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
OEJ
August 25th, 2010
10:52 am
If hes ready hes ready, put him in to give Murray a rest. If hes not then he should red shirt. From what Ive been reading I think he should’nt red shirt. That’s just my opinion
Holy Cow
August 25th, 2010
10:52 am
1st?
Bryan
August 25th, 2010
10:56 am
I wonder if this is going to be a factor in keeping Lemay? I say play the kid.
KingDawg
August 25th, 2010
10:57 am
Easy call – burn the redshirt early. He needs experience before being thrown in to a 1st & ten from our own goal like Logan was last year in the Florida game.
turkeycaller
August 25th, 2010
10:57 am
You are going to have to play this kid. Who else is available? Exactly. Mason.
ant
August 25th, 2010
10:57 am
you have to red shirt him..let grey be the backup
Joe Mac
August 25th, 2010
10:58 am
A redshirt could happen by default if Murray stays healthy and there is no need to play Hutson.
If we get into a blowout either way I’d just go with Gray or a walkon. No reason to burn a year on mop-up duty.
guy
August 25th, 2010
11:02 am
if he’s as good as advertised he’ll be gone by his senior year anyways.
Pete
August 25th, 2010
11:03 am
Yank the redshirt off Hutson, we need the #2 to get reps in case he’s needed.
Jake
August 25th, 2010
11:05 am
Redshirting is about the future, but seems like the future is now for Richt, isn’t it? He can’t afford another year like last year. The impression I get is that at Alabama and Florida they re-load, but the QB situation at UGA makes it seem like a second-tier SEC program. It would be nice to see not just an attacking defense, but an attacking mind-set across the board. Mason may be a freshman, but the fact that he’s making this decision suggests he’s got the kind of attitude and approach that would be helpful as an active member of the team, not a spare part on the shelf.
Leadership
August 25th, 2010
11:10 am
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.”
If I’m a bulldog fan that type of “gee whiz, we probably should decide that soon” doesn’t inspire much confidence in the coaching staff. Now I don’t want to start an argument about Richt’s merits as a head coach; he has an outstanding record of success.
But I will say it just seems that Georgia isn’t as a tightly run a ship as some other programs. That could be due to Richt’s affable nature and honesty in interviews, or it could be due to the program finally being under some real stress during Richt’s tenure and the leadership feeling a little overwhelmed by some of the current challenges.
Ferndolin
August 25th, 2010
11:10 am
What is the rule? If he takes one snap is red-shirting no longer an option?
11Dawg
August 25th, 2010
11:11 am
With LeMay coming in, Mason will probably never be a starter. I say play him as a backup this year.
azdawg
August 25th, 2010
11:13 am
This is a no-brainer. If he has truly been this good in practice then there should be no redshirt. We have a new stud QB coming in next year to aid our depth(LeMay)and what will CMR do if Murray happens to get injured? Play Logan Gray who is getting all his reps at WR, is nursing an injury and has shown marginal skills at QB when he did get playing time last year? I can not live with that scenario. Hopefully Hutson lights it up in scrimmage today and all will be settled going forward.
burn it
August 25th, 2010
11:13 am
it doesn’t matter if he has an extra year or not. he’s never going to be the starting qb at uga after this year. burn the redshirt and give him mop up pt.
his best chance of seeing the field in legitimate time is an injury happening this year.
Ferndolin
August 25th, 2010
11:14 am
Can he be red-shirted down the road so long as he hasn’t played? Someone help me out with this.
burn it
August 25th, 2010
11:16 am
1 snap and his regular redshirt is burned.
if he gets a season ending injury in the first 3-4 games after playing at least 1 snap, he can apply for a medical redshirt ala sturdivant.
TommyP
August 25th, 2010
11:17 am
Play Mason in the 4th quarter and get him some reps. Lafayette isn’t deep enough to play the 2nd/3rd stringers in the 4th so Mason will still get a look at a lower Div.I defense as his first experience.
You DON’T want a true freshman taking over the team without any experience if Murray gets hurt. Let him play and see what you have. We have to accelerate the learning curve for this kid ’cause he’s an injury away from taking over in the SEC.
And Lemay will be here in a year so both Murray and Mason will be Juniors when Lemay is a redshirt frosh.
VA DAWG
August 25th, 2010
11:18 am
Play him in the fourth quarter of each game that is “in hand.” Lemay is still just a commit and hasn’t signed on the dotted line. Therefore, Hutson needs to get game experience this year even if Murray does not get hurt b/c we may be in same position next year. Give the kid a chance for success before just handing it over to a highly recruited freshmen. Just my opinion. GO DAWGS!
Ferndolin
August 25th, 2010
11:19 am
Burn it – Thanks. I say play him.
rduck
August 25th, 2010
11:19 am
I can’t see Mason staying as a backup for 3-4 years without transferring to another program. The kid seems to have alot of talent and it would be wasted as a #2 QB. If he has any hope of playing on Sundays, he will either have to redshirt this year or next, have Murray go down or leave early, or beat out Murray as the starter at some point in his career. The whole Lemay coming next year part will probably be the deciding factor in all of this…
ugaclassof2004
August 25th, 2010
11:19 am
I agree with you Jake.
I am big time worried about the QB situation especially the lack of depth at the position. It seems to me that Richt is really hitching his wagon to this Murray kid who has never played a down. And even if Murray turns out to be good, UGA has been very fortunate to not have had injuries at the QB position the last 9 years. Right now they are 1 key injury away from being 6-6. And I have zero confidence in Logan Gray. Gray’s a decent athlete and if we were running a spread offense like Florida or Oregon then I’d be OK with him as our QB. But in Richt’s offense, which features a lateral passing game, the QB really has to be able to make the throws and Logan doesn’t strike me as someone who can do that on a regular basis. I’m not sure if this Hutson kid is ready, but given the lack of depth at the position, Richt may have no choice but to take the Red Shirt off.
Remarkable
August 25th, 2010
11:22 am
Don’t they have 2 walk on QB’s? What about them as back ups if they redshirt Mason? Personally, I think he needs playing time. LeMay will be here next year and we will have a three way battle for the QB spot. Then we will have come controversy come the Spring Game.
FayetteDawg
August 25th, 2010
11:22 am
I don’t think Gray is a viable option to back-up Murray… Not given his transition and the fact that he didn’t look comfortable at all in the games he played last year. That being said, I really don’t see red shirting Mason as an option either. He’s got talent and the right skill set–he needs experience. Skip the red shirt and get the kid some playing time behind Murray. Learned this lesson with Ealey last season: if your current back-up doesn’t work, you burn the redshirt for the “future star.” Jake’s right. The future is now for Richt.
MATHDAWG
August 25th, 2010
11:23 am
If Mason is ready, play him. I don’t believe in red-shirting skill players because if they are good they won’t be here 4 years anyway. Example – Moreno. Big players like the linemen probably need an extra year to mature. When a players comes in early they should have had time enough to learn the plays and will need to play in a a game to really make progress. After all, what are these games against lesser opponents for anyway?
G Time
August 25th, 2010
11:23 am
Hutson Mason could end up starting, if Murray continues to struggle with interceptions or or if Murray gets injured again for the third straight year.
Ok with Gray too, but Gray only needs to be the #2 if Gray’s substantially better right now than Mason.
This year is critical for Richt. Too many red-shirts at QB in the past, there’s a lot of games where Mason could get reps, game 1, and games 4-8, so he could be ready if anything happens to Murray, or if Murray struggles.
