Richt faces decision on Hutson Mason: Play him or redshirt him?
Mark Richt must decide whether to play true freshman Hutson Mason early in the season. (Curtis Compton / AJC)
There’s been considerable debate here in the past over the way Mark Richt and Mike Bobo have handled Georgia’s No. 2 quarterbacks, with a vocal contingent arguing that the Dogs should always have a backup who has real-game experience.
This year, of course, that’s complicated by the fact that Georgia’s starter doesn’t even have any real-game experience.
Plus, no one’s entirely sure who the backup quarterback is. Nominally, it’s still Logan Gray, who has appeared in preseason camp to be on his way to establishing himself as a viable receiving threat, though he’s currently hobbled by an ankle injury. In practice, the backup has been true freshman Hutson Mason, who ideally would get a redshirt year to master the Richt/Bobo offense before having to take a snap when it counts.
Richt has described the lack of experience and depth at QB this year as “scary,” and the decision facing him and Bobo isn’t an easy one. Should redshirt freshman starter Aaron Murray play the whole game against opening opponent Louisiana-Lafayette to get as much experience as possible before facing South Carolina in Columbia the next week — even staying in the game after the third-string backs and linemen have rotated onto the field against the outmanned Ragin’ Cajuns?
If not, who gets the call for mop-up duty? Gray, who’d probably rather be catching as many balls as he could rather than acting as a human place marker? Or will Richt and Bobo give up any idea of redshirting Mason?
The young man in question told The Athens Banner-Herald he has no idea which way they’ll go. “I don’t know, we all don’t know, no one really knows right now,” Mason said. “It’s just a big question mark. All I can do is go out and perform every day in practice and try to prove myself.”
Said Richt, “I guess we really haven’t thought much about it. … We haven’t really got close enough to where we say, ‘What are we going to do?’ it’s coming up, we’re going to have to talk about it pretty quick. We just haven’t had that discussion yet.”
Frankly, it’s hard to believe they really haven’t had that discussion yet, but maybe they’re waiting to see how things go in today’s scrimmage. As Mason told the ABH, “I think it all depends on how I finish camp and how I finish these last couple of practices.”
Earlier in camp Bobo praised Mason’s “command in the huddle” and said he “liked a lot” what he saw in the young quarterback, who set Georgia state single-season high-school records for passing yards (4,560) and touchdowns (54) and a state single-game record for passing yards (552) last season.
So what do you think, should Richt and Bobo get Mason some early playing time? Or do you believe they should hold on to that redshirt unless it absolutely has to be burned?
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228 comments Add your comment
BAMA FAN #2
August 26th, 2010
3:15 am
If the Mason kid is your best #2 QB you have to play him. Dawg fans better pray to god that Murray
does not get hurt this year or start buying a lot of paper bags!! RTR
76-DAWG
August 26th, 2010
5:10 am
Bill , This is off your subject but if you were at picture day did you ask if one of the puppy’s from the spring litters will eventually become the next Uga?
hop
August 26th, 2010
6:31 am
mason is the real deal that is why the coaches are having to make this decision.
also, before we anoint lemay as the second coming lets wait a bit to see how he adjust to college ball. it is not a given that he is in fact the answer to all our woes at qb.
12-2
August 26th, 2010
6:32 am
You’re an idiot Bill King.
Hutson Mason has to hit the field early in the first quarter.
2006 we had not prepared our quarterback and we lost 4 games.
2009 we had not prepared our quarterback and we lost 5 games.
2010 we haven’t prepared our quarterback and you have all these musings about how it might be better for Aaron Murray to do it all.
Unbelievable Bill King. What do you know about football ?
Hobnail Boot
August 26th, 2010
7:00 am
Play him… We should have played Murray last year as Cox struggled. We have Lemay coming in next year and Mason from what I hear is doing fine. The future is now so why not give him some reps.
Hobnail Boot
August 26th, 2010
7:06 am
I don’t want to see Gray at QB. To me, his game is to predictible. If the kid can stand in the pocket I say let him play.
AltamahaDawg
August 26th, 2010
7:10 am
The Joe(s) had a lot of reserve PT and a couple of start between them, so that argument doesnt hold water.
NC Dawg
August 26th, 2010
7:10 am
This doesn’t need to be decided right now. Why is this even a question… it’s irrelevant to discuss now. If we need him, he will play. If we don’t, he won’t. Season will dictate this decision.
Firedawg
August 26th, 2010
7:13 am
If the guy is truly ready to be the back up, then play him with a big lead. Gray should not be our back up any more.
AltamahaDawg
August 26th, 2010
7:25 am
2006 we had not prepared our quarterback and we lost 4 games.
2009 we had not prepared our quarterback and we lost 5 games.
2010 we haven’t prepared our quarterback
If we all had not seen you say on countless occation that there is “no reason” not to win the East this year, we would almost think you were trying to say that you expect the same in 2010. As it stands, there doesn’t seem to be any point to the above.
