Quarterbacks: Dogs need a solid (and injury-free) season from Aaron Murray
(Fifth in a summertime series looking at Georgia’s football team by position.)
TODAY: QUARTERBACKS
- Returning starter: Nope.
- Depth chart: Redshirt freshman Aaron Murray is No. 1, would-be wide receiver Logan Gray No. 2 and true freshman Hutson Mason No. 3.
- Attrition: Joe Cox (24 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions as last season’s starter) graduated, and redshirt freshman Zach Mettenberger was dismissed from the team.
- Key fact: The three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster have thrown a total of 12 collegiate passes (all by Gray, a junior).
- Key fact II: Murray was rated the No. 3 quarterback prospect in the nation coming out of high school and was named MVP of the prestigious Elite 11 quarterbacks camp.
- Key questions: How smoothly will Murray make the transition to No. 1 QB? Will he be able to heed his coach’s don’t-try-to-be-a-hero refrain and protect the football as Georgia tries to dramatically reduce last season’s turnovers (28)? And after being sidelined from throwing in practice for four weeks last season because of triceps and forearm tendinitis, will he be able to stay healthy? (As for the latter, Murray has said he’s more focused on “shoulder maintenance” this year to keep the arm strong and fresh.)
- Recent developments: It was no surprise that Murray emerged from a three-way competition in spring practice as the No. 1 quarterback, but his grip on the job was unexpectedly tightened by two post-spring developments. First, Mettenberger was kicked off the team shortly before pleading guilty to misdemeanor sexual battery. Next, Gray considered transferring before electing to remain with the Dogs and divide his time between quarterback and wide receiver. (It remains unclear, even to the coaches, exactly how that QB/WR juggling act is going to play out.)
- Outlook: Murray is a smart, hard-working and very talented player for whom Georgia won a recruiting battle against Florida and many other schools. He passed for 4,013 yards and 51 touchdowns as a junior at Tampa’s Plant High School and returned early from a broken fibula and dislocated ankle to guide the team to a state championship as a senior. So his credentials are strong. The only thing is, he’ll be a (redshirt) freshman starting at quarterback in the SEC, no easy task. The key to his season –- and perhaps Georgia’s — is whether he can minimize mistakes while growing into the job. With returning starters at all other positions on offense, Georgia needs Murray to be solid, not necessarily spectacular.
- Your turn: What say you about the quarterbacks?
———-
Links to previous entries in this series:
Monday: Defensive line.
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361 comments Add your comment
BG
June 18th, 2010
10:12 am
There will be several teams breaking in a new QBs in the SEC this year.
ATL XMAN
June 18th, 2010
10:13 am
Gatorbait..logan will be a jr and kows the offense better than mason. gray is very good back up to have. mason as a true freshmen in the sec would be a scary thing to see. i fee lagood about logan beting there just in case. richt handled it perfect. believe me, richt has the say so on every move made. grey is good enough and mature enough now to do both as he knows the offense inside and out. murry is the better qb and knows the offense well enough now because of the hard work he has done on the field and film room. he is has more talent than grey which is why he is starting. but again, grey is a more than ready to play qb at uga if called upon.
i really dont see murry getting hurt..like stafford he has no problem throwing it out of bounds so he shouldnt take many hits from the pocket and he is quick.
ATL XMAN
June 18th, 2010
10:18 am
i actually think murrys numbers will be better than brantley’s because fla offense is changing where as the bulldogs offense is still the same. fla offense will need some time adjusting to running a more balanced attack unlike the tebow days where he was either running it or faking the run and passing. brantly doesnt have that type talent to pull that off. when fla run game was shut down they had tebow to turn too. now if that happens they will have a unproven qb runnig an offense thats used to watching tebow do everything. really like murry having a better year than brantly because of this.
Bremen Dawg
June 18th, 2010
10:19 am
I think Murray will be the most prepared redshirt fresh that Richt and Bobo has taught. I think Richt will have him coached up and ready to go. Did anyone see just has fast Murray is? He will be able to do alot with his speed on broken up plays. We haven’t had that since DJ.
