Richt: Murray is expected to play vs. Tech despite knee, chest injuries
Georgia’s open date comes at a good time for quarterback Aaron Murray.
Murray might miss some practice time this week because of knee and chest injuries but is expected to play in the Bulldogs’ next game Nov. 27 against Georgia Tech, coach Mark Richt told the Touchdown Club of Atlanta on Monday.
“He’s beat up pretty good, actually,” Richt said in a speaking engagement that was streamed on the Internet.
Richt said “luckily there is no structural damage” to Murray’s left knee, which took a shot from Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley’s helmet late in Saturday’s game.
“It was more just a blow to the knee, to the bone, and it’s bruised up pretty good,” Richt said. “I think he’s going to be fine.”
Richt said Murray also suffered “a pretty deep bruise in his chest” against Auburn.
Officially, Georgia director of sports medicine Ron Courson lists Murray as “day-to-day” with knee and sternum bruises.
Georgia will hold its first practice of the week Tuesday, and Richt was uncertain whether Murray will participate.
“We’ll see how he handles it, if he’s able to throw the ball,” Richt said. “We think by game time he’ll be able to play, but right now practice is day-to-day.”
UPDATE: Asked about Murray’s status on his radio call-in show Monday night, Richt put it this way: “There is no guarantee he will play in the game, but we’re thinking there’s a good chance he will.” Richt said the bruised sternum “is probably bothering [Murray] the most right now.”
Both Saturday night and Sunday, Richt declined to comment about Fairley’s hits on Murray in Auburn’s 49-31 victory. But the coach did make a fleeting reference to the issue in his remarks to the Touchdown Club.
“I thought offensively we blocked No. 90 [Fairley] pretty good most of the game,” Richt said. “There were some times he did get free. Sometimes he got free a little bit late, but he did get free.”
Murray, a redshirt freshman, has 2,580 yards passing this season — the third most all-time for an SEC freshman. He has thrown 21 touchdown passes and six interceptions — “a tremendous ratio for any quarterback, even if you’re a veteran,” Richt said.
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Georgia’s A.J. Green was named Monday as one of 10 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award, which goes to college football’s top receiver each year. The field will be reduced to three finalists on Nov. 22 and the winner named on Dec. 9.
Green has 41 catches for 674 yards and nine touchdowns this season despite missing the first four games while on NCAA suspension for selling his Independence Bowl jersey for $1,000. He had nine catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns against Auburn.
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544 comments Add your comment
GTBob
November 15th, 2010
2:17 pm
I don’t think the last hit was that big of a deal. He was blocked close to him at the very least. The referees didn’t even deem it worth of a penalty. The spear to the back though was horrible. He should get suspended for a half for doing that crap. Either way it doesn’t matter. UGA can hand the ball off every play and would beat GT with ease.
collegeballfan
November 15th, 2010
2:17 pm
“Murray, in every way, has demonstrated he is a great QB. 3 more years!”
I agree on Murray and his play.
But it is two more years not three – NFL here he comes as a top 10 pick.
Then NIck Marshall can take over as QB.
Hollywould
November 15th, 2010
2:17 pm
Auburn fan here, not happy with the end of the game or Fairley’s hit to the back of Murray. Like so many have said, driving the qb down is not illegal in college. C’mon Ga fans, a chop block could mean the end
but I guess it doesn’t matter when you do it. Murray is a good one/ tough/ be hard to beat in the future.
Both sides were playing dirty. Deal with it.
MURPHY
November 15th, 2010
2:17 pm
TDWEagle,
He might be big and bad,but he wont runover the FBI and NCAA.D-Day is almost upon the AU program.
NORRIS
November 15th, 2010
2:17 pm
With two minutes in the game why was fairley still in there?
With two minutes in the game with an 18 point lead and us with no timeouts left why would he dive for the qbs knees?
jtdawg
November 15th, 2010
2:18 pm
Get real = do just that
Trash for condoning such play. I certainly don’t condone my team playing that way. Our o linemen should sit for cheaping out. Boykin should sit out the entire next game – he’s out of control.
Fairley is dirty, period. Shame on you for condoning it. Classless program for defending that crap, all the kneediving and pile driving, cheapshotting Auburn did, with the coach pumping them up the whole way.
Couldn’t stop the O? Drive the qb’s ribs one more time.
JDawg
November 15th, 2010
2:18 pm
That will end up in the record books in favor of Georgia shortly. Some crap is about to hit the fan and I am so thankful this time of year for that!! Roll Tide!!!!!!
TrishaDishaWarEagle
November 15th, 2010
2:19 pm
@Vince, yes I do..listen to the interviews with the NFL defenseive backs..to a person they say they are out to hurt the opposing QB..not injure, but hurt them..make them inefficient, scared, maybe bruised and battered so their throwing is off…
Vince
November 15th, 2010
2:20 pm
@ Hollywould
Trisha Disha has given us all an Auburn take on this and it certainly makes sense: Fairley must have been trying to end Murrays career so Auburn wouldn’t have to face him in the future. According to her that was Fairley’s job.
