The education of Georgia’s starting quarterback continues
ATHENS – Georgia coach Mark Richt commented after Wednesday’s scrimmage in Sanford Stadium that Aaron Murray “could have made a better decision” on a couple of occasions.
One such occasion sprung to mind for Murray: “a screen where I should have just thrown it out of bounds and instead I tried to scramble and got sacked.”
The education of Georgia’s starting quarterback continues.
“He’s still learning. He’s still a freshman,” Richt said. “It wasn’t really bad, but there were a couple of times where he could have made a better decision. I’m just thankful we got into those situations and it happened today. Hopefully, the point will be driven home a little bit better because it was more of a real situation. Hopefully, he’ll learn from it.”
Richt went to some lengths to make the closed-to-the-media scrimmage as real as possible –- a pregame coin toss, SEC officials, etc. –- and Murray admitted he “had a little jitters” beforehand.
“Whenever you go into Sanford Stadium,” he said, “your jitters are going to be running a little more than when you’re just out on the practice field.”
Even if, as he noted, there are “93,000 less [people in the stands] than there’s going to be in a week and a half.”
Murray felt he shook off the jitters and made progress as he and team inched closer to the Sept. 4 season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette.
“The main thing is . . . I’m feeling more comfortable,” Murray said. “I feel like I definitely took a little step forward today.
“I feel like I’m making my reads better. I know where I’m going with the ball. … I feel like my knowledge is getting better. I just got to make the throws and the right plays.”
He completed 9 of 17 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown (to A.J. Green) in one half of action against basically Georgia’s scout team. He threw no interceptions.
Georgia’s offense continued to work without two starting linemen, center Ben Jones (knee) and left guard Cordy Glenn (mono). Both are expected back next week.
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Richt said the scrimmage produced no “earth-shattering” developments that will alter the depth chart. It did reveal where the assistant coaches will be stationed on game days.
Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and defensive line coach Rodney Garner will be at field level, while inside linebackers coach Warren Belin and secondary coach Scott Lakatos will be upstairs in the coaches’ box. Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, who moved from the box to the sideline midway through last season, will remain on the field, as will offensive line coach Stacy Searels and running backs coach Bryan McClendon. Receivers coach Tony Ball and tight ends coach John Lilly will be in the box.
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For stats and more details on Wednesday’s scrimmage, please click here.
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Links to other UGA news:
Offensive lineman Owens’ career is over.
Will UGA extend sellout streak into 10th season?
Georgia athletics in a construction zone.
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263 comments Add your comment
jAMESD
August 26th, 2010
8:52 am
CAOCX RICHT IS 7-2 AGAINST SOUTH CAROLINA AND 5-0 AGAINST ARKANSAS
Elk
August 26th, 2010
8:53 am
Agree, Florida is afraid of Georgia, that’s why Meyer scheduled Georgia for his bye week instead of Alabama.
DawginLex
August 26th, 2010
8:54 am
Gatorbait posts more inane drivel and then later chastises us for being “classless”. What a tool.
Hill
August 26th, 2010
8:55 am
Anyone who called Murray’s effort yesterday anything less than terrific, is not a Gerorgia fan. Here’s what kind of season that would be if Murray stayed at that level for 12 games:
24 td’s, O int’s, 3000 yards over 12 games
Awesome!
Joey
August 26th, 2010
8:58 am
8 incompletions against the “scout team”? Damn, Bobo’s offensive playcalling fools NOBODY!
Gatorbait 17-3
August 26th, 2010
8:58 am
gdawginkalamazoo
Wrong, it just wasn’t the experience around him, McElroy was a 4th year junior, just like the Gator’s Brantley is this year. You folks are expecting way too much from Murray. He should be very good, it just won’t be this year. Please don’t think you can compare Murray, a 2nd year freshman who has never played one college game or any game for that matter in over 2 years to 4th year juniors like McElroy or Brantley. Another early exit in Jacksonville for the dawg fans.