Fair and Balanced
June 18th, 2010
10:24 am
If I were an opposing coach, I would expect GA to run, run and then throw if necessary. The pressure is going to be put on Murray to make the first downs. Murray is going to have to step up and Richt is going to have to call the plays! If Richt does not call the plays then Bobo will have to step up and do better than he has in the past. My guess is that Richt is going to overrule a lot and call those crucial 3rd down plays.
ATL XMAN
June 18th, 2010
10:24 am
guys it wasnt bobo’s fault that uga couldnt run the ball in the first half of the season..or the running backs for that matter. it was the offensive line..they were not blocking or opening up holes like they did at the end of the season. now that they have all the big linemen back look for more of a run first attack to set up the play action passing attack. much like the pros do. uga has the talent and now the experience to run the balance offense like richt and bobo want. its going to be a pretty thing to see.
Rocky Topper
June 18th, 2010
10:27 am
It’s nice seeing you DAWG fans as upbeat as you were this time last year—-BEFORE kick-off!
Bruce Mac
June 18th, 2010
10:27 am
So, is Derrick Morgan a Thug now? According to all the Yechsters when the exact thing happens in Athens it is THUGDOM running amuck? And please dont’ even try to say it isn’t the same or whatever. The man had an expired drivers license and that qualifies as criminal behavior according to all of you idiot nerds.
Weston
June 18th, 2010
10:27 am
The fact is, we have 10 starters returning from an offense that really started clicking at the end of last season. All Murray needs to do is not be Joe Cox and the offense will be in good shape (provided everyone stays healthy). That being said, the real question mark will be the defense. The Willie Martinez defenses of the last few years were been awful. As a fan, I was never confident we would stop an opponent’s offense on any given drive, and that was extremely frustrating. Grantham, more than Murray, is the key to this season.
Anonymous
June 18th, 2010
10:30 am
They need more than that.
Bo
June 18th, 2010
10:33 am
Good luck Aaron. We’re counting on ya.
Urban Meyer
June 18th, 2010
10:34 am
Hey, I’m a Gator and would simply like to say, are Dawg fans & sports writers trying to sabotage this kids season? He’s a freshman for goodness sake, give him some space and let him develope. He’s going to make mistakes like all freshman do, the speed in the SEC can only be experienced, you cant’ simulate it in practice. Give the kid some space. Despite the Kool-Aid drinkers on this site e already comparing him to Drew Brees, he’s never taken a college snap. You may want to be mindful Dawg fans, you push this kid to hard and he meltsdown in a game, you may not get the same QB back. These types of articles are only good for the delusional Dawg fan base not a 19 year old freshman QB that’s never taken a college snap. Wonder how many of you wathced him in the G-Day game, Doink!
Pi$$onaDawg
June 18th, 2010
10:34 am
Like last year Murry should not be playing by the 3rd game. Cox shouldn’t have been playing and Mett or Murry should have been in the Game. This Year Hutson should be in the games early and often. Don’t think Mason will sit for 5 years to be a 1 yr starter like Joe SUX.
Zin Fan
June 18th, 2010
10:35 am
Murray was worse than Cox in th 3 Spring scrimmages/games. Threw 54 passes, had 3 int’s, 2 td’s. .67 td to int ratio. 250% WORSE than Joe Cox’s. That’s the main concern is Murray does NOT respect the ball, and by doing so, like Cox, Murray then puts his team at risk, and shortens the field for the opposition, hurts morale, and eliminates trust form his teammates. No one made plays for Murray on the deep ball, hasn’t won his teammates over, and he was not accurate at all on the deep passes. Sure, Murray’s 59% accuracy over the 3 spring scrimmages was ok, but most were 2-5 yard dump passes which ANYONE could do. Murray’s big-time injury prone to boot, injured for last 2 seasons, doesn’t know how to take a collision or how to avoid collisions.
Delbert D.
June 18th, 2010
10:35 am
“Maybe something there as to Mason’s capabilities?” His team got schemed in the playoffs by a coach who knew the Lassiter system, the Hoover HS system. 5 INTs.
