''He Just Wants to Get Better''

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Carson Beck came to Miami with one goal: to win football games.

That doesn’t mean he didn’t have a little extra motivation when he took the field on Saturday against Bethune-Cookman after a conversation with one of his former coaches.

“I was talking to coach [Mike] Bobo, the offensive coordinator at Georgia last week after the game a little bit. I think I had a streak there where I had a couple completions in a row last week and he texted me because he has the record at Georgia. I think it’s 19 in a row,” Beck said. “And he texted, ‘You’re not going to break my record, blah, blah, blah.’ So, I was going into it like, ‘Alright, I’m going to try and get 19 in a row.’”

Beck didn’t quite throw 19 consecutive passes in No. 5 Miami’s 45-3 win over Bethune-Cookman.

He settled for 15 straight – and a Miami record.

Beck, a redshirt senior, opened the game Saturday by completing his first 15 passes, breaking the record of 14 straight completions by a Hurricanes quarterback set by Heisman Trophy winner Vinny Testaverde in 1986.

And, according to the Associated Press, Beck also became the first Miami signal caller to start a game with 15 straight completions.

Given the legendary quarterbacks that have come before him at Miami, Beck didn’t take his history-making turn for granted, even if he wasn’t chasing any kind of individual highlight.

“It’s dope. I mean, it’s super cool. I can’t lie,” Beck said of his new record. “But obviously, I’m not thinking about that stuff during a game. I’m just trying to execute play by play. But it just shows that tonight, we were really consistent and that we were efficient on all levels, in all facets. That takes protection. That takes timing routes, right? Getting open and [receivers] making the catches, right? So, yeah, it’s super cool. Super dope. And I’m happy that I was able to do that. Maybe I’ll break it again, break my own record.”

Through his first two games as a Hurricane, Beck has shown why many college football experts regard him as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation.

He has completed 42 of 54 passes and thrown for 472 yards and four touchdowns.

In Miami’s season opener against then sixth-ranked Notre Dame, Beck engineered five scoring drives, including a 10-play, 46-yard drive that set up Carter Davis’ eventual game-winning field goal in the game’s final minutes.

And on Saturday night against Bethune-Cookman, Beck was methodical and efficient, distributing the ball to 10 different pass catchers before building a 35-3 third-quarter lead and turning the game over to reserve quarterback Emory Williams.

“He keeps getting better and better. I mean, every practice, every week, there’s this continued growth and development and really, you see a growth and the appetite for more,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said of Beck. “He just wants to get better. He wants Miami to get better. He wants Miami to win and he’s all about team. All in all, just awesome progress.”

Beck has, no doubt, started the season as well as he could have hoped.

After hurting his elbow in last year’s SEC Championship Game while playing at Georgia and then undergoing season-ending surgery, the quarterback opted to transfer to Miami for a fresh start.

And while he did his best to get to know his new teammates and coaches and learn offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson’s system, Beck could do little more than watch from the sideline during spring drills.

It wasn’t a fun experience. But it was one that, Beck says, gave him a newfound appreciation for the game he’s played – and loved – all his life.

“I’ve always loved football. But man, after going through what I went through on the field and off the field – and there’s a lot of stuff that a lot of people don’t know, right? – I’m just so thankful that God has blessed me again with this opportunity to play this game that I love,” Beck said. “And for me, it’s not only that. But it’s the people that I get to do it with. I love this team. I love my teammates, my coaches. I really do. It’s a real family and a real brotherhood and I’m just so thankful for it. I’m just grateful for the opportunity to continue this season. We have so many more opportunities to come, so I’m going to just try to take it one week at a time and hopefully it doesn’t go by too fast.”

Beck isn’t the only one happy he’s in Miami.

Though he’s only been in Coral Gables for nine months – and he couldn’t practice for a chunk of that – the quarterback has made an impression on his teammates.

More than once, the veteran signal caller has pulled teammates aside for teaching moments. He’s been an active presence in the huddle and in the locker room. And his work ethic quickly proved to Miami’s veterans that he was here to make a difference for the Hurricanes.

“I think [the connection] really kind of came with the chemistry and the gel we had off the field because we both were a little banged up in the spring. Just rallying these guys together in the offseason and not being on the field really correlated to last Sunday [against Notre Dame],” said receiver CJ Daniels, who has caught three touchdown passes from Beck through Miami’s first two games. “It was just really built-up energy, and I think we had a message to prove. We had a point to prove and I can’t be more grateful for Carson being the leader, the vet and him just having the knowledge and the tools that I can carry over. It definitely showed.”

Said offensive lineman Markel Bell of Beck ahead of Miami’s opener, “I like how humble he came in, how humble he came in in the first place. And then just him taking charge – this is his huddle, his offense. He took charge of it, and I really appreciate that. We’re going to block our tails off for him.”

As well as he’s played in Miami’s first two games, though, Beck still believes he can be even better. And with the season just getting started, he’s ready to build on his early success.

He’ll get another chance to do just that next Saturday when Miami hosts No. 18 USF.

“Every opportunity is an opportunity, and that’s what I try to stress to these guys so much,” Beck said. “Every time that you get a chance to get on the field, we only have guaranteed 10 more games, you know what I’m saying? It’s crazy to think that way, but it is the truth, and you work all year for these 12 guaranteed opportunities. Now, we’re two in. Just try to take every single game with a grain of salt, show appreciation to the game, go out there and execute.”