Gray will be a difference maker at WR/SE, Georgia’s had a lot of injuries in that unit in the past, so I’d keep Gray with the receivers, although he is a very capable QB, and let Mason be the #2.
Georgia’s in good shape at QB, either way. Gray and Mason are both big time, highly touted QB’s.
larry
August 25th, 2010
11:24 am
play him and don’t look back…lamay is not here yet and hopefully murray has great year to make lamay sign somewhere else. not syaing i don’t want lamay. too many good qb’s is not a bad thing…go dawgs
NC Dawg
August 25th, 2010
11:24 am
Will Mason stay for 4 years? Will he leave after his junior year for the NFL like Stafford? I say play him now. Gray needs to play receiver or special teams.
DawginLex
August 25th, 2010
11:26 am
Play Hutson Mason early and often. No redshirt crapola. He is 1 of 2 scholarship QB’s taking reps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gray is a WR and will stay there.
Tell Lemay now that he will redshirt next year.
2012 QB depth
Murray-Jr
Mason-Jr
Lemay-RSfr
CHDawg
August 25th, 2010
11:28 am
One thing is sure: you couldn’t find a better pair to decide on this than Richt and Bobo. I would say let him play this year because of the lack of depth. It would have been nice to redshirt, but the situation has changed. If Mason ends up being awesome, he goes to the NFL one year earlier than he might have, but we could lose that year of eligibility anyway. If he ends up stinking, he will likely get beat out in a couple of years anyway.
awj
August 25th, 2010
11:30 am
Let him play! It does not matter if they burn a redshirt year or not with this kid. With Murray on one side and LeMay on another he has a long way to go before being the #1 @ UGA. He needs as much practical game experience as he can get NOW….If Murray goes down we need serviceable options….He needs to play as much as possible gainst LLaf.
Scott W.
August 25th, 2010
11:32 am
Hopefully last year has changed CMR attitude on redshirting. It wouldn’t have been a question of whether Hutson would be sitting out if his opinion was the same as last year.
DevildawgNC
August 25th, 2010
11:36 am
The fact that Mason is playing behind Murray in the walkthrough today, and not leading the “first”/third string of the scout team like Murray did last year, gives me hope that they will in fact give him some mop-up duty playing time against ULL. I see no good reason to redshirt the kid unless he’s gonna walk out there and throw nothing but pick-6’s
Hunker Down
August 25th, 2010
11:38 am
If UGA is to establish a lead against ULL you need to first protect your starter and put in someone for mop up duty. That person should be Hutson. If Murray goes down this year you better have someone with some game experience in there. The future is now with Hutson. We are too thin at QB to worry about redshirting and down the road mentality. This season hinges on Murray staying healthy and being productive but we better have a “what if” in place just in case.
CUNK ROGERS
August 25th, 2010
11:38 am
Sounds to me that Mason is ready to be 2nd string by what you guys have been reporting. Its not fair to Gray to be left out there guessing. I think Mason is going to surprise everyone. Murray will need a rest now and again and the DAWGS need their 2nd string man to gain some REAL GAME experience. Let Mason play some Sept 4th.
Sam
August 25th, 2010
11:50 am
Play him this year and then redshirt him (Matson) next year.
glercdawg
August 25th, 2010
11:51 am
azdawg got it right
Sam
August 25th, 2010
11:52 am
My gosh, you people already have Mason leaving early for the NFL!
DCJohn
August 25th, 2010
11:54 am
We need Hutson to play in the opener for two reasons 1) so he gets some real experience if we do need him later and 2) so Aaron will not get hurt if a scrub misses a block. Hutson with a redshirt = a redshirted Joe Cox with a Matt Stafford in front of him.
Which makes me think, how different would have Joe Cox’s career been, if he had played early and filled in for the Shock in Jacksonville instead of Joe T. III?
TallyDawg
August 25th, 2010
12:01 pm
If Murray is, in fact the real deal, we won’t get him for a senior season. Logan sucks as a QB. Keep Mason on the roster.
Cuz
August 25th, 2010
12:06 pm
Better give him some playing time in a safe game. If we don’t, what will we do if Murray stinks up the first half of the USC game, concede the whole season?
PMC
August 25th, 2010
12:07 pm
This is not a tough decision. Play him. They don’t have the luxury right now of redshirting a QB and it’s unlikely that he’s going to win the job over who they have now or in the pipeline. He’s a vital player to have available. Redshirting Mason would hurt him and the team.
PMC
August 25th, 2010
12:08 pm
It’s pointless to redshirt a guy who likely will be a backup for 4 years.
PMC
August 25th, 2010
12:11 pm
It’s fairly obvious that 4 years of practice didn’t prepare Joe Cox for game situations. He still struggled, get it over with as early as possible.
Dawggg
August 25th, 2010
12:15 pm
Play him. He needs to get at least some real game experience in case something happens to Murray and/or Gray.
DawginOH
August 25th, 2010
12:17 pm
Mason seems like he’s been progressing well in camp so I say let him take some snaps in the opener. He should be the 2nd string behind Murray this season and will need some experience. Plus, it’s only fair to Logan Gray to assign him a position and carve it in stone. Seems like he’s been making some pretty good catches at receiver so let him play where he is happy and can best help the team.
dawgfan
August 25th, 2010
12:17 pm
I think Richt is playing with fire the way he’s handling the back up QB situation. If Murray goes down we would be in BIG trouble. Gray isn’t even practicing as a QB anymore. I have no idea why. What an assinine decision. This guy didn’t exacly light the world on fire when he was practicing with the QBs. He would be a solid and serviceable back up if he were practicing at QB. The guy is catching passes in practice and he’s supposed to come in and be an SEC starter if Murray goes down? Laughable. It will be a disaster. And because of this mindboggling decision they are probably going to have to burn the redshirt on Mason. I guess he’s the backup. Who in the hell knows? They apparently haven’t thought about it much. Good grief.
I will defend Richt to the grave but I just don’t get this one. Sorry.
Hogwash
August 25th, 2010
12:19 pm
It’s a no brainer. If Murray goes down,who’s going to replace him. You have to prepare for the worst case. Get him ready to play. We can’t afford to redshirt him. That would be a stupid decision. Gray will never be ready to play or shall I say Bobo will never have him ready to play. Look at the results from last year. A total debacle.
59bulldawg
August 25th, 2010
12:24 pm
Gee coach . . . you might want to sorta get a plan before kick-off. Give him the reps and let him compete. Forget the redshirt. The future is now!
YoungDawg
August 25th, 2010
12:25 pm
Play him so he’s ready if needed
RxDawg
August 25th, 2010
12:30 pm
I don’t think this is a hard decision at all. Mason is going to be our #2 QB, you don’t redshirt him.
With Lemay (hopefully) coming next year, not to mention any other QB recruits in the future, trying to delay Mason’s playing years isn’t really going to make or break us.
dawgfan13
August 25th, 2010
12:32 pm
Georgia will never be able to compete for anything if they keep having qb who have never taken a college game snap. Play the guy!!!! It makes no sense to red shirt him when Lemay is goiing to be your guy in the future.
Just a fan
August 25th, 2010
12:34 pm
I don’t even think this should be a question you ply Hutson Mason because if you red shirt him and next season you have an injury at QB you are in same position get the kid some experience, if he is as impressive as Bobo has been saying all preseason then play him.
DawginLex
August 25th, 2010
12:36 pm
Bobo can only do so much in preparing these kids. They have to play the games on their own.
Cox threw 25 TD’s so it is obvious he had some ability.
His downfall was the 17 interceptions.
If Murray can do 20 TD’s and less than 10 int’s we are in business with the running game we have.