ATL XMAN
June 18th, 2010
10:37 am
nothing wrong with bobo play calling..he calls a smart game just like richt does. trys not to put the qb in a bad position and each play he calls is setting up a future play that will catch the defense off gaurd sooner or later. bobo calls a game much like the pros do if you really pay attention. screens and draws are used a ton in the pros. very safe and deadly at the same time when executed the right way. bobo’s numbers speak for themselves. his offense has not been the problem. excecuting them the right way takes practice and lots of it as timing is very important. its up to the players to execute the play correctly and these past few years uga linemen have been young and have not executed correctly thus the messed up timing and lost yardage. this year the dawgs have almost everything coming together. their talent level is almost matched with their expereince.
G-Man
June 18th, 2010
10:38 am
Phil Steele says Dogs gonna average 250 yards passing, and 37 points a game.
Whoever the QB is, just needs to get 200-250 passing a game, 20-25 passing td’s, with less than 6 picks for the season.
I like Huston Mason & Logan Gray better and think they’ll end up the starter by the Florida game, due to Murray’s problems with interceptions & injuries.
Army Chaplain in Iraq
June 18th, 2010
10:39 am
Everyone dreads the unknown. But the way I figure it, at worse Murray will be as effective as Cox, but with a stronger arm. He will have a more healthy and more experienced A.J. Green. Also, I expect T. King, and Dunham to have a breakout years with our other great young recievers and T. Ends, pitching in. Charles may have a moster year also if we throw enough to him. Also Ealy will be unleased from the start of the season this year; I expect a monster season from him. And the D is gonna be great right out of the Dawghouse. I’m not saying that we should be preseason #1 or anything, but hey, what’s is ther not to like about this team. Man I wished I wern’t in Baghdad for this season. Go Dawgs and I’ll see you guys in Feb. 2011.
ATL XMAN
June 18th, 2010
10:44 am
zin fan..you have no clue what your talkng about..sounds like your reaching a bit trying to compare spring stats..those things are usless. check out his high school int ratio, that has more telling signs about respecting the ball than a few spring games where he is going against a defense that knows whats coming. he can throw the deep ball and throw it very well just check out his youtube high lights. he can even throw it on the run which is a plus. that injury prone crap is garbage too. its not like it was twisted ankle..it was a broken foot that tends to happen when you have 5 guys piling up on your leg. he will be fine. in college he wont to be all everything he has talent all around him and he knows this.
Pi$$onaDawg
June 18th, 2010
10:44 am
Army C don’t say UGA and Breakout in the same sentence. We all think you mean An ESCAPE of UGA players from the Athens Clarke County Jail.
Randy
June 18th, 2010
10:45 am
We got 9 guys that average 16-20 yards a catch:
AJ Green
Charles Olson
Aaron White
Figgins
Lynch
Tavarres King
Wooten
Troupe
Durham
You only need to complete 3 passes a quarter, 12 a game, for 200-240 yards passing.
12 passes a game, out of 20 throws, how hard is that?
Pi$$onaDawg
June 18th, 2010
10:46 am
ATL Xman I saw a Monkey having sex with and elephant on UTUBE so it must be real and valuable right?
ATL XMAN
June 18th, 2010
10:47 am
g-man..what issues with ints” no way a true freshman takes the spot over murry and logan is just not talented enough to be the starter on this team but as a back up he is god to have around just incase murry gets his bell rung.
Ted M
June 18th, 2010
10:48 am
has Zach Mettenberger found a school yet?
ATL XMAN
June 18th, 2010
10:56 am
pi$$head. you know nothing about football i guees and how to play for that matter. your a dog hater..murry is way better than both grey and mason, joe cox was better than alomost all the qb in the sec last year so your really showing how stupid you are. garcia for south carolina would be watching joe cox playing if cox was on south carolina’s team. grey knows the offense where mason has no clue yet and the speed is very different here in the sec. as talented as mason is he will not be playing qb this year unless uga other 2 qbs decide to leave the program. that simple.