WonderDawg
August 26th, 2010
8:59 am
Elk, that may be the most ignorant statement I’ve ever read. UF is afraid of UGA . . . jeez!
tony
August 26th, 2010
9:01 am
Some of you people are so negative. Why would anyone think we can’t beat SC & AR? We suppose to beat those teams. The reason why we had a subpar season last yr is because we had bad coaching and poor execution on offense. I still believe Bobo will call inadequate plays but Aaron Murray is no Joe Cox. Once he gets comfortable in games he will flourish in that offense. Aaron knows how to execute plays and get himself out of trouble when the offense breaks down. He’s a very smart young man.
Todd Grantham is no WM. He knows how to coach defense. I just got a good feeling about his coaching style. I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t go undefeated this season. The only team that could give us trouble is Al but we won’t play them unless we play for the SEC Title in Atlanta.
Elk
August 26th, 2010
9:01 am
Meyer doesn’t agree with you, Meyer fears Georgia, that’s why Meyer scheduled Georgia for his off-week, and won’t play Georgia in Athens.
Gatorbait 17-3
August 26th, 2010
9:02 am
DawginLex
Does 9-17 really bother you that much? Sorry to be so cruel.
Dangerous
August 26th, 2010
9:03 am
UGA will have a new offensive staff next year. How many of the SC wins did SC blow, not UGA winning out-right!
jasont13
August 26th, 2010
9:03 am
If the offense put up 38 points against the #2 defense don’t you think there would be more stats? Coach Richt just like other coaches will not unveil all the stats, player injuries and what ever else happend in the scrimmage. To the person who posted Aaron Murray is slow, he ran a 4.5 40 at one of the all american camps his senior year of high school. Seems fairly fast to me.
WonderDawg
August 26th, 2010
9:04 am
56% completion rate against the scout team is not “awesome”, Hill. And I am definitely a UGA fan. No QB stands much of a chance, with Bobo designing and calling the plays.
BirdDog
August 26th, 2010
9:05 am
It amazes me how so many of you “experts” have written off Murray before he has even taken a real snap. I’m hoping that most of you are nerds just posing as UGA fans.
Andy in WR
August 26th, 2010
9:06 am
Believe it or not Murray will be less nervous in Columbia! Two Reasons:
1. It is always tougher to perform in front of family/friends
2. Already have a game under his belt–and a win to boot!
;
George
August 26th, 2010
9:06 am
Tony, disagree, last year’s ills wern’t because of coaching, or poor execution on offense. Thse coaches got Georgia to a #2 finish in 2007. The offense was productive, Cox threw 25 touchdowns for over 2500 yards, and the RB’s led the SEC in rushing over the last 5 games.
The problems were due to poor strategy (too much passing, underutilizing playmakers/overotation of mediocre players, reactive pass defense).
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
August 26th, 2010
9:06 am
Friends we are not going undefeated when our QB is
8-20
10-22
9-17 against a scout team with a non-contact jersey
Someone is drinking too much GT kool-aid
Gatorbait 17-3
August 26th, 2010
9:06 am
Tony
What are you drinking, smoking this early? Sorry to say the dawgs will have 2-3 loses before J’ville and be unranked. Atlanta, Atlanta UGA can’t spell Atlanta. Championship game what Championship game is played in Shreveport?
Dangerous
August 26th, 2010
9:08 am
Amen WonderDawg! Murray maybe fast and a good study, but Bobo will bring him down with his ineptness! He is a Bozo!
WonderDawg
August 26th, 2010
9:09 am
Elk, why don’t you just read instead of posting. You’re the epitome of what the Techies call a delusional Dawg fan. “Myer fears Georgia”
Did you start following football yesterday? Surely I don’t have to remind you of the past two UF-UGA game scores . . .
Hill
August 26th, 2010
9:09 am
WonderDawg-
Here are how the season will look if Murray stasys on track for what happened yesterday:
24 td’s, O int’s, 3000 yards over 12 games, 24 sacks, 53% accuracy
That’s AWESOME for a Freshman QB.
Dangerous
August 26th, 2010
9:11 am
George how much did we score against Okl St, Tenn, Fla and Lsu?
Gatorbait 17-3
August 26th, 2010
9:12 am
Hill
“IF” FROGS HAD WINGS,THEY COULD FLY.
jasont13
August 26th, 2010
9:14 am
Gatorbait, what happens if Brantley is hurt and out for the season after the first couple of games? From the looks of it there is no one on the roster with any playing time.
jasont13
August 26th, 2010
9:15 am
Take it what you will but the stats that were given to the AJC are in accurate at best.