Can You Dig It
August 25th, 2010
12:41 pm
I say Georgia will be “Livin La Vida Loca” after their win in the SEC Championship game this year…..Can You Dig It!
Circus Act
August 25th, 2010
12:41 pm
Richt is paid millions and doesnt know what he is gonna do about the QB situation. I guess this is why he “Hopes” UGA will play better and move up in the polls too. I think the new AD will not put up with this crap much longer. Its time for CMR to grow a pair and produce. If not, its time for some real hard line decisions in the footballl program.
Sweat Socks
August 25th, 2010
12:44 pm
Don’t redshirt him. We need a backup with real game experience.
I will not be the next head coach at Alabama. I am the head coach of the Miami Dolphins
August 25th, 2010
12:46 pm
That’s a toughie. Play Mason some in mop up roles, so he’ll have some experience in 2011, but burn a year of eligibility.
Here’s another option. Play Aaron until the game (wk 1) is well under control. Put in one of the walk-ons and get Aaron out of the game to avoid freak injury. Keep Mason redshirted. Should Murray get hurt later, then decide taking redshirt off of Mason or using the walk-on with a few snaps of experience.
Sweat Socks
August 25th, 2010
12:46 pm
I agree Circus Act.
If he can’t hit 10 wins with this schedule, then McGarity needs to start looking around for a new coach.
That is all.
?????????
August 25th, 2010
12:51 pm
What are these over paid clowns doing in Athens? Mark Richt has allowed this garbage to happen because of him and BOZO didnt give Murray any P T last year. This program is a joke now and everyone know this in the college football world except the blind homers.
Delbert D.
August 25th, 2010
12:59 pm
Let’s be realistic. In a Marietta Daily Journal article over the weekend, Mason said that he was down to 1 offer, Virginia, when Georgia offered. He was intending to enroll at Georgia and walk on. Then came the lights-out play in the 2 playoff games, and he became a Parade All-America. He is fully committed to a career at Georgia.
Mason played for Chip Lindsey (now at Troy) in the Hoover HS spread offense, a strictly shotgun offense, all QB reads, over 90% passing. Now he’s had to try to absorb the Georgia playbook over the summer. It is ludicrous to project at this time that Mason is going to be a 3-year-and-NFL guy. When Lassiter faced Propst, Lindsey’s mentor from Hoover in the playoffs, Lassiter was clobbered and Mason had 5 interceptions. Give the guy a break on expectations. CMR needs to get him reps in the season to preclude a complete disaster if Murray gets injured. Forget all the “will he be a threat to signing Lemay” stuff.
SOUTH GA DAWG
August 25th, 2010
1:01 pm
GIVE HIM EARYLY PLAYING TIME. OUR BACKS ARE AGAINST THE WALL IF MURRAY GOES DOWN. WHY NOT GIVE HIM A QUARTER IN THE HOME OPENER?????
McGarrity
August 25th, 2010
1:03 pm
If Jeremy Foley taught me one thing it is not to accept less than winning championships. Foley fired a womens Basketball coach who had one a NC previously at Purdue, 2 Baseball Coaches and Ronnie the Zooker and even the zooker beat on CMR. CMR is already hearing footsteps!
SickandTired
August 25th, 2010
1:07 pm
McGarity must be looking at this situation after coming from Florida and saying my God what is this guy thinking. Mark Richt acts like he’s coaching a high school team or something. Let’s review his handling of Qb’s. He had in David Greene the winningest QB in NCAA history until Colt McCoy broke the record last year. Yet, he seemed driven to force DJ Shockley into the game every week in the first half. All that did was cost him a Natioanl Championship in 2002 in the Florida game. Shock comes in his senior year after having gotten all this playing time and leads the team to an SEC Championship that they got into because Spurrier beat Florida as Georgia was losing in Sanford Stadium to Auburn. Bullett dodged. Then we have the great wisdom of starting Joe T.III in 2006 before coming to his senses and putting Stafford in the starting role a week after Joe Cox comes in to bail Stafford out against Colorado. One would think that even after starting Stafford that Joe Cox would have gotten to meaningful playing time somewhere along the way after that. But in essence he never saw the field again until Stafford left early and last season was the result of starting a 5th year senior who’d seen virtually no playing time whatsoever unlike Shockley. So which way was he gonna do it? The DJ way or the Cox way? Indecision, not the mark of a great leader. Now it brings us to Murray who was redshirted last year never seeing any playing time and any coach with a brain looking down the road could have seen this September coming but yet he faces starting a guy who’s never taken a snap in the SEC and having a guy who’s a true freshman backing him up or maybe he’ll reach for the guy that used to be a QB but isn’t practicing at the position anymore because he’s catching passes. And Georgia pays him how much to run this football program. Hot Seat? Did you say hot seat? Let Murray strike out as a SEC Qb like Brock Berlin did at Florida or worse get hurt and throw Mason in the fire and the seat will not be hot it’s going to be it’s gonna be the temperature of the surface of the sun. But, Mr. Cool, calm and collected will stand over there on the sidelines like he’s coach Prince Avenue. For crying out loud, this guy have the vision of Stevie Wonder. Get your pop corn ready, the show’s about to start.
TJ
August 25th, 2010
1:09 pm
Did anyone other than me think its funny that it takes a year to Master the Richt/Bobo offense.
McGarrity
August 25th, 2010
1:17 pm
No TJ, as old as I am; I can predict 90% of where the play is headed by the way the players line up. Don’t think for a moment that Linebackers who study film get it right 99% of the time. I got sick to my stomach last year in Jax when Spikes easily stepped up and picked off Logan. Logan got the blame but it was these idiot coaches who designed the offense.
1eyedJack
August 25th, 2010
1:21 pm
Play him. We don’t want to wind up with an inexperienced QB against UF like we did with JoeT.
bigfan
August 25th, 2010
1:25 pm
If Mason looks good in practice play him. Dogs need experience ay QB! Many think that Lemay is the man next year, but it is my understanding that Lemay is not even playing his senior year in high school. In my opinion they should play Mason and redshirt Lemay next season since LeMay will have no game experience at all this fall. However I believe that for recruiting purposes that Richt has probably assured Lemay that he will not redshirt him. It is going to be interesting!
Many question marks in the SEC this year. Nothing in the world compares to SEC FOOTBALL!
JaxDawg
August 25th, 2010
1:26 pm
Absolutely play him. We don’t need to get into the scenario where Murray goes down and we either take the redshirt off Mason or put in Gray who’s been playing reciever the whole season. This decision is an absolute no brainer.
Will
August 25th, 2010
1:26 pm
He must play. I see no other way around it. I just wish we still had Mettingberger.
SSIgator
August 25th, 2010
1:27 pm
“Said Richt, “I guess we really haven’t thought much about it.”
Boy, does that first part of the quote sum up the sad state of affairs in Athens. This is a guy you are paying a ton of money to be the football coach and that is the best he can say? I say keep Richt as your coach forever. With that kind of leadership in place the rest of the SEC does not have to worry about any serious challenge from UGA. What a joke. 1980 – so long ago.
I like Judge Judy
August 25th, 2010
1:28 pm
Richt needs to play Mason next week. Let Murray play midway of the 3 rd qtr. then put in Mason the rest of the way.
McGarrity
August 25th, 2010
1:28 pm
Sadly if Mettenberger had of been the Christian that Murray is, he would of had a fair shot at starting, but Richt clearly had already made up his mind before Mett outplayed Murray at Gday.
here we go again....