G-Man
June 18th, 2010
10:57 am
Murray ain’t referred to as “Joe Cox Jr.” for nothing man. He did throw an interception in EVRY SINGLE spring scrimmage, all 3 of em’, and looked PITIFUL on G-Day, completed about 40%, threw an intercetion and got 0 touchdowns. He’s on track to SHATTER Joe Cox’s interception extravaganza from last season, even Cox threw more touchdowns than interceptions, and threw an interception every 20 throws, Murray’s worse. Joe Cox Jr. has his coach worried, Richt’s talking a lot about ball protection and how Murray needs to not be a hero and just manage the game. He has the Dog fans worried with his Cox-esque habits.
ATL XMAN
June 18th, 2010
11:00 am
pi$$ ..now if grey was playing at tech he would have been starting at the qb position and throwing passes to nesbitt but because he wants to play for a winning program he chose to play back up at uga which 9-out of 10 players would do the same
G-Man
June 18th, 2010
11:02 am
Gonna end up Mason at QB. Georgia based kid. L-o-v-e-s UGA. Threw for like 4500 yards, and 55 touchdowns his Senior year, 72% accuracy. He reminds you of Tom Brady when you watch him, massive talent and awesome decision making. Only threw 5 interceptions during the season, but had 55 touchdowns. Can’t keep him off the field.
ATL XMAN
June 18th, 2010
11:05 am
g-man..you about 3 other clueless guys tha has never played football call him joe cox jr..your just plain dumb if your comparing spring game stats and scrimmages on how well a qb will take care of the ball. he didnt play all that bad in the two g-day games he played in. he looked a little amped up which is normal if you have ever played the game. he will learn to harness that in due time. that comes with experience. joe cox was just a victim of having to do everything last year and tried to make some plays.which he did. his ints didnt hurt as much as the defense not making some big plays.
ATL XMAN
June 18th, 2010
11:07 am
g-man..your dreaming if you think mason will start this year. if not metts getting booted he would of red shirted and he would of wanted too. he is no dummie. its always nice get 1 year learning expereince under your belt
17 of 20
June 18th, 2010
11:09 am
From what I here the Arthur Murray dance instructors will have the finial say about the Bulldogs wardrobe this coming year. It could be the black helmets, the silver shirts, and red and black pants.
ATL XMAN
June 18th, 2010
11:09 am
im a dog fan and im not worried about murry protecting the ball. he has had a year to watch and learn what to do and not do. he won’t be perfect but uga doesnt need him to be perfect.
Bulldog59
June 18th, 2010
11:09 am
On the B side of the album, the UGA defense that surrendered a league worst 252 points in SEC games will be much improved, giving more air/play time to the A side of the album, Murray and his veteran cast of supporters.
Give the O the chance to get a lead, and not feel like they have to score a TD on every possession, and they could outdo their SEC Best 232 points of 2009.
Conventional wisdom says Murray, with this team and schedule goes 9-3, but we’re all hoping for more.
jaglaw
June 18th, 2010
11:10 am
Offensive play calling is more of an issue than QB play. Predictable play calling and putting our QB in “bad downs” is the problem…not the QBs ability to make a play
Bulldog59
June 18th, 2010
11:11 am
Typo, UGA lead the SEC with 234 points scored (not 232.)
59bulldawg
June 18th, 2010
11:12 am
You know a lot of folks commenting on here think playing at the college or pro level is as simple as playing a video game. Just push a button and complete a pass or score a touchdown. Well it ain’t! And even the best of athletes will make mistakes. We just need to make fewer of them and overcome the ones we do make. And of course that ain’t so easy either. All I can say is that our line better protect his butt! If they can do that I think we’ll be fine.
G-Man
June 18th, 2010
11:13 am
Hutson Mason, who owns the Georgia pssing records, won’t get a chance to show what he can do? I’m dreaming?
You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.
Bulldog59
June 18th, 2010
11:14 am
jaglaw, good point, and something CMR has addressed in a big way. In 2010, he will resume the routine of attending the O planning meetings during the week. One of Bobo’s flaws is predictability, CMR has heard this, seen this, and is addressing the issue.
Keister
June 18th, 2010
11:17 am
If Alabama’s McElroy can go ALL SEASON and only throw 5 interceptions
If Florida’s Tebow can go ALL SEASON and only throw 5 interceptions
Why can’t Georgia figure this thing out?
