ATHENS, Ga. – The story started circulating that Tennessee fans had found and leaked Carson Beck’s phone number. Just like they did two years ago with Stetson Bennett, Beck’s predecessor as Georgia’s quarterback, and we all remember how that turned out: Bennett taunted Vols fans after a touchdown run and made the phone-to-ear sign.

It was indeed true that Beck’s number was leaked this week. That’s his high school phone number. It turns out that Tennessee fans were scamming a dead number or some other poor soul.

“I’m two steps further,” Beck said Saturday evening.

He smiled. And yes, this time Beck was allowed to smile.

As tough as this season has been, this evening was confirmation for Beck and his team. The season was virtually on the line. Criticism of Beck was at a peak. And he led Georgia to a 31-17 victory, playing his best game of the season and scoring 31 points against a Tennessee team that hadn’t even given up 20 all season.

And it didn’t happen because someone leaked his phone number. It happened because it had to happen.

Five days earlier, after the team’s usual Monday meeting, coach Kirby Smart ordered the coaches to leave the room. It was time for the players to speak alone. Jalon Walker stood up before the team. Tate Ratledge. Malaki Starks. And then Beck.

“It’s not something I do often,” Beck said. “I don’t talk much, so I think when I do it means something.”

The short version of what he and the others said, Beck said: “Everyone understood the situation we were in. We stood with our backs against the wall. The only way out is to do what is in front of you.”

Smart tried to downplay the meeting, saying it was not a “world-changing event.” But he also admitted that “an emotional conversation” took place to make sure everyone knew the meaning of this game.

Beck is not a fiery man. The fifth-year senior’s behavior can be misinterpreted, such as when cameras caught him smiling on the bench at the end of last week’s 28-10 loss to Ole Miss. Backup quarterback Jaden Rashada had just said something to cheer Beck up in the game. waning moments, but it became an excuse for critics to come down harder on Beck, who had thrown 12 interceptions in six games. Smart even asked a question during Monday’s press conference about whether he would ever consider playing quarterback again. Smart wrote that down on Monday and referred to it again after Saturday’s game.

“Carson has been well-behaved, and I’ve been very consistent, even with some of the dumbest questions in the world, no offense, about our quarterback because we see him every day,” Smart said. “You know, he is judged based on results and statistics, but we don’t judge based on that. We judge internally based on what gives us the best chance to win.”

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To be honest, Beck didn’t play that bad at Ole Miss. His lone interception came on a fourth-and-long. Georgia’s problem was more the lack of a running game, receiver drops and protection issues on the offensive line. But the quarterback often gets the blame, especially one who has been plagued with turnovers in the previous five games.

“Being a quarterback at Georgia has to be one of the hardest things to do. The things he has to deal with every day,” tight end Oscar Delp said. “I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, what they have to experience every day. He’s a great player, he’s a baller, he knows that, and we know that.”

Did Delp notice anything different than Beck this week?

“He practiced his ass off, just like everyone else,” Delp said. “When everyone is on the same page, good things happen.”

Those good things:

• The offensive line didn’t undermine anyone for perhaps the first time all season. Left tackle Monroe Freeling made his first career start, right guard Tate Ratledge played his first full game in months, and the result was zero sacks, a week after giving up five at Ole Miss.
• Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo laid out a game plan that kept Tennessee off balance and saw five different receivers or tight ends finish with at least 50 yards.
• The running game, minus starter Trevor Etienne, complemented the passing game effectively. True freshman Nate Frazier called it quits, rushing for 68 yards and a touchdown.

Pretty good for an offense that drew justified criticism, including from the head of the College Football Playoff selection committee, who cited the offense as one of the reasons the Bulldogs fell out of the target category. That will change this week, and Smart took the opportunity to express his disbelief.

‘I don’t know what they’re looking for. I really don’t,” Smart said. “I wish they could really define the criteria. I wish they could do the eyeball test where they come out here and look at the people we’re playing against and watch them, and you know, you can’t see stuff like that on TV, and so I don’t know. what they are looking for, but that has to be decided by someone else.”

Was it fair for them to criticize your foul, Smart was asked?

“They’re always going to do that because that’s what they say about the eyeball test,” Smart said. “So they’ll probably look at this week and say, we just played one of the best defenses in the country, and we went for 453 yards, you know, and it could have been more. So it’s just the story of every week, and we’re trying to be the cumulative whole team of really good quality and not be on this emotional roller coaster that’s being driven by people in a room somewhere who maybe don’t understand football like we do as coaches. ”

Coaches, players, athletic department people, everyone in Georgia knew the stakes this week. It was also the first home game in a while (35 days), and the first three of the season weren’t really big games. So they pulled out all the stops for this game: fireworks in the pregame, between quarters… and after Georgia scores.

The running joke was that they don’t need a lot of fireworks in this one. And for a while, it seemed like that might be the case. Georgia’s first three drives yielded nothing. As the first quarter ended, Georgia had just 21 total yards and was facing third-and-long.

Then it changed. Beck saw a Tennessee edge rusher jump the line.

“It’s a free game, we have four vertical matches,” Beck said. “Let it rip.”

He ripped it to Dominic Lovett for a 38-yard catch and run. That jump kicked off what would be four straight drives with a score, a rhythm for the offense that hadn’t been there in a while.

“I just thought we had juice and intensity. There was a fire all around us tonight,” Beck said. “It seemed like we were just having fun.”

As Beck spoke, Jared Wilson stood center stage behind the reporters, smiling and waving his arms at Beck. The quarterback saw him, smiled and then continued to answer questions. Wilson continued walking.

The questions for Beck do not disappear. He needs to lead his team to two more regular-season wins — the Georgia Tech game isn’t a mere formality — to feel confident about making the Playoff. Then there’s that Playoff, which at this point will likely come after Georgia, due to tiebreakers, and sitting out the SEC championship game, which could be a boon for this banged-up football team, both physically and emotionally.

But it’s less emotionally beat up than it was before Saturday. This victory was a shock to the minds that could carry the team for a while. How long and how far remains to be seen. It could depend on Beck.

And if that’s the case, Georgia’s chances suddenly seem a lot better.

(Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)