August 25th, 2010
1:33 pm
offensive line is dropping like flies, we have no depth at quarterback, we have an untested defense.
hmm…..does this sound like deja vu all over again?
and TJ, you are wrong….it does takes a year to learn to run the bobo offense (run ball once, throw two bombs and punt,) b/c they have to rid the kid of all his common sense.
76-DAWG
August 25th, 2010
1:38 pm
If Cox had played more before last year maybe he would have been ready to be a leader and wouldn’t have nearly set a record for interceptions. One thing that Richt needs to develop is Grandham’s philosophy. ALWAYS PLAY YOUR BEST PEOPLE, EVEN FRESHMEN . These freshmen have been playing football since they were 7 years old. If they are really good , they will leave for pro ball early anyway. Play all freshman that are good as much as possible. A lot of people learn faster by playing or practical experience and not through reading a play book. Practice is not the same as the real game. Mason need to play as much as possible .
hatfieldgeoff
August 25th, 2010
1:39 pm
Richt does not have a choice. He can’t afford to red shirt Mason. In the first game Mason should get about 3 series in the second half. Murray will have a good three plus quarters to get experience, but Mason needs to take a few snaps in front of a big crowd. We can’t afford to go to Columbia and have Murray go down in the first series and then put the kid in. Logan Grey shouldn’t be considered unless Mason fall completely apart on the field. Grey isn’t a game-changer at QB that has been proven, and even if I was going to lose I rather lose with a QB who will get better and benefit from the experience down the line.
McGarrity
August 25th, 2010
1:46 pm
hatfieldgeoff Murray isn’t a game changer yet either. Gray was as highly rated out of high school as Murray and outplayed him at Gday. I don’t get it with Murray.
DawginLex
August 25th, 2010
1:48 pm
For those of you fortunate enough to be married and have children and the children are daughters;
How would you like it if Mettenberger did to YOUR DAUGHTER WHAT HE DID TO THAT GIRL DOWN IN VALDOSTA?
Still be clamoring for him to play QB this year?
all of you idiots who are spouting off about “i can understand the playbook”. i guarantee you would be crapping all over yourself if you had to get under center, call an audible, read a defense, adjust to a blitz etc.
Ya’ll are a bunch of jokes.
DawginLex
August 25th, 2010
1:54 pm
SSIgator,
I understand you won’t be attending any UGA games this year since you were quoted on another blog as saying there would be 600 pounds less garbage this year.
We appreciate it.
Delbert D.
August 25th, 2010
1:56 pm
McGarrity – 2007 Rivals Dual-Threat QB rankings:
#9 Josh Nesbitt 4 – stars
#10 Logan Gray 4 – stars
Is that good enough for you?
Lindsey
August 25th, 2010
1:58 pm
Play him!! GO DAWGS!!
Decatur Dawg
August 25th, 2010
2:04 pm
Forget the redshirt. Get Mason in the game for sure. You don’t want him talking his first snap in Columbia if Murray gets knocked out.
Delbert D.
August 25th, 2010
2:04 pm
Murray was #4 QB in the country, I think. Somebody confirm that.
Systemic
August 25th, 2010
2:06 pm
Indecision really seems to be Richt’s milieu.
As SickandTired points out, first there was the QB flavor of the week in 2006, the waffling over which tailback to play last season, and now Coach Richt admits ““I guess we really haven’t thought much about [whether to redshirt the backup]… 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.”
Not the kind of signals I would want from leadership if I were a Georgia fan. This year could get interesting…
Delbert D.
August 25th, 2010
2:08 pm
Enter your comments here
DawginLex
August 25th, 2010
2:13 pm
systemic,
Ever thought he wants to be able to see the kid play as much as possible before deciding to redshirt him?
Which would you rather him do? Immediately say he is going to redshirt him after a couple of scrimmages or wait until he has seen him play more?
folks on these blogs amaze me at the level of stupidity.
Holy Cow
August 25th, 2010
2:18 pm
why not play him – ya never know he could step up and be better than murray. I’m a Richt supporter but I think some of these guys get too confident with the depth chart. It should always be a compeition for playing time at least until a QB has been a starter for 2 years. Murray should have to prove himself every play of every game. I’m not looking for pressure like Spurrier puts on his QB’s, but a little more than what Richt serves out would do some good IMO.
Systemic
August 25th, 2010
2:19 pm
DawginLex,
The man didn’t say “we want to be able to see the kid play as much as possible before we make our decisions.” No, instead he said: ” ““I guess we really haven’t thought much about it.”
To me, that smacks of either not being fully engaged (which I doubt; I’m sure Coach Richt takes the job seriously), or being a little preoccupied/overwhelmed with other challenges. That’s just my take, but thanks for your rude jab; I’ve come to expect nothing less from the Dog fans.
Just a fan
August 25th, 2010
2:20 pm
DawginLex I understand CMR should want to get as good look at him before deciding to play him but this year I think playing time/experience should trump everything else we have a great 1st opponent to get some real game experience against in ULL why waste that opportunity and then see Murray go down in the 3rd or 4th game of the season. So IMHO we should play him all of the second half or at least 20 minutes of it.
Ol Balls Coach
August 25th, 2010
2:20 pm
Mason will start before the season is over.
Holy Cow
August 25th, 2010
2:20 pm
redshirting Mason would be a mistake – a big one. Enough of the redshirts on these guys. If Mason can cut it his first year then give him shot. Richt plays favorites too much.
Villa Rica DAWG
August 25th, 2010
2:21 pm
Leaving Murray in the entire game would be a great learning experience for Murray. While it may seem silly to some when the 2nd and 3rd strings are rotating out onto the field, I DO NOT want Murray’s first time seeing 4 consequtive quarters of CFB to be against Spurrier’s team the following week…
Reality Check
August 25th, 2010
2:27 pm
It does not matter if UGA plays Mason or not. He was a 2 star pickup that UGA was desparate to sign just to fill a practice void. If AM is decent UGA will go 7-5 maybe 8-4. If he gets hurt and you have to play Mason, the Dawgs will be lucky to go 4-8. Idaho State and Louiana La. would be the only sure wins for UGA. Everyone else is laughing about the UGA program going down the drain. In 2 years, UF, Aub, Tenn, GT and SC win own you Doggies every year.
DawginLex
August 25th, 2010
2:30 pm
The reality of the situation then is closer to the way I described it?
Yes.
Yet Coach Richt is indecisive.
Whatever.
Russ the Wonder Dawg
August 25th, 2010
2:31 pm
Better play the kid, cause I seriously doubt he’ll see the field much with Murray these couple of years…and LeMay coming in next year. Might as well give him some game time reps just in case of an injury to the other two.
DawginLex
August 25th, 2010
2:31 pm
Reality check,
We appreciate your never ending obsession with all things UGA.
When Aaron Murray does well this year, will you have the balls to show back up and print your spew?
bird in the hand
August 25th, 2010
2:35 pm
I can’t believe this is even a discussion. Redshirting this kid would be the dumbest move imaginable.
Systemic
August 25th, 2010
2:47 pm
The fact that the man lacks an articulable plan for how to handle the situation amounts to indecision. Not to mention the other examples highlighted above. But you’re right: whatever…it’s you folks’ problem not mine.
DawgNation
August 25th, 2010
2:49 pm
Since Mason is getting as much time with the first team I would suspect this issue is a mute question. I don’t think CMR is even considering a red shirt as his options a very limited. Logan Grey has not the reps at QB and he doesn’t seem to be in the consideration except for a trick play or two.
Nashville4UGA
August 25th, 2010
2:49 pm
let him play this year. He is one play away from having to play anyway.
