Aaron Murray stays, which puts Georgia back in the hunt
"Coach, maybe we'll get us one of those nice crystal trophies next year." (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
Fort Lauderdale -- The cream of football journalism had gathered for a media party at our hotel overlooking the ocean — the Atlantic, I believe it is — when esteemed former colleague Mark Schlabach, lately of ESPN, rushed over and said, “Aaron Murray’s staying.” And we managed to tear ourselves away from our paella to ponder where this puts the Georgia Bulldogs headed in the 2013 season. (Never mind that the 2012 campaign has one game to go.)
Pretty darn high, we decided. (I know exactly where Mr. Schlabach has the Bulldogs in his not-yet-published Top 25 for 2013, but I’ll let him do those honors.) I’d say Georgia has again become the favorite to win the SEC East, and I’d say — this is just me — this again puts the Bulldogs at/near the top five.
Figure Alabama will be preseason No. 1. Figure Notre Dame will be up there, too, and Texas A&M. (I sat in on a press conference for award winners later this afternoon, and someone asked the Heisman holder Johnny Manziel if he thought the Aggies would be ranked No. 1 in August. He smiled and said, “I feel like we’ve got a lot of tools coming back.”) And Oregon, now assuming Chip Kelly stays, will be good again, and Stanford and Ohio State and Louisville and Clemson, too. Plus the three best teams in the SEC East, which makes a Top 11, does it not?
But I’d told Noah Coslov of CineSport earlier Sunday that I thought the East would be a three-way tussle involving Georgia, South Carolina and Florida, and that the Gamecocks would hold the edge if Murray left for the NFL. But apparently he’s staying, and he’s a very good college quarterback, and you’d have to think Georgia is again the East’s top dog, pun somewhat intended.
I know, I know. The Bulldogs have to replace nearly their entire defense, and that won’t be easy. But all those banner recruiting classes have created depth, and the offense should be among the very best in the land. The schedule is tough early — Georgia opens at Clemson and must play South Carolina and LSU in September — but if the Bulldogs are going to stay relevant they’re going to have to prove they can handle a more taxing regimen.
I’m not going to go so far as to say Georgia punched its ticket to the 2014 BCS title game one night before the 2013 edition is played. (Crazy as I am, I’m not that crazy.) Still, Murray’s announcement should put the Bulldogs back in the ol’ hunt. They were five yards and five points short of being here. Maybe they’ll find those five yards and five points next time.
(For the record, this marks the second time I’ve ducked away from a BCS media party to react to breaking news. The first was in January 2007, and we were in Scottsdale, Ariz., when word circulated that the Falcons had hired Bobby Petrino. I rushed back to the room and proclaimed it a splendid move. I slightly missed that one.)
By Mark Bradley
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222 comments Add your comment
the senator
January 7th, 2013
11:55 am
I know Drew Brees. Aaron Murray is no Drew Brees.
Reality
January 7th, 2013
11:55 am
OLD DOG, as to the information, they have the internet on computers now.
wxwax
January 7th, 2013
11:59 am
I think the draft advisory board got it vey, very wrong.
Murray would have gone in the first round. He might even have been a top 10 pick. Too many NFL teams desperately need a thrower and this is an awful crop. Murray would clearly have been one of the best had he come out.
He obviously needs to grow. But the way he came on at the end of last season would have turned a lot of heads in the NFL.
Still, this is the best decision for him. It gives him one more year to work on his decision-making and composure. It’s great for Georgia.
DIT
January 7th, 2013
12:00 pm
UGA should be somewhere between 13th and 16th, in my opinion, due to the mass exodus on our defense. Most of the players next season are good, but not much experienced. They can be 20th and if they start the season 4-0 (big if) Dawgs will rapidly rise in the polls.
Then again polls don’t mean crap until week #8 so I really don’t care when the season begins.
Reality
January 7th, 2013
12:04 pm
The polls matter from week 1. If Team 1 and 2 go undefeated, you can be left out even with a stellar schedule. It’s happened before.
That said, you’re probably right 13-16th is about right.
I think pollsters will see UGA vs Clemson/USC/LSU to start off the season and hedge their bets downwards on our ranking. Murray won’t make them rank us higher, he just doesn’t have that IT factor. I think USC showed they’re far better than us but they didn’t survive a tough stretch either. Not that we were evidently that tough.
David
January 7th, 2013
12:12 pm
Georgia wins all there games, including SEC Championship this time, and they should play for BCS Championship if that happens then Aaron Murray made a great decision. IT ALWAYS USC (Southern California team not South Carolina) which one time was number one guess where they finesh, so I holding on until it happens next December!!! It not where you start, where you finest that courts!
Reality
January 7th, 2013
12:14 pm
all you need to know is if you wanted to win the SEC and a BCS NCG… you wouldn’t have bothered to talk to the NFL. If that was your goal.
He talked to the NFL and decided “hey, [evidently] one more year [because i have no choice], so let’s win that championship [because CMR told me to say that to save face].”
adam
January 7th, 2013
12:22 pm
Murray should have left. Let the other QB’s have a chance. Defense will be young next year. I see us with 4 loses.
kerryb
January 7th, 2013
12:41 pm
Here’s the Reality. I remember after the 2004 season everyone was lamenting the fact that UGA was losing David Greene, Fred Gibson, Reggie Brown, David Pollack, Odel Thurman, and Thomas Davis. What did UGA do the next year. Win the SEC Championship. Georgia has a lot of talent still on defense waiting in the wings. The difference is this group will be hungry because they are not already considered 1st round draft picks. This group will also not get suspended the first 4 games.