It’s not THAT hard.
Take a sack if in doubt like Tebow did 30x. Lot better than throwing 16 interceptions.
DAWGWALKER
June 18th, 2010
11:18 am
dawg haters, don’t hate, show some love, it’ll be all wright,does the babies need their baba’s. Open mouth, stick foot in.I’m going to love it, when we whip on that a$$ and we send you back home whippering and hollering with your toungues hagging out, chasing our qb he’s going to wear you enemies slap out.It’ll be allright,we”ll send you some weeds
DawginLex
June 18th, 2010
11:21 am
Defense and not turning the ball over are the keys to the season. Go back to 2001-2004 defense under BVG and you don’t have to get in shootouts to win. BVG gave up more than 30 points once. Willie did it all the time.
Alan
June 18th, 2010
11:22 am
Here’s what you do.
Throw the ball 20 times a game.
Average a touchdown every 13 tosses. Gets you 20 touchdowns.
Average an interception every 50 tosses. Gets you 5 interceptions.
20 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, Florida and Alabama BOTH get that kind of ratio from their QB’s, can’t be too difficult.
DawginLex
June 18th, 2010
11:23 am
POAD,
When you gonna learn your lesson son?
Go play with your blow up doll date and eat another Varsity chili dog.
DAWGWALKER
June 18th, 2010
11:27 am
Pi$$onadawg,murray was hurt,mett, gray wasn’t ready ,do your homework,your #1 example, open mouth, stick foot in.don’t hate, show love,come on man.
The General Feeling
June 18th, 2010
11:28 am
Keister is right. It sure appears that UGA places much more need, hope, and therefore pressure on the QB role than most programs (maybe with the exception of USCe). Why does the mutt QB need to be a big-armed flame throwing playmaking Heisman candidate? Why can’t he play the role of confident field general and be asked to simply not make mistakes?
Mistakes on offense has killed UGA for years…..
RxDawg
June 18th, 2010
11:31 am
“Mistakes on offense has killed UGA for years”
Richt should make the players write this in detention over and over and over again Bart Simpson style.
chazzo
June 18th, 2010
11:33 am
I’m a little tired of hearing about it’s Murray’s job just not to lose. What a negative attitude. That kid is a stud. Has anyone watched the film? Did anyone not hear how the coaches couldn’t get him out of the offices talking about the playbook? Did anyone ever consider that last year’s injury was due to over-working? I think it’s this kid’s job to lead this team and be a kickarse QB. I think it’s this kid’s job to beat anyone and everyone and be a surprise Heisman candidate. How can anyone talk about 10 wins not being enough and then tell a kid “just don’t lose”? WIN you smubeetches. WIN. and win BIG!
Doug
June 18th, 2010
11:37 am
Let me break it all down for ya’ll.
Check it.
TE’s/WR’s- Get 2 TD’s a game
RB’s- Get 3 TD’s a game
FGK- Kick 1 field goal a game
That’s bout 38 points a game.
Papadawg
June 18th, 2010
11:38 am
You have to think the DAWGS have a better QB starting this year than we had last year
dawgfan
June 18th, 2010
11:39 am
QB is the most overrated position in college football. How many teams have won it all with only adequate QB play? I can think of many. How many teams have had some stud QB that threw for a gazillion yards and completed 90% of his passes and never won a damn thing? Again, there are many. QB is but one piece of the puzzle. College football games are won in the trenches. The team that can push around the other team up front will win 90-95% of the time. It is simply astonishing how the media cannot grasp this concept. This is the chief reason why their prognostications are so unreliable. They put undue emphasis on things like QB and other skill players, while often ignoring things like defense and the offensive line. Sure, they may pay lip service to those things time to time, but they really do not appreciate their importance. There is some clown over at SI who admitted in one of his articles that he doesn’t know much about how an offensive line works. Are you freaking kidding me? This guy is getting paid real actual money to share his opinions on college football and knows absolutely nothing about one of the most important aspects of the game? Simply laughable.
Oh well. All this preseason garbage is good for one thing: toilet paper.
Thanks.