Scott W.
August 25th, 2010
2:51 pm
Even if CMR knows he isn’t redshirting Mason I would rather it be out in the media that it is an unknown.
gomdawg
August 25th, 2010
2:55 pm
EASY ANSWER !!!! IF HE EARNS IT, GIVE IT TO HIM. SIMPLE
Mobile Dawg
August 25th, 2010
2:59 pm
Uh, well, wait a minute, let me see, we really haven’t thought about it. I wonder what Mr. MaGarity is thinking about right now. GATA….
If this is really Richts answer to that question we’re in more trouble than I wondered if we would be in this year. If we had real CEO style leadership seems we would always plan to have an experienced quarterback to step into the system. Just a thought….
ugaclassof2004
August 25th, 2010
3:03 pm
Honestly,
I’ve watched both Mason and LeMay on Youtube, and if it seems to me that Mason is better. LeMay is shown throwing a lot of underneath routes and screens and his mechanics aren’t great. Seems like Mason has a better touch on the ball and his featured in an offense that really chunks the ball down field.
I know its high school ball so its hard to say, but Mason looks more polished to me.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
August 25th, 2010
3:03 pm
Murray- Red-Shirt Freshman
Mason- True Freshman
Lemay- True Freshman (next year)
I think if Mason see’s any field time it will be this season. Ya gotta play him
gomdawg
August 25th, 2010
3:07 pm
LEMAY IS NOT HERE (HORSE BEFORE CART ) MASON EARNS IT IT HIS TO LOSE.
PhilDawg
August 25th, 2010
3:11 pm
Reality speaks louder than the “depth” chart. Hutson plays 1.5 quarters against La Laff. Dawgs win 31 – 14. Everyone freaks out going into Columbia – why didn’t we score more? Murray needs reps! Hutson looked slow!, the Evil Genius is laughing. Would you rather have Garcia and Shaw or Murray and Hutson? What about poor old Florida starting that untested freshman Brantley? Brantley was No. 1 and Murray No. 3 coming out of high school. If you have it, you have it. Murray and Hutson will be good enough for the Dawgs to have a great season. My fear is totally different: which group of linemen and linebackers can stop the run in this 3 – 4. If “Bean” Anderson is ready to start, what did we have over there anyway? Guys too small and too tall to play nose, too slow to play end, too small and too slow to play inside linebacker. The offense will be No. 3 or 4 in the SEC – second in rushing offense, can the defense get above No. 8? That’s how you get from good to great, not worrying over a back up quarterback. I’d rather have Hutson than Gray, especially since Gray shows some potential to stretch the field as a receiver. Or is it that our corners can’t play the press, even in practice?
CO-STARRING LEE VAN CLEEF AS THE BAD
August 25th, 2010
3:15 pm
I believe that UGA can wait untill the third or fourth week of the season to decide the red shirt question. Let’s see how the kid does and how Murray holds up before moving on the red shirt thing. If Murray gets half way through the year and Mason hasn’t been needed, maybe, otherwise, play Mason.
G Day performance
August 25th, 2010
3:18 pm
Someone mentioned Gray and Mettenberger outplayed Murray at G Day. There are too many variables involved in a glorified scrimmage that G Day is for the public to anoint one QB better than another. The coaches have a MUCH larger body of work from practices to go on, and I imagine none of the posters on here rating the UGA quarterbacks have seen practice sessions.
I saw the Georgia High School All Star game in the summer of 1980. Playing for the South was one Herschel Walker. His stats were nothing to write home about. You would never have guessed from that one game what he would do a few weeks later in Athens.
Intrasquad games are for the fans and alumni, and I put very little value in them. Think back over the years to some G Day stars that had mediocre careers.
3DawgKnight
August 25th, 2010
3:27 pm
Burn it – may be the only time he ever plays!
Vick=Dog killing thug
August 25th, 2010
3:33 pm
Bothers me that CMR hasn’t thought about it yet ?????
Just a fan
August 25th, 2010
3:35 pm
this game and Idaho St
Dogit
August 25th, 2010
3:38 pm
The days of “red-shirting” is over….now it’s red panties!!!!
Just a fan
August 25th, 2010
3:39 pm
its all just rhetoric for the talking heads
Natureboy809
August 25th, 2010
3:39 pm
I’m not worried about our QB situation in 2014 right now. Play him and get him ready ASAP
Ted Striker
August 25th, 2010
3:43 pm
Murray needs to be on the field at into the 3rd quarter because he hasn’t played live ball. Then bring in Gray for at least 2 series to see if he’s even viable as a backup (since he hasn’t practiced at the position), then acclimate Mason. This is one year where you wish you had 2 easy games to start, rather than one cupcake.
LHardingDawg
August 25th, 2010
3:48 pm
I don’t blame Coach Ricth for not letting the entire world know what’s going on in Athens. It’s his team, win or lose, and when he decides to do something with his quarterbacks, he’ll let the AJC know. I’m sure they didn’t just decide today, “we need to figure out who the 2nd. team quarterback is. Get real guys.
charles
August 25th, 2010
3:51 pm
This shouldn’t even be a question. Of cource, Mason should play and be ready if Murray goes down.
JB
August 25th, 2010
3:52 pm
Most SEC teams have the same problem….Not just Richt……
Gangster of love
August 25th, 2010
3:53 pm
Just wanted to remind yall that even though he’s committed as a DB, the legendary Nick Marshall may be an option as a QB next year if something happens with Lemay.
JB
August 25th, 2010
3:53 pm
Aaron likes to break pocket and run…….WE will playing Mason by mid season I’m afraid.
papadawg
August 25th, 2010
3:54 pm
Dumb question, who is our backup
JB
August 25th, 2010
3:54 pm
Good point Gangster, and he’s a stud.
MountainDawg
August 25th, 2010
3:56 pm
Mason is very talented & needs reps, so no redshirt. Plus, Gray is quite an athlete & needs to be leveraged at WR (w/ plenty of reps).
Birrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd Man
August 25th, 2010
4:11 pm
No red shirt. Put him in mop-ups (if any) to gain experience.
Neil sain
August 25th, 2010
4:11 pm
Give the kid a shot, hell, if something happens to Murry (God Forbid)he might end up being the second coming if he comes in and blows evreyone away, is poised and doesn’t turn the durn ball over. Its not like we don’t have the tools around him to succeed.
Reality Check
August 25th, 2010
4:11 pm
I secretly LOVE the dawgs, i just come on here because i need something to excite me while i put my other hand in my pants
Dogit
August 25th, 2010
4:13 pm
Reality Check, can you come pull down MY red panties and give me a spanking? i was out of line for that comment before.
SSIgator
August 25th, 2010
4:15 pm
I know that no matter how indecisive Coach Richt seems, he will still beat us in October. Woe is me.
wsewell525
August 25th, 2010
4:16 pm
this is where we tell mark, we told you so. Should have went a head and started murray last year to let him get experience.
DawginLex
August 25th, 2010
4:20 pm
MURRAY WAS HURT LAST YEAR AND NOT READY TO PLAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PMC
August 25th, 2010
4:26 pm
Let’s not be so hard on Richt/Bobo in this blog. Writers write this stuff because the coaches have to be political about it. They know EXACTLY what they are going to do with the QB situation… they just aren’t saying it publically.
