Notre Dame insider details why Carson Beck's absence was nullified for Georgia during Sugar Bowl

The No. 2-ranked Georgia Bulldogs were without starting quarterback Carson Beck in Thursday's Sugar Bowl showdown against the No. 5-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Beck suffered a right elbow injury in the Southeastern Conference championship game against Texas. The injury required surgery, and as a result, he was ruled out for the rest of the season.

The team needed to start backup quarterback Gunner Stockton. It was not an ideal scenario, and the Bulldogs were unable to overcome the obstacle, losing the game 23-10. As a result, several fans have started to blame the loss on missing their starting quarterback.

However, Notre Dame insider Bryan Driskell does not believe that Carson Beck's absence is a good excuse for Georgia's failure to perform in the Sugar Bowl. He pointed out that his absence was nullified because the Fighting Irish were also missing several key players.

In an X post on Friday, Driskell wrote:

"Georgia fans before the Sugar Bowl: 'Georgia is actually better with Gunner Stockton.' Georgia fans after the Sugar Bowl: 'We only lost because we didn't have Carson Beck.' Yeah, like Notre Dame wasn't missing an All-American DT, an All-American CB, 2 starting OL and 2 starting DE."

The players he is referring to include:

• DT Rylie Mills
• CB Benjamin Morrison
• OL Rocco Spindler
• OL Ashton Craig
• DL Gabriel Rubio
• DL Jordan Botelho

Georgia ends a strong season with disappointing final game

The Bulldogs had a strong finish to their regular season, winning the SEC championship in a close 22-19 overtime game against the Texas Longhorns. It was the second time the Bulldogs defeated the Longhorns this season. Notably, those are the only two losses Texas has this year, and it is still in the College Football Playoff.

The Bulldogs also had other ranked wins, including a 34-3 triumph over No. 16 Clemson on opening weekend and a 31-17 victory against No. 7 Tennessee in mid-November. However, while the Bulldogs were able to pick up several big wins this year, they were not unbeatable.

They lost two games in the regular season. The Bulldogs were handed their first loss of the year in Week 4, 41-34 to No. 11 Alabama. They then won four games in a row before losing their second game of the season, 28-10, to the No. 14 Ole Miss Rebels. Both defeats were to ranked teams but should have been winnable games.

Overall, it was still a positive season as they won the SEC championship. However, they were unable to find success in the College Football Playoff. After advancing to the second round via a bye, they lost to Notre Dame. Carson Beck was a big part of the team this year, and while Bryan Driskell disagrees, he could have been the difference for the Bulldogs.