UGA’s Murray: ‘We could have pulled out a couple more wins’
A Murray moment: Tavarres King snags a touchdown. (AP photo)
A note: This ran in today’s print AJC. I present it to you, our digital patrons, in the interest of full disclosure.
Tampa — Aaron Murray tried to put on a happy face, but it was a struggle. Georgia’s quarterback returned home for the Outback Bowl and will leave not as a conquering hero but as one of the causes of his team’s demise.
“I think the whole Dog Nation is very excited about this team,” Murray said afterward. “I know we’re very excited.”
The blare of a turnaround season was muted by the doings here Monday. Georgia led 16-0 but lost 33-30 in three overtimes, and the crazy game turned in the third quarter on two Murray interceptions. The first led to Michigan State’s first touchdown. The second became the Spartans’ second touchdown, and it marked the fourth time this season a Murray interception had been returned for a score.
On the first interception, Murray scrambled right and spotted Tavarres King open over the middle. He expected King to backtrack. Instead King turned and went deeper. Murray’s pass was intercepted by a diving Darqueze Dennard.
“There was a little miscommunication in the scramble drill,” Murray said.
The second interception, also taken by Dennard, was a product of a quick Murray read and a tipped throw to his left. “It got nicked,” Murray said, “and got a little off-course.”
Dennard’s 38-yard return cut Georgia’s lead to two points. Asked if he felt he’d let the grasping Spartans back in the game, Murray said: “I don’t think so. We were still up 16-14. We still kept playing. Our guys have shown all year they’re not going to fold.”
Michigan State took a 20-19 lead with 8:22 to play, whereupon Murray led Georgia’s best drive of a halting day. He threw four passes, completing three, for 83 yards and ultimately a go-back-ahead touchdown to redeployed defender Brandon Boykin. Then Murray found Malcolm Mitchell for a two-point conversion. Georgia led 27-20 with 6:44 to play.
But it wouldn’t hold. The Bulldogs couldn’t run out the clock, choosing to run up the middle to force the Spartans to use their timeouts, and were undone when Michigan State tied it with 14 seconds remaining in regulation. In overtime, three Georgia possessions lost a total of four yards. Murray threw four passes in the OTs, all incomplete.
Murray’s final numbers: Twenty completions in 32 attempts, 288 yards passing, two touchdowns, two interceptions, one lost fumble, four sacks. Not the worst day ever, but not good enough.
Asked about Murray, coach Mark Richt said: “Aaron’s future is very bright. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the country in my mind and he’ll be one of the better quarterbacks who’ll be returning. He’s a guy we’ve got an awful lot of faith in. He’s human; he’s going to make mistakes.”
Speaking of 2012, Murray said: “As a team, we’re definitely excited about the future. But we definitely could have pulled out a couple of more wins.”
Someone wondered if this loss, coming as it did 4.6 miles from Plant High, Murray’s alma mater, hurt worse than the others. “It’s the same,” Murray said. “A loss is a loss.”
By Mark Bradley
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990 comments Add your comment
Lowcountry Bulldawg
January 3rd, 2012
4:21 pm
Bobo-
Dont date yourself with that reference my friend! You are right I think thats why so many are enamored with Mason.
Rex
January 3rd, 2012
4:22 pm
Rex, Grantham did better, but I still cannot shake images of Steve Superior lighting him up like the Lennox Christmas tree…again.
Feeling a little better about him, but still waiting for the other shoe to drop.
DawgFan1987
January 3rd, 2012
4:22 pm
by the way…is Orson Charles still enrolled at UGA? What a Houdini he pulled this year! My goodness!
IlliniDawg
January 3rd, 2012
4:23 pm
I’m not arguing that Murray is a finished product – far from it. But do we forget that he is only in his second year playing? How many sophomores have almost 3200 yds passing and 35 TDs?
And how do you bench a guy with now 6300 yds and 59 TDs in just his first two years? I don’t see any BCS coach replacing a guy with these accomplishments. More coaching, yes. Higher expectations, absolutely. But benching him in favor of either of two unknowns? Only someone who has been living off a bong for the past year (Isaiah Crowell?) would even consider this.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
January 3rd, 2012
4:23 pm
When you cant win with Stafford
Replacing Murray is not going to fix anything
This staff couldnt win with……
Bart Star
Tom Bradey
John Elway
Payton Manning
Johnny Unitas
and the list goes on
Beast from the East Eaten by Dawg
January 3rd, 2012
4:23 pm
Tough loss, but in my opinion this falls on Richt’s shoulders. That was the absolute worst decision I have seen in bigtime college football in years. Wasted 2 downs to try a 40+ yard field goal with a kicker that has struggled like heck all season?
