio State’s defense?
“How disciplined they are. They’re rarely out of place. When you pair talent with discipline, it creates really good defensive football. They’re very unselfish.”
What does it mean to face a Matt Patricia-coached defense?
“It’s a great opportunity. Every defensive coordinator has their own wrinkles. They do a lot of different things, disguise a lot of coverages and pressures. I’m sure they’re going to throw everything at us, but it’s an opportunity to go execute.”
What makes Patricia so challenging?
“Mixing up looks and pressures, disguising one thing as another so it takes half a second more post-snap to figure out what they’re in. With talent around you, that half second makes a difference.”
What has center James Brockermeyer meant to you?
“He’s one of my best friends on this team. We spend a lot of time together. He makes the calls, and then I have the final veto. Most of the time he’s right, and it makes my job easier so I can focus on other things.”
What does Brock bring to the team?
“He’s a hard worker. He watches film 24/7. He works his butt off. He’s the centerpiece of an offensive line full of leaders and he’s been a huge addition to this team.”
What does it mean to have a chance to lead a championship team?
“To be part of a championship team and to lead one are two totally different things. To have the opportunity to lead a team to a championship means the world to me. It’s everything I’ve ever worked for.”
How different does this moment feel compared to a year ago?
“It’s been an unreal journey. It’s been a full 180, full circle. I’ve had to work my butt off to get back to this position. I couldn’t have done it without these teammates and these coaches. I’m super thankful.”