RJM Dawg
August 25th, 2010
4:27 pm
Definitely play him in mop up duty so he can get some experience…
jasont13
August 25th, 2010
4:41 pm
I see a lot of posts from unemployed football coaches in here. First off, why would Richt worry about this before the season starts. They have until the 7th game to decide wether to redshirt a player or not. So you want him to go ahead and say yep were going to redshirt him or wait until there is a chance to use him. If I was a coach I would never show my cards (as what Richt is doing) to the media. You all forgot one thing there wouldn’t be any issues with the QB depth if Mettenberger wasn’t an idiot one night.
jasont13
August 25th, 2010
4:43 pm
SSI Gator, I have a question. What is Florida’s back up plan if Brantley gets hurt? From the looks of the roster its freshman and walk ons at QB as well.
Carnac
August 25th, 2010
4:47 pm
With Murray’s history of injuries in HS and then last year, only a fool wouldn’t have Mason ready. Of course there were those who said after the 2008 season that only a fool would not hire Willie.
Carnac
August 25th, 2010
4:48 pm
Freshmen Jason, not walkons
Mobile Dawg
August 25th, 2010
4:52 pm
Jason, why let yourself get in a position where you have two, or three freshman QB’s on the roster? You know these days a good QB isn’t going to stay around 4 years. Use them while you’ve got them. It’s the most important position on the team….
jake
August 25th, 2010
4:53 pm
i love uga too death however i do not see the program improving . hopefully the defense will be dominating . if the season is anything like last year there needs to be a change …
McGarrity
August 25th, 2010
4:55 pm
Jake, that’s why they hired me; there change coming to Athens and it’s name is accountability.
doug dawg
August 25th, 2010
4:55 pm
this is no tough decision at all. play mason early and often. forget thinking about lemay – he may be here or not, and he may be all he’s purported to be or not. it is a no brainer. get that young man on the field.
Not so fast
August 25th, 2010
4:56 pm
I think Michigan was planning on rotating their QB’s against Appalachian State a couple of years back but they ran out of time…
doug dawg
August 25th, 2010
4:58 pm
we dawg fans always look at crystal balls and see the future. it never works. the future is now. the ‘balls’ we need aren’t crystal. let’s not leave them sitting on the bench.
McGarrity
August 25th, 2010
5:00 pm
Good doug; I don’t understand the love fest after home losses to Kentucky and Vandy in recent years. I guess being a nice guy means more than I thought.
Gratefuldawghead
August 25th, 2010
5:00 pm
He needs game day experience..play him! GO DAWGS
Blackberry Cobbler
August 25th, 2010
5:02 pm
What a freakin’ mess in Athens!
Here we 2 weeks before the 1st game and CMR “really hasn’t thought about it” when it comes to the backup QB. Unfreakin’ believable.
If Logan Gray was going to be your #2, then he already needs to be practicing like the #2, not wasting time at reciever.
All I can say is Murray better be real damned good and better not get injured because CMR and Booboo have made a real mess of the QB situation.
doug dawg
August 25th, 2010
5:14 pm
with all respect to ‘cobbler,’ i don’t think there is a ‘mess’ in athens at all. i don’t believe the coaching staff is ‘out to lunch,’ on these issues, and i think there is some good reasoning going on. but, again, the mason business is not, as they say, ‘rocket science’. and even that can’t be too complicated given that our tech bretheren take it for a major. play the guy. let him get some experience, and what comes of that can only be good down the road. what i absolutely hate is to witness some games, like last year, when you KNEW you had talent on the bench that could step in — and it never did. all for the sake of another year of eligibility, but you weren’t convinced of that either. go, hutson. and aaron. and lemay if you materialize.
GADawg4Life
August 25th, 2010
5:28 pm
I am so sick of you so called “Georgia Faithful” bashing CMR on this blog. It’s not like we are re-living the Goff era again. I really don’t think that any of you doing the bashing and being over critical of his decisions as head coach could do any better. If you are sick of being a Dawg, jump your sorry selves on the Gator or Bama bandwagon like everyone else. If not suck it up and be a true fan through thick and thin. The record shows that he is a pretty smart man when it comes to this stuff and have a little faith that he will make the right decision.
Man Enough
August 25th, 2010
5:28 pm
I say play him. From what I’m hearing, Mason has impressed, so give him a chance to get experience when the time is right. Besides, with all the hype of LeMay, if as good as adverised, when he gets here then what have you redshirted for? Just like last year, Murray should have taken his lumps in my opinion and would have game experience now. I just dont see the point in redshirting him. But I’m no coach so what do I know? Just my 2 cents.
Secret Society
August 25th, 2010
5:34 pm
If he’s a Mason – he should be sidelined. They all want to take over the world. It’s a secret society you know?
69dog
August 25th, 2010
5:40 pm
How far has UGA fallen? UGA is deciding whether to play a true freshman who had no D1 offers other than Georgia. What is going on? CMR is an ex Qback coach, an ex offensive coordinator. Where are the QB’s? I thought CMR was an offensive genius! Perhaps he is just offensive.
Delbert D.
August 25th, 2010
5:43 pm
Louisiana-Lafayette 2009 results:
Wins
Kansas St. 17-15
La-Monroe 21-17
Ark. St. 21-18
W. Ky. 30-22
N. Texas 38-34
Southern 42-19
Losses
Nebraska 55-0
LSU 31-3
Troy 48-31
Middle Tenn 34-17
FIU 20-7
Fla. Atl 51-29
QB Chris Masson
Jr, 222-373, 59.5% 2,406 yds 10TD 8INT 118.3 rating
Billy Jack could fight
August 25th, 2010
5:44 pm
I’ve heard LeMay aint coming if Murray has a good year…if DJ Shockley had started 3yrs in college he’s in the NFL right now…LeMay doesn’t want to duplicate DJ’s mistake…
Met & LeMay
August 25th, 2010
5:45 pm
OK let me get this straight, Met gets drunk out of his gourd, paws a girl, and winds up paying a very severe penalty (no qualms here..do the crime, do the time)…yet, LeMay breaks the rules and just walks away! Hope it works out with LeMay, but there sure will be a passel of “I told you so’s” if things don’t work out with “character issues”. Oh yea, I guess the preacher could just schedule a news conference and construct a carefully prepared statement that Christian is a good boy and further more, no drugs, weapons, murder, or anything else was involved. (Where were Met’s parents with this school of thought?)
Maybe he learned his lesson, oh wait, he didn’t face the punishment. He just quit and is now working with a private trainer, a QB coach, and being home schooled. Pretty privileged result for doing something so severe that he was suspended for 30 days and an appeal was turned down. Youthful indiscretion for LeMay and not for Met. I hope that CMR/Bobo are recruiting another QB, because LeMay just might be a train wreck waiting to happen. Let Mason get some playing time, why not let him show what he can do with a dumbed-down offense scheme. I just don’t know why CMR is willing to place his program in the hands of a kid with questionable character. Let him go to Clemson or a school in NC. CMR, if he is indeed on the hot seat, needs to rethink this recruit and not be the Father Flanagan of the SEC. Heck why not get Met to come back after a year in exile.
Bill King is a..............
August 25th, 2010
5:47 pm
If history at UGA has taught us anything after the Greene/Shockley years is that Richt and Booboo tend to screw up the QB situation. They did it last year by not getting Logan more pt or taking the shirt off Murray or Zack so they could get some experience for this year. They will screwup this decision too. Play Hutson now and redshirt LeMay next season.
Bull
August 25th, 2010
6:00 pm
Is Mason going to be a guy that has a fragile confidence or should they put him in a ‘baptism by fire’ in the ULL game?
extrapoint
August 25th, 2010
6:08 pm
The new AD from Florida has known quarterback excellents. Coach Richt
used a weak wing and a pray with Cox last year. This year a redshirt freshman with no experience and the possibility of a true freshman as backup. Throw in Gray and you question the AJC article on Coach Richt knows how to coach quarterbacks which he may, but the question becomes when.