DawginLex
August 26th, 2010
9:16 am
No, you bother me gatorbait. You are a moron, total and complete who spends all his time obsessing over UGA football.
I hope you enjoy spewing your venom. Maybe it makes you feel like a man to overcome some other issues you have?
WonderDawg
August 26th, 2010
9:16 am
Columbus Dawg, Reshad Jones is in the NFL. Unfortunately for his college career, he had the misfortune of being coached by Willie Martinez.
dawgster
August 26th, 2010
9:23 am
ColumbusDawg, I guess since i have been a money contributor to the dawgs since 1980, and no plenty of money contributors, then i can honestly say this..All of your comments are pretty much on the negative side…Is there anything that Coach Richt has done that pleases you sir..How many years have you been coaching football…I would suggest if you are so displeased with Coach Richt and his QB’s then maybe you should find another team to support…Murray, would have been probably ready last year would have gotten some playing time except for the setback due to his injury…Yes Coach Richt has made some mistakes, tell me one Coach that has not, and that includes Meyer, Saban, Miles, Bowden, and many others…No, i don’t always agree with everything that this Coaching is doing or has done, but they know the game better that most of the people on here, so i will give them the benefit of the doubt…Your remarks unfortunately resemble a fair-weather fan…I hate to be so harsh, bit i get tired of all the bashing of Coach Richt and our dawgs from our on fans..It is enough when it comes from the other programs, and thats fair game, but try to see more postives in what our Coaching Staff is doing, Coach Richt made some drastic moves during the off season with the coaching staff to improve our program…if you think the moves he made are easy, they are not…We can argue on whether he should have done it earlier or not but what really gripes me about your post is that you call Coach WM a moron…He may not have been a great DC in your eyes and maybe the results on the field called for a change, but to call him a Moron is very “classless”…
jasont13
August 26th, 2010
9:23 am
Wonderdawg, I gurantee you Elk is a Tech or Florida fan posting trying to make UGA fans look like morons.
George
August 26th, 2010
9:23 am
The problem with Okl St, Tenn, Fla and Lsu, was strategy, not coaching or offensive execution. Bobo went in there expecting to win by throwing the ball, like Charlie Weiss, with a 1st year starter in Joe Cox. Dumb strategy. Then you rotate or underutilize players who are your best playmakers like Ealey, Olson, and Smith. Then Martinez didn’t move to a more proactive style of defense. All strategy, all wrong. Coaches got Georgia to #2 finish in 2007, all can coach, Cox finished with impressive passing numbers, King/Ealey finished with impressive rushing numbers once the strategy shifted to heavy rush, over last 5 games.
WonderDawg
August 26th, 2010
9:23 am
Hill, I don’t think our opponents will trot out their scout teams for us on Saturdays. And scout teams are not the 2nd string players. The scout team is made up of the players that are left over the “rotation” which is usually 2 or 3 deep per position.
Look, I love Murray and I’m hopeful. But like the Kiffins said, “UGA does the same thing they’ve been doing for 10 years. They are the easies team on our schedule to prepare for.”
Bobo is the reason UGA can’t move the ball nor score against the better SEC teams on our schedule.
George
August 26th, 2010
9:29 am
One thing I don’t like about Georgia’s strategy is the whole rotate everybody, regardless of performance thing. That’s plain dumb. Percy Harvin got a lot of touches, so did Hernandez. Ingram gets a lot of touches. Georgia’s the only team I can think of who would limit AJ Green’s or Branden Smith’s or Charles Olson’s or Washaun Ealey’s touches to such low numbers. It’s a massive strategic mistake.
Hill
August 26th, 2010
9:32 am
The 2009 coaching staff got Georgia to a #2 finish in 2007. Bobo can coach, but Bobo’s strategy is not always good.
Uncle Jed
August 26th, 2010
9:33 am
Well Granny looks like its gonna be a looooooooooonnnng season for the dawgies. Bozo should have played that midget last year.
Red Panties Rick
August 26th, 2010
9:33 am
And whose fault is it for Georgia to have a true freshman about to be starting at quarterback? Last year couldn’t have been spent at least getting someone some snaps in preparation for this year, but instead UGA stuck with Joe Cox. Geez, with Joe T and Joe Cox as history, does Mark Richt have something against developing talented quarterbacks?