Cal22
January 7th, 2013
12:47 pm
This is great news for SEC teams on Georgia’s schedule. As long as Murray is around and you’re team is in the top ten, it’s an automatic W.
SecFan
January 7th, 2013
1:19 pm
The analysis that Georgia has enough defensive depth to make up for losing basically the entire defense contradicts fans blaming lack of defensive depth for losing the SECCG. But I’m sure the AJC is right and the dawg fans are wrong.
DOGGIE IN NC
January 7th, 2013
1:45 pm
For all you Murray haters – none of you can say Murray did not improve his play in big games this year (excluding USCe, when he had zero time to throw). If he would take a “chill pill” before big games, he would be unstoppable. We ARE talking about the highest rated q-back in college football haters – you can’t dispute that fact. Every team out there play some tough games, and some cupcakes. If he puts up 38+ per game in 2013, we will be right back in the big dance (SEC Championship). Win that, and you are better than 50/50 to win the Natty.
The Tigers will be the toughest of the three games (1st, new defense) to start the season. Doggies will be bent for revenge against USC (see Vandy game this year). LSU has a crummy quarterback (Mettenchoker). And Gators offense still sucks! GO DOGGIES!
Hysteria about UGA
January 7th, 2013
2:02 pm
Notice all the rants about the Dawgs now that they hear Murray is back. Sounds like a lot of rival fans are getting extremely nervous over what the Dogs are building over in Athens.
dawgfacedboy
January 7th, 2013
3:12 pm
Well, at least the offense SHOULD keep us in games. I’m not sure what to make of the D. With that much future NFL talent they should’ve been a lot better. “they played for themselves and not the team” well then that is on the coaches. Losing 10 starters and 12 regulars on one side of the ball is not usually good for any team. I think we have some quality young players on the D but are they ready to come in and help a top 5 or 6 team win? I guess we’ll see in about 9 months.
Tony Inglis
January 7th, 2013
3:13 pm
Are you sure you want to get on Nick Saban’s list for assuming his team will beat the Leprechauns tonight? He has rules about such things, you know?
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
January 7th, 2013
3:14 pm
LOL…Murray’s record vs top teams don’t scare top teams. Now Furman better lookout.
dawgfacedboy
January 7th, 2013
3:16 pm
SECfan- defensive depth (which they have) had nothing to do with UGA losing the SECCG.
My 2 Cents
January 7th, 2013
5:12 pm
I kind of agree with everyone saying Murray is too short to be in the NFL and the NFL probably told him thanks but no thanks unless you can show us some Drew Brees like material.
But to say he’s like Rex Grossman is really not fair to Rex Grossman. Rex was a very good QB in college. Won a lot of games and almost won the Heisman. Murray put up all these yards this year and wasn’t even a thought for the Heisman. A freshman won it for the first time.
I think everyone outside of Georgia sees Georgia as a team to prepare for, and if you’re ranked, a team you’ll probably beat. If you’re not ranked, you’ll probably lose. I think Murray has a lot to do with that. He puts up a lot of points and yards against unranked teams and does poorly against ranked teams.
I don’t think this was good for Georgia long term. I think he’s coming back to prep for the NFL but in a year it’ll mean UGA is prepping a new QB when they could’ve done that in 2013 while the defense rebuilds. UGA is not going to compete for the East in 2013 or the SEC or a NC, so it’d be a good year to start a new QB especially with good receivers.
I can agree with the people who say its selfish. I didn’t at first but I kind of understand it now when you think about it for UGA’s long term future. This will bite in 2014 and my bet, in 2014’s draft Mr. Murray will be no better off. Still might not be drafted.
AltamahaDawg
January 7th, 2013
6:33 pm
What about 2017, how does this affect us then?
Tom Dial
January 7th, 2013
9:49 pm
Have to say I have mixed emotions. Aaron is superb, and he’s served UGA extremely well. UGA has served him pretty well, too. But I thought it was his time to make a million or two, along with his PhD in psychology. He’d be ideal as the backup for Christian Ponder in Minnesota. And I wanted Hutson Mason to get his shot. I see him as being another D.J., and that was pretty awesome for the Bulldogs.
Having said all that, Aaron Murry and the other fabulous returners just may give us the greatest offense we’ve ever had. Holy macherel, that could be fabulous.
Now, if Todd Grantham can get away from that ridiculous 3-4 defense, maybe we can stop the run and win 14 games instead of 12.
Go ‘Dawgs!!!
AltamahaDawg
January 8th, 2013
8:25 am
What have you seen that makes you think that Mason would be anything like Shockley? Mason is a LOT closer to Joe Cox than he is DJ Shockley. And I say that in all due respect for Joe Cox. I still believe Cox to have been a really good QB. The guy had a touch on the long ball as good as any we have had, including Murray. His mistake were always short crossing patterns that he saw late and never should have throw. Decision making, not physical talent was his issue. Typically in an attempt to single handedly carry the team. A one year starter that have very little help around him. If he had Gurshall behind him, he’d have been WAY better off. And not giving up 30 on the other side of the ball would have helped him out too.
But he was no Shockley. Nor is Mason. That’s not a put down, its simply Apples and Oranges. There is a reason that Shockey got a lot of playing time despite being a backup, and others not so much.
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[...] to South Carolina and LSU. The Bulldogs’ defense will be radically reconstituted, but with Aaron Murray’s decision to stay in school the offense should be even [...]