What? NFL?
August 25th, 2010
6:14 pm
Several people have questioned either Murray or Mason going to the NFL after there Junior year. Murray is 6′ 1″ (MAYBE), and Mason was not a very highly touted prospect. I think the NFL is a slim possibility for either of them, and worrying about it now is putting the horse way before the wagon. A redshirt is only worth using on a Quaterback if they know he will be the quarter back of the future. If Lemay is as good as advertised, you get nothing out of redshirting Mason. Play him. If Murray gets hurt you at least have someone who has game experience. Redshirting him only gives him an extra year to ride the pine. Even if Lemay doesn’t meet expectations, your have three more to find the heir apparent.
DAWG LOVER
August 25th, 2010
6:18 pm
AS A WHITE MALE ….I’M ASHAME AT SOME OF THE POST….SO MANY PEOPLE WANT TO MAKE IT A RACE ISSUE….WITH LEMAY AND MASON….PEOPLE IT’S 2010…STOP WITH ALLTHIS NON SENSE……..THESE ARE 17 & 18 YEAR OLD KIDS….
59bulldawg
August 25th, 2010
6:32 pm
I think some of you folks are writing off Mason much too quickly. Yeah I know Murray was rated higher coming out of high school but how many times do ratings turn out to be wrong? I mean no disrespect to Murray here because I hope they both excel. Just that ratings can’t measure heart and from what I’ve read both Murray and Mason have it in spades. And while I’m putting in my nickel’s worth I think Joe Cox was a heck of a quarterback. He just wasn’t developed properly by the coaches while here. Hence the uneven play and all the interceptions last season. You can’t give one quarterback 95% of the playing time and expect his backup(s)to get the job done when called upon in a moment of need. But all you Joe Cox haters need only to view the Arkansas game to see the potential he held for us if he had been properly brought along by Richt and Bobo. For the love of Russ, though, don’t redshirt Mason.
HobnailDawg
August 25th, 2010
6:40 pm
We don’t have the depth at that position to be redshirting. Play him!!!
1eyedJack
August 25th, 2010
6:47 pm
GADawg4Life…Amen.
Delbert, sounds as if La. Lafayette needs some work on their defense.
Met & LeMay, there’s a big difference between molestation and mutual consent.
What? NFL?…Agreed.
YF
August 25th, 2010
6:47 pm
“Rankings prove Georgia has lost benefit of doubt”
And I am proud to say that it was 45-42 that started it all.
(((((((((((((((((((( hahahahahaha ))))))))))))))))))))
Glad it still smarts!
MyView
August 25th, 2010
6:54 pm
If things go bad for Murray either by lackluster play or injury, the back up may as well be Mason. Gray should be an emergency qb if you put him at receiver full time. No way he could play receiver everyday and perform in a game as the starting qb and have any real success. There is no way the coaches have not at least considered that scenerio. I don’t buy that. Maybe no final decision, but they have surely discussed it.
wag
August 25th, 2010
7:04 pm
relax guys. trust me richt has thought about it. I say let Mason mop up. We shouldnt recruit players to red shirt, we should recruit them and play’em if they are ready.
wag
August 25th, 2010
7:06 pm
YF, you are making a fool out of yourself. Come on dude, one out of infinity. Give it a break.
ol balls coach
August 25th, 2010
7:07 pm
Don’t be fooled by CMR’s comments (I am sure he would chuckle at the reactive comments on this blog), the redshirt discussion started as soon as the Mett issue surfaced. And Mason will play early, and eventually will make a start.
icedawg
August 25th, 2010
7:16 pm
I would play him and play him as often as I could. Would not like to rely upon just one person who could get taken out in an instant.
Paul Has A Small Johnson
August 25th, 2010
7:18 pm
Play them both
You wont know until you put them both in the game
Practice is crap you wont know how they will really perform until you put them in a game
AkitaDawg
August 25th, 2010
7:21 pm
Enter your comments here
AkitaDawg
August 25th, 2010
7:26 pm
What an asinine blog! Mason has been getting reps at Number 2 all summer. Gray wants to be a WR and is practicing with all intentions to fulfill his personal desires. We have no other real choices boys and girls, unless we run a gimmick Wild-Dawg with someone like Brandon Smith.
mcdawghna
August 25th, 2010
7:29 pm
Once again, Reality check must be drunk!…..Come on dude, don’t let your anti UGA feelings get in the way of reality……..worry more about how your high school offence will get thru your own schedule……I see 7-5 or 8-4 at best for you…By the way, that 2 star athlete broke all the state pasing records in the highest classification in the state……Now Bill, this isn’t even a question that should even be asked. If AM gets hurt, we are still one sprained ankle on a wide reciever away from having to face an SEC schedule with no QB……He will be fine…..He’s a smart kid and although we may lose a year of him in his prime, there will be another QB in the waiting……Gotta play him
adawgfan
August 25th, 2010
7:33 pm
The question is why would you redshirt a QB when your starter is a RSFreshman himself? What can you gain? If the starter is everything he’s expected to be then why save a perpetual backup (see Joe T III / Joe Cox) a fourth year of eligibility when you’ve got 3 or 4 years to recruit the next big thing? If he’s good enough to back up the UGA Bulldogs he can do mop-up to save injury against our future star. If our star struggles early he could take over and be the star we were looking for all along. Who knows, after all, they are both freshmen? At this point our seniors deserve to get the best available and our juniors / sophmores deserve their future to be experienced. I’m tired of the guessing. I say if they’re even close to ready play em no matter the position, there’s nothing like experience to make someone better at anything. Do any of you think D.J. would’ve been as good if he hadn’t had the experience he got? And he was playing behind the winningest NCAA QB in history, at the time! Richt has lost his nerve if he doesn’t play Mason every game and it might be time for a change.
Gordon
August 25th, 2010
7:39 pm
I say live for today, and plan to play that young man in the first game. The future is now.
AltamahaDawg
August 25th, 2010
7:44 pm
Of course another logical conclusion is that the man simple gave a brush off answer rather than divulge any real information that has career changing implications before all the factors are in play.
OR…..his staff has not discussed this at all and just because some reporter ask the question, Richt was compelled to give away all he knew about it? That’s real believable.
Hutson Mason should not be redshirted - at least, not yet | TeenDawg
August 25th, 2010
7:46 pm
[...] This post is in response to an article published by Bill King of the Junkyard Blawg at the AJC. (Richt faces decision on Hutson Mason: Play him or redshirt him?) [...]
Delbert D.
August 25th, 2010
7:53 pm
They’re going to stick with Murray, “lackluster” or not, and they *have* to give Mason some playing time. He can’t replace Murray and his “lackluster” play after a few games without it. It is not that hard to figure out. You want to see “lackluster,” check out the Vanderbilt QB duo. Their combined Passer Rating is 90.1 with 6 TDs and 10 INT.
59bulldawg is right, Joe Cox was pretty good at times. He forced some plays in tough situations with a patchwork OL.
chazzo
August 25th, 2010
7:54 pm
Play him! Get more than one guy with some game experience in the pipe. You can’t really whine about the first year QB experience of the last four seasons and then turn around and argue to keep a guy out. Who knows what the future holds. Go ahead and let him get a taste.
