Live from G-Day: Who’s the QB? How’s the 3-4? Et cetera

A view from above during the dramatic alumni game. (Extremely panoramic photo by M. Bradley)

Athens — Murray, Gray or Mettenberger? The 3-4 as cure-all? And for Mark Richt on a sunny (but not all that warm) spring day, the key question: Sunglasses, hat or both?

We’re here at G-Day, where the masses — as of 12:30 p.m. — have yet to gather. There’s an alumni game ongoing before a gathering of family and friends, and the glorified scrimmage between undergrads is scheduled to commence at 2.

Of interest: Whether Aaron Murray, Logan Gray or Zach Mettenberger will stamp himself as the heir to Joe Cox as No. 1 quarterback, though it must be noted that Murray looked the best of anybody at G-Day 2009 and then didn’t play a real down. Also: Whether the newfangled 3-4 defense implemented by new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham will look at all coordinated.

I mention the last part not because I’ve leery of Grantham — I think he’ll do fine — but because I well recall the Georgia Tech spring game of 2008, when Paul Johnson’s spread option looked utterly dysfunctional. (There was a fumble on the first snap, you might remember, and many thereafter.) But that offense yielded a victory over Georgia in Year 1 and an ACC title in Year 2.

So I guess what I’m saying is: You can’t tell much from spring games on the best of days, and on some days you can’t tell anything at all. But they’re fun, kind of, to watch. And I’ll be here all day, watching and reporting, and I welcome your comments, questions and advice for Todd Grantham. Please join me. And I thank you in advance.

Oh, and if you’re a stickler for details: The Red leads the Black 13-12 after one half in the alum game. And Bill Stanfill, interviewed during intermission, just asked a key question of his own: “Where’s the beer?”