DAWGMAN
August 26th, 2010
8:14 am
Who the hell wants to go to a school that doesn’t PLAY YOUR BEST MAN? Who wants to practice when the coach doesn’t PLAY YOUR BEST MAN? Sounds like a 2d rate program to me.
Play him. PLAY him. It’s FOOTBALL in the SEC. SLOBBERKNOCKER!
Brock Berlin?
August 26th, 2010
8:28 am
As a Dog, to mention the name of Gator/Cane Brock Berlin when speaking in context of Aaron Murray, sends chills through my 62 year old bones. Geeeeeeeez, we need to avoid that scenario.
Aaron Murray is the first, second and third string and scout QB at UGA for at least this year and maybe next. We are in deep T if he chips a fingernail or worse.
Go Dogs.
kerryb
August 26th, 2010
8:55 am
In 2009 we had not prepared our QB? I think after 5 years Joe Cox was prepared as he could be. He just didn’t get the job done.
Gbal
August 26th, 2010
9:28 am
Bill – There is no decission to be made here….Learn from mistakes… no RS for Mason and get him some playing time early…Need at least 2 with some level of experience and we have new QB’s comming in behind these two. Give us some real reporting
blah blah blah
August 26th, 2010
9:37 am
you can just smell the fear ugag fans have over the upcoming season.
most teams will load the box and make murray beat them.
a regular serving of gritz blitz and murray will fold.
face it ugag fans, youre gonna get drilled in columbia.
unles murray is the next doug flutie,
dawgs will be 1-3 heading to colorado.
by then, ugag fans wont have anything to woof woof about
Tazz
August 26th, 2010
9:46 am
“Master the Richt/Bobo offense?” What a joke! This offense is shotgun, screen right, screen left, interception over the middle, with that stupid, shotgun draw mixed in. This offense has 10 plays and 3 formations. My kindergarten aged son could master this offense.
WonderDawg
August 26th, 2010
10:09 am
Bill, not to be rude, but how long would it really take to “master the Richt/Bobo offense”? From what I see year after year, there’s only about 7 or 8 plays.
how2fish
August 26th, 2010
10:13 am
Tazz and yet that offense seems to bewilder the Bugs year end and year out….
Zach M
August 26th, 2010
10:19 am
I can see it now. Caleb King in the wilddawg all year!!
JustAfan
August 26th, 2010
12:42 pm
Hutson Mason is a winner. He will be the starting qb by the end of the year he turned around a high school that was 2-8 two years in a row and had a combined record of 23-4 the next two years and he did things that yes EVEN 5 STAR RECRUITS ON RIVALS HAVE NOT DONE!! not to mention they dont play bad football in 5a georgia. PLAY THE KID
Bill King
August 26th, 2010
7:41 pm
12-2:
Go back and read what I wrote again. I made no argument in favor of Murray doing it all.
AltamahaDawg
August 26th, 2010
7:41 pm
kerryb, you cannot possible think the coaches could have prepared a guy in the 4 yrs before 2009. Or the 13 games of live action as an underclassman including one start, and one fantastic finish, or all the summers, or all the springs, or all the fall camps.
AltamahaDawg
August 26th, 2010
7:50 pm
Bill, if you check back around 2:30am, it will be revealed to you what you thought and really meant to say about that.
George Watson
August 28th, 2010
4:42 pm
If he has talent, PLAY the young man!! REMEMBER A GUY NAMED BUCK BELUE???????????? Played all 4 years as the starter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
jpaul
August 28th, 2010
10:47 pm
you play him! 5 star recruit signed for next season already. Play ‘em while you got ‘em!
A concerned Georgia Fan
August 29th, 2010
2:52 am
I can’t believe that you all think a high school kid, who by the way can’t even stay in high school, is going to be the kind of leader you need to fill what you perceive as a void at the quarterback position at GA. Sounds like another Michael Vick to me.
This is what I predict. Murray disappoints and falters under pressure then gets hurt trying to be something he’s not, a SEC QB. Then Mason plays and gets better and better each game. Lemay reads the handwriting on the wall and runs to sign with another team (Tennessee) because his daddy, who speaks for him when things get tough, will suggest that he do. Lemay never makes it to the field at TN. because he fails academically after many off filed legal altercations. GA. wins a national title with Mason and helps establish Richt back on his perch as as major QB developer.
The Real SugarHillDawg
August 29th, 2010
9:27 pm
How in the world can ANYONE consider redshirting Mason?? By all accounts he’s a smart kid who is picking up the system and regardless of what anyone says, Richt CAN NOT afford to redshirt the guy. What if Murray gets hurt? Are we gonna just write off the rest of the season? Richt don’t have that luxury regardless of what the “in” people say! You all think McGarity is gonna put up with the losing streak with Florida? Two words-HELL NO!!!
mamabulldog
August 30th, 2010
8:20 am
I don’t see the problem. The backup should be the next best quarterback. Georgia always recruits well at the qback position so why redshirt this quy when he can get the experience needed to fill in when needed if murray goes down. They both have 4 years so lets not get back in this inexperienced situation again. Plauy the guy when you can