C’mon man!
Lowcountry Bulldawg
January 3rd, 2012
4:24 pm
The way that post reads is that you can at least take away some positives from those loses. In that aspect does that not in and of itself make it a “good lose”?
Jimmy Sweet
January 3rd, 2012
4:24 pm
tune in tomorrow nite to watch a real team play you harry dawgs. Clemsons got all the pieces and we got a real coach.
Dont be jelous.
Geez..
January 3rd, 2012
4:25 pm
I’ll give CTG kudo’s for the job he did this year. Very much improved over last year. I agree with depth being the issue (that and the 3 and outs from the offense). If only the offense will make as big of a stride next year as the defense did this year then……… OH, that’s right, Bobo will still be around. Not gonna happen!
Georgia Tee
January 3rd, 2012
4:25 pm
One loss and CMR is back on the “Hot Seat” Dosen’t take the faithful Dawg Nation long to start the “Fire CMR” cry again. Dawg fans, the only quality teams Ga. played this year beat them. Their road to the SEC Championship game was paved by the weakest of teams…time for you guys to take a reality check.
IlliniDawg
January 3rd, 2012
4:27 pm
@Beast: completely agree.
We were driving home from out west and I was listening on the radio and I told my wife “Richt will play conservative and trust our kicker who has missed almost over half of his long FGs – and he will miss it.” She replied “oh, have some faith, the guy will make it.” Yeah, well, I was right. CRAP!
The Commissioner
January 3rd, 2012
4:28 pm
What you saw yesterday was the clear definition as to why stars like Matt Stafford, Knowshon Moreno, AJ Green, and so many more in history declare early. None of these guys believed in the coaching staff. None of these guys believed this coaching staff was competent enough to take them to the next level – any better than they were already at…so they left early. Don’t you think in today’s money hungry days that if they truly believed they would be better staying their senior years, they would have stayed so the NFL could give them a better paycheck? Perception is reality in this case. If you’re recruited by UGA, do everything you can to succeed your first few years, because there’s nothing added to your senior year. It’s like the 2004 rerun of presidential debates, where John Kerry says – “what you’ll get is more of the same”. Hail to Grantham for saving Richt’s job. But who would have thought that would come back to bite him? If you’re a Mark Richt fan, great? If you’re not, great? Just know that after making a hefty $2-$3 Million per year, he doesn’t care what you think. He believes that a.) he’s better than you; b.) he’s holier than you; c.) he’ll continue receiving his over-rated paycheck if you continue letting him; and d.) he’s all set to go to a better after-life than the rest of us. Do you really think he genuinely cares what we think? It’s a business. How does one sell? They make business personal. The head coach at Georgia has snowed everyone with the nice guy act; and now everyone’s paying for it…because at the end of the day, you care; he doesn’t; because football is not his priority.
DawgFan1987
January 3rd, 2012
4:29 pm
@ Jimmy Sweet…..blow up your computer. You Jerk. Clemson lost 3 straight and now they’re the cream of the crop? exciting to watch (i’ll give you that) but very inconsistent.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
January 3rd, 2012
4:30 pm
According to Altamaha Dawg its all about the Moral Victories
it doesnt matter if UGA embarrasses itself once again on national TV
Beast from the East Eaten by Dawg
January 3rd, 2012
4:30 pm
IlliniDawg,
I felt bad for Walsh. Why wouldn’t they spend 2nd a 3rd down trying to move the ball closer? Too much pressure to intentionally put on a kicker that has been struggling. Just did not make a lick of sense to me.
IlliniDawg
January 3rd, 2012
4:30 pm
IMHO, the season was a product of having an excellent defense and a very good passing offense, but inconsistent special teams and a weak running game. Getting Keith Marshall may help, and Walsh may be addition by subtraction, but losing Boykin and Butler will hurt bad.
Geez..
January 3rd, 2012
4:30 pm
@The Commissioner
Yes you are so correct because ONLY players from UGA leave early to go to the NFL….. WHAT??????
AltamahaDawg
January 3rd, 2012
4:31 pm
What I was taking away was more just, realities, from a season that had losses. I really don;t know what a good loss is……..I guess as opposed to a bad loss, which is certainly a thing.
IlliniDawg
January 3rd, 2012
4:31 pm
@Beast – again I completely agree!
Lowcountry Bulldawg
January 3rd, 2012
4:32 pm
I am not going to get it personale with Altamaha, Flat you have the issue with him and along with myself. The beauty is no one has to agree but unless you are 4.29, Thomas Brown or whatever his new name is I will not be a arse to you. He has it coming to him.