UGA VIII
August 25th, 2010
8:08 pm
Seems to me that redshirting QBs is what put us in this predicament. Why red-shirt a 3 star QB for what might be 5 years from now? It’s not like he’s Matt Stafford. Does anybody really think there is a significant chance that Mason will be the starting QB in 2015??
On Richt’s “gee whiz” attitude, nobody really believes they haven’t discussed and planned for every possible scenario to the nth degree. That crap is called “coach speak”.
Tide Roll
August 25th, 2010
8:15 pm
Hey Uga Fans: Playing a true fresman as a QB in the SEC sounds like a really good idea. Hats off to Richt and Bobo. Here might have been a better idea. Sign Cam Newton after he led his JUCO team to the national title ann was ranked by rivals as the No. 1 Juco player in America. The Kid’s from Westlake (same school as Sean Jones) and is 6-6/240. After he led you to two SEC titles, then play Murray who would at that time be a seasoned redshirt Jr.( kind of like John Brantley.) But nooo, let’s let him go to Auburn and instead start a 5′10″/180lb. redshirt fr. and back him up with a true freshman from Lassiter High. Why do ya’ll put up with it? those kids at Georgia ain’y gonna play hard for that pretty boy anyway. I mean Murray, but it could have just as easily been Richt. Thank God Bobo ain’t got no hair or else he’d be tinting his blond too.
GR82BAG8R
August 25th, 2010
8:20 pm
With Richt’s recruiting ability he should not redshirt Mason. He should find out soon whether the kid can play SEC football. This year is an anomaly with the lack of depth at the QB position.
I am surprised at his statement he had not thought about it. The minute he decided Met was gone, he should have had a meeting with the coaches and laid out a strategy on how he intended to prioritize the talent depth at QB.
PowerDawg
August 25th, 2010
8:27 pm
Play him. The back-up quarterback needs game reps. It helped Shockley that he had them. It hurt Cox that he didn’t. There is absolutely no guarantee that Gray will even be able to play next week and if he does, it needs to be a receiver. We’re challenged with numbers there as well.
LHardingDawg
August 25th, 2010
8:57 pm
Georgia is not Auburn and we have way to much class for a Newton type player.
jack bull
August 25th, 2010
9:09 pm
from what i’m hearing, he won’t redshirt. and more than that, i’m going to make a bold prediction, i say he starts a few games this season…with Lemay coming in next year, there’s no reason to redshirt him..we’ll have 3 very young, very talented QB’s on this team for the next 4 to 5 years..Plus, not to get to far ahead of ourselves, but we’re gonna need some experience there because we’ll lose 4/5 of our line(not counting AJ and Durham at WR) after this year. simply can’t go into next year that inexperienced on Offense..and before i get blasted for looking that far ahead, you kinda have to in college, or else you get stuck like Tenn has….
GO DAWGS!!!
pulaski dawg
August 25th, 2010
9:10 pm
Play mason. Need the reps.
Cindy Hendrix
August 25th, 2010
9:11 pm
from what I have read & I watched his high school video. He seems to be a very good player in the waiting let him play some last yr I was worried because our other QB”S had no playing time under their belts better for him to play some get some playing time under his belt & some experience in case he is needed he will be somewhat prepared if he is needed to play. He appears to have a strong & accurate arm & can really throw the ball I’m very intrested in seeing him play & what he can do! Remember Eric Zeier finished HS early he played in his first yr & look how good he turned out to be maybe Eric would talk to & mentor him the other qb’s to help out Bobo on a volutneer basis he was such a good qb I’m sure he could be a extra hand help to Bobo & the qb’s what can it hurt? HM has also been studing the playbook & learning it from what I’ve read coaches are impressed with what they see. I say that is a good thing he does mind working hard & hopefully all that hard work will pay off for him &UGA!! AS ALWAYS GO DAWGS SIC EM WOOF WOOF GATA!!
SCDawg
August 25th, 2010
9:12 pm
Redshirt him like Murray so he gets another year to learn the offense. Just play Murray he needs it or put in Gray at the end with the wilddawg.
bob
August 25th, 2010
9:30 pm
Play him. You need an experienced backup, and you have that kid from Carolina coming in next year as well.
Coastal Dog
August 25th, 2010
9:56 pm
Haven’t we learned by now? Never redshirt a good player. He either works his way into the lineup or he doesn’t. UGA can always get another player in any given year at any given position. Let the young me work it out on the field. It isn’t rocket science.
Tide Roll
August 25th, 2010
10:01 pm
To LHARDINGDOG: WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE! YOUR SCHOOL’S ATHLETIC DIRECTOR IS RIDING AROUND DRUNK WITH A WOMAN NOT HIS WIFE WITH HER RED PANTIES BETWEEN HIS LEGS AND YA”LL HAVE TOO MUCH CLASS FOR AUBURN ! THE WHOLE BUNCH OF YOU ARE CERTIFIABLE.
ca dawg
August 25th, 2010
10:07 pm
the kid is going to play this year and richt damn well knows it. it is inconceivable that anyone would take him literally when he says he hasn’t thought much about it. he’s just being coy and trying to keep a little pressure off an 18 year old kid who is in some pretty tall cotton right now.
chazzo
August 25th, 2010
10:08 pm
Reality Check my arse.
ca dawg
August 25th, 2010
10:16 pm
tide roll! i missed your repetitive nonsense. yeah, we should have signed cam newton. probably brantley, too. why didn’t we go ahead and sign phillip sims as well? i can’t believe that we didn’t get jeff driskel and cody kessler as well as christian lemay for 2011. man, i don’t know why we put up with coaches like mark richt who can’t sign every single good player in the whole country.
and what lhardingdog was saying is that UGA (for all the disciplinary problems we have already) would not take a player who has a past like newton’s. if we had gone after him, you would probably be on here saying that richt runs a thug program, etc….
when newton does something good in an SEC game, give me a call. until then, please stop talking about him.
Delbert D.
August 25th, 2010
10:24 pm
It has been nearly 12 hours since Bill King posted this, and “Richt (still) faces the decision on Hutson Mason, play him or redshirt.”
jack
August 25th, 2010
10:33 pm
play him – he isn’t the long term solution anyway.
DAWG4LIFE
August 25th, 2010
10:38 pm
We play him. Really no decision here as we need a backup moving forward that has some playing time. We really have no need to redshirt him anyway with Lemay coming next year. This time next year we will have 3 exceptional QB’s!
PowerDawg
August 25th, 2010
10:42 pm
All of a sudden Auburn thinks they are bada$$es. Because of the laptop bandit? Until he has proven he can even play in this league, save it. AM will have to prove himself this year, why is Cam Newton any different? High school numbers means absolutely nothing other than a gauge for the dreaded “P” word. Murray will have the benefit of a RS year he used to learn and a hell of a supporting cast. Auburn can’t say that. They need to stop tooting that unproven horn and worry about us hanging five in a row on them. Remember what happened the last time we came to Jordan-Hare with a frosh QB?
Pitbull
August 25th, 2010
10:49 pm
I think Bobo and Richt should ask Saban and Meyer. They will tell him what to do. daaaaaa Also, how could the AJC ask such a stupid question. Do you think Murray will play every down all year long. Gesus man!
BIGGBUZZ
August 26th, 2010
12:05 am
IT DOESN’T MATTER YOU’RE STILL A BUNCH OF LOOOOOOSERS!!!!!!
NATL CHAMPIONSHIP 1980~!!! WHO CARES!!!
Natureboy809
August 26th, 2010
1:06 am
Bill King is a…………..
If the Greene/Shockley years are “screwing up the QB situation” with 2 SEC titles, I wish they “screw up” some more.
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