Gatorbait 17-3
August 26th, 2010
9:34 am
DawginLex
Here is the number for an anger management course—–1-800-you-lose (968-5673)
WonderDawg
August 26th, 2010
9:34 am
Bobo, George. Bobo is the mistake that keeps on giving.
Hill
August 26th, 2010
9:34 am
If you look at what Murray did, and look down the road 12 games:
24 td’s, O int’s, 3000 yards over 12 games, 24 sacks, 53% accuracy
I don’t see a single thing there that I can’t live with for a Freshman QB.
matt
August 26th, 2010
9:37 am
Redpanties- Couldn’t agree more!!!! Instead of taking our lumps last year and being ready to go this year we get to sit through the same thing this year to prepare for next year, with less offensive weapons on campus.
DawginLex
August 26th, 2010
9:37 am
gatobait,
Here is a number for you
1-800-46256737 or 1-800-Imaloser
George
August 26th, 2010
9:38 am
Georgia made 4 strategic mistakes in 2009:
1- Passing too much in the first 7 games
2- Overotating mediocre players
3- Underutilizing playmakers
4- Reactive defensive posture
#1, and #4 will be corrected, not so sure Georgia will correct #2 & #3.
Todd
August 26th, 2010
9:39 am
Not sure what the point of playing the scout team was. As a highschool baseball coach I can assure you that my varsity gets nothing out of scrimmaging the jv, except maybe a false sense of how good they are.
tony
August 26th, 2010
9:40 am
George, you don’t what you are talking about young man. If coaching wasn’t the problem then why did they fire WM. As a matter of fact they should of replaced WM after the 2005 season. Didn’t Joe Cox throw 15 ints last yr? If I’m not mistaken I believe he threw an int in every game last season. If that’s what you expect from a qb maybe you need to stop watching football. Had Mark Richt hired himself a successful offensive coordinator in 2001 he probably would of won a national championship by now.
George
August 26th, 2010
9:43 am
Coach Richt’s best seasons are where Georgia heavily uses playmakers like Moreno, Massaqia, tight ends in 2002 & 2005.
Goes back to Herschel Walker, if you have a playmaker, wear them out.
All time hater
August 26th, 2010
9:45 am
As a member of the humper hater fan club all we can say is this is a bonus. We all hoped Richt would stay forever, now we hope that the NCAA will grant his little lap dog Murry 8 years of eligibility.
George
August 26th, 2010
9:46 am
They fired Willie due to poor strategy, his read & react strategy. Bobo can coach, has great QB production, but has a tendancy to pick poor strategy too–just passes too heavily. The int’s were the result of the wrong strategy, relying too heavily on the pass with a 1st year starter. Willie can coach, as Stoops at Oklahoma grabbed him up.
DawginLex
August 26th, 2010
9:49 am
All time hater,
You hate humping?
You must be a gay little tech nancy boy who has never gotten any
Gatorbait 17-3
August 26th, 2010
9:50 am
DawginLex
Let me get this straight, you post about your very own QB “the kid has ability but if he is CRAPPING all over himself in a scrimmage.”
My comment was “9-17 passing really doesn’t scare the Gators” and then you call my post “Gatorbait posts more inane drivel and then later chastises us for being “classless”. What a tool.”
Just wanted to let you know, that when you start calling people names you have already lose the argument.
Also notice I said “you lose”, I didn’t call you a loser.
All time hater
August 26th, 2010
9:50 am
Lex I hump your wife(aka your sister) while you are out back tending your chicken houses.
dawgster
August 26th, 2010
9:53 am
Hey Red Panties Rick…what don’t you understand about not getting Murray ready last year..Had it not been for his arm injury and also you must remember he suffered a severe break in his leg his senior year, yet he still came back, probably too soon and led his team to a state championship…Please get this now: the chances were pretty darn good that Murray or possibly Mett some valuable playing time last year but it didn’t happen as has been discussed…You can make a case that Logan should have played more, and yes maybe that should have happened, but if it is not obvious to you by now, the coaching staff did not feel that Logan gave us the best chance to win…I still believe Joe Cox was our best option based on everything we know and injury to Murray last year…