DawgFan1987
January 3rd, 2012
4:33 pm
@ Beast….don’t feel bad for walsh. He completely screwed up the entire season and really hurt his nfl draft stock……he’ll figure it out tho
Geez..
January 3rd, 2012
4:34 pm
Is T. King a JR or SR?
Jimmy Sweet
January 3rd, 2012
4:35 pm
I wish so bad we played you. Youd’ have no answer for Sammy Watkins or Tajh Boyd, the best go-too combo in the nation.
Murray's right
January 3rd, 2012
4:35 pm
A few simple adjustments and it’s NC’s from now until the second coming.
A new OC and scheme, a head coach with a sack and some fire, replace an nfl caliber TE, a defense that can play against elite level offenses, not just tomato cans, a tailback that can exit the tunnel without hurting himself, a qb that can see over the line of scrimmage and can identify what his own teams uniforms look like when passing, a kicker that can get his average up to 50%+ on fg’s, an overall sense of urgency, desire and pride from the whole team.
Let me think, did I forget anything? Oh yes, Herschel Walker to be 19 again.
Make these few “adjustments” and all will be well.
Bobo is Not the Problem
January 3rd, 2012
4:35 pm
Lack of execution IS the problem. You can run a 20-play playbook if you can execute them well. However, lack of execution is not the players’ fault. It’s the coaches’ fault.
Drill perfect execution into them in practice and they will perform.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
AltamahaDawg
January 3rd, 2012
4:36 pm
Flat I am not going to be your crying towel today, try as you may. We all think we understand your position, you like Richt but never wanted him fired, and you do not like Coach Bobo as an OC. I don’t think saying it the 174th time is going to make any better impression. Nor change anything.
I never said a word about moral victories,(in fact specifically refuted that, as if that mattered to you) and I am FAR from embarrased as a Dawg fan today.
Geez..
January 3rd, 2012
4:36 pm
“a tailback that can exit the tunnel without hurting himself,”
That was hysterical!
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
January 3rd, 2012
4:37 pm
AltamahaDawg
Since you dont spend your money on season tickets do you plan on being at the Mark Richt contract extension signing?
I here they need a couple more waiters to pour the kool-aid for those in attendance
I was told they pay the waiters season tickets, you should volunteer that way you could watch a game instead of listening to the radio and you might stop making excuses
The Commissioner
January 3rd, 2012
4:37 pm
@ Geez
You’re interpreting incorrectly. Most players leave early because they are good and they leave when their stock is high. Staying the extra year with no opportunity to increase your stock to the NFL is a wasted year; possibly giving you the risk of lower stock. Do we need to start calling out the # of players that did it the opposite way? Nowhere in my post did I say anything about ONLY UGA players. What I did “infer” is that when you are ranked preseason # 1, and you can’t even put down your first few wins big enough to stay #1 – coupled by an embarrassment to Alabama in between the hedges, and you have players like Moreno, Green, Massaquoi, Stafford, Chris Durham, etc. etc., why should they stay all 4 years if they know they’re not going to get anything out of their senior year? If you’d like, I can certainly post names from other institutions – ones that have stayed and suffered the cost of such; and ones that have left and have succeeded much more than what their senior year have provided.
In sum, don’t put words in my mouth that are clearly your own inferences.
ugakev
January 3rd, 2012
4:37 pm
“He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the country in my mind ”
That says it all about coach Richt
GT
January 3rd, 2012
4:38 pm
If you didn’t have LSU and Alabama to compare this team to I would believe all I hear about Georgia. How could you not drink the koolaid living in this area and hearing nothing but hype. Those two teams, LSU and Alabama, beat people bad, the best score against LSU was not Georgia by far, it was Oregon which is difinitely a top 5 team. I am truly more worried about seeing Tech lose to Georgia than anything in this equation. It means Tech is further away from being a good team than I first beleived because Georgia is not an elite team nor do I understand where next year looks any better except on somebody’s miscalulated projections.
CMR
January 3rd, 2012
4:38 pm
Wonderful beaches down there in Tampa Bay….great for sunbathing.
Geez..
January 3rd, 2012
4:39 pm
@Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
Get a clue dude.They are telling you in a nice way to back off. Your like a pesky little nat that won’t go away and think he has to make a point. We heard you, Your not telling us anything new that we have not heard before.
ugakev
January 3rd, 2012
4:40 pm
Actually it means there will never be a competition for starting QB next season.
SSIgator
January 3rd, 2012
4:40 pm
“we definitely could have pulled out a couple of more wins”
Should read:
Booboo should have pulled out earlier. Then Richt would not feel that he has to keep him around just because he has a pack of kids to raise.
DawgFan1987
January 3rd, 2012
4:41 pm
@ Jimmy
with that pourous defense….bring them on. Sammy is a treat to watch. but come on…they couldn’t even dominate the ACC. Sorry…Clemson isn’t scaring anyone
AltamahaDawg
January 3rd, 2012
4:41 pm
I agree with (Not the problem) completely and have been saying that all year. execution IS the problem, And that is on the preparation,, not the call. The better team do NOT have wide open playbooks, they do what they do, and do it very well. You can get anybody you want to call the game and it doesnt matter, but they have to fix the exact same thing that Bobo has to fix. Not sure he is the entire problem with preparation, and might not be the whole solution. But it falls on him, and that’s his job.
Geez..
January 3rd, 2012
4:41 pm
Look what just slithered into the conversation. Outta here!
AltamahaDawg
January 3rd, 2012
4:42 pm
Well of cource its not personal Lowcountry, I didnt even consider that.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
January 3rd, 2012
4:44 pm
Execution is th eproblem and I am in favor of it! Richt….Bobo….execute a firing of them!
DawgFan1987
January 3rd, 2012
4:47 pm
Richt is good for grooming men for society….but not coaching in the SEC! I was absolutely disgusted during the 4th quarter challenge by MSU, to see Richt on the field “chuming” it up with #99 on MSU’s defense….why weren’t you on the sideline coaching up your team? Saban nor Spurrier would’ve done that!
SSIgator
January 3rd, 2012
4:47 pm
Lowcountry Bulldawg -
That is what the first Tampa Bay Bucs coach said when asked, “How did you feel today about the execution of your players?” His response, “I am in favor of it?’
Brent
January 3rd, 2012
4:48 pm
Murray has no clue. He chokes in big games.
3 turnovers against Mich St, 3 against LSU, 3 against South Carolina.
That’s 3 wins without his poor selfish decision making.
AltamahaDawg
January 3rd, 2012
4:48 pm
I can pretty much guarantee I have been to as many game in my life as you Flat Tire. And as far as it being a money issue, I am pretty sure I am in the black if you want to compare. I said I stopped “ordering tickets”. Some of us actually do not look at contributions and support strickly through the eyes of a pure consumer.
Tee
January 3rd, 2012
4:49 pm
The Georgia coaching staff made a huge contribution to this tough loss by opting for a series of ultra conservative “play-not-to-lose” play calls. For example, not allowing Murry to try for first downs late in regulation turned the ball over to a hot offense that scored a touchdown in nothing flat. Also, not using downs to try to advance the ball closer forced a “deer-in-the-headlights kicker to try to win the game with a longer kick than need be. There were numerous other examples.
Johnny
January 3rd, 2012
4:49 pm
An Inconvenient Truth
US News Ranking
GT: 36
UGA: 62
Endowment Size
GT: $1.5 BILLION
UGA: $600 million
Avg. Starting Salary
GT: $59,000
UGA: $44,000
Football
GT: 4 National Titles (1990)
UGA: 2 National Titles (1980)
Basketball
GT: 2 Final Fours, Chris Bosh, Derrick Favors, Thaddeus Young, Jarrett Jack
UGA: 1 Final Four.
Baseball
GT: Mark Teixeira, Nomar Garciaparra, Kevin Brown, Matt Weiters
UGA: Gordon Beckham.
Golf
GT: Matt Kuchar, Stewart Cink, David Duval, Bryce Molder
UGA: Bubba Watson.
GT is a GLOBAL brand. UGA is a regional brand.
It appears obvious that UGA is the “flagship” in name only.
DawgFan1987
January 3rd, 2012
4:50 pm
@ Brent
He’s a sophomore. Plus it goes back to coaching him up. Don’t throw the kid under the bus. Stafford had to develop and I’m certain Murray will do so too. He was still the best QB in the SEC
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
January 3rd, 2012
4:51 pm
Enjoying all the northern callers on the Finebaum show making fun of the choke coaching performance by Richt yesterday
Joey
January 3rd, 2012
4:52 pm
AD, the better teams aren’t nervous about calling any play, fake FGs, fake punts, etc, when games are tight, and they HAVE to get a 1st down. I’ve seen Saban and Miles call those more than once this season.
Richt? Still waiting. He’s in too big of a hurry to get the FG kicker in the game.
DawgFan1987
January 3rd, 2012
4:53 pm
@ Johnny
How was that Sun Bowl game? Inconvenient truth…..GT are a bunch of second rate engineers that have name recognition outside of GA. So shove it!!!! Go DAWGS!!!!