SuspendFairley
November 15th, 2010
2:20 pm
Anybody that can watch this and still defend anything Fairley did is fooling themselves.
http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/video-fairley-bloodies-uga-qb-with-facemask-29242
Jupiter
November 15th, 2010
2:21 pm
If Dent or Houston did the same to Newton would you all be so defensive about cheap shots? HELL NO!!!! It’s ok for your guys to do it but god forbid someone do it to your player. UGA represents the lowest form of SEC Scum on the face of the earth. The school and most of it’s fans are suspended between cow dung and mold…. When are y’all going to grow up and realize your school will never be a powerhouse? Hopefully today!
jimmymack
November 15th, 2010
2:21 pm
our qb is ok ,that’s good and auburn is headed for probation just like the other 8 tmes .life is back to normal
Vince
November 15th, 2010
2:22 pm
@ Trish
Again…in all of my years in various sports I have never heard a player state that they wanted to injure someone enough to take them out of the game. Winning is hollow unless you beat their best.
Butterbean
November 15th, 2010
2:22 pm
The offensive linemen may have blocked Fairley into Murray but it was Fairley who lunged at his knees trying to cause serious injury. As for the spear in the back that was illegal and he should be suspended. Also go back to the Clemson-Auburn game and they done the same thing to Kyle Parker. He was hit in the back long after the play was over and played hurt the rest of the game and that cost Clemson a Win. The DAWGS got beat but we got beat by a player receiving money to play and by the dirtiest player in the game. Enjoy this year wareagle because next year is the YEAR OF THE DAWG…..WOOF WOOF WOOF
trupert
November 15th, 2010
2:24 pm
KARMA IS A BITCH AND AUBURN’S ON IT’S LIST.
SEC whiner
November 15th, 2010
2:24 pm
Looks like Murray not hurt so bad after all – good news. Maybe his pride was dinged a bit.
Maybe all the talk of injury and foul play is uga’s way of posturing to divert attention from the butt whuppin they have taken in the conference this year.
TrishaDishaWarEagle
November 15th, 2010
2:25 pm
@vince
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison states his objective matter-of-factly: He’s out to hurt any opposing player who roams into his vicinity.
If he sees players down on the turf — as he did Sunday when he sidelined Browns wide receivers Josh Cribbs and Mohamed Massaquoi with concussion-causing hits only minutes apart — he knows he has done his job.
“I don’t want to injure anybody,” Harrison said following Pittsburgh’s 28-10 victory. “There’s a big difference between being hurt and being injured. You get hurt, you shake it off and come back the next series or the next game. I try to hurt people.”
gomdawg
November 15th, 2010
2:26 pm
YOU KNOW WHAT I DONT UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE MONEY TO CAM THAT ALL HIS TEAM MATES WOULD PLAY WITH HIM THAT WHAT I KEEP TRYING TO SAY HE IS FOR CAM AND NO ONE ELSE . PLAYERS ASK YOURSELF IF YOUR FATHER COULD USE $180,000 DOLLARS WHY NOT CAM’S DAD GOT HIS.
Robert
November 15th, 2010
2:26 pm
Auburn’s filthy. Fairley is worse.
JB
November 15th, 2010
2:27 pm
I hope the 15-20 AU bloggers on here don’t represent ALL AU folks as to they think the guy ( Fairley) did nothing wrong….There have one or two ( I’ll mention the WAR EAGLE regular on here) who were not happy with that guys antics Saturday. Look, we lost, and the hits would have not changed the outcome, but to TRY and injure a QB like that has no place in college football.It’s viral now and Bama is on alert, and if this guy late hits the Bama QB early, that game will get ugly…..If I’m Slive, I call the the AU coach, tell him I’ve looked at a 2 minute highlight film of this guy this year, and I’ve instructed the crew to toss him at the first dirty hit.
jimmymack
November 15th, 2010
2:27 pm
i just watched the facemask video the auburn player deserves to be suspended.if coach richt doesn’t go to the sec he is not doing his job
MURPHY
November 15th, 2010
2:27 pm
trupert,
AU and Cam is #1 on the Karma list. Trisha Disha is #2
GTracy
November 15th, 2010
2:27 pm
Maybe if he actually wore knee pads, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.
Not saying I like seeing kids get hurt, but you get what you get if you don’t want to protect your body. Shouldn’t be following the trend from the NFL in the first place.
Vince
November 15th, 2010
2:28 pm
@ Trish
I think a spear to the back is trying to injure people, not hurt them. As Harrison states in your quote, he wants the person to come back in the next series or the next game. I don’t think he is saying he wants to knock the person out of the game.
I HONESTLY think Fairley wanted to injure Murray…..and that seems just fine by you.
CHDawg
November 15th, 2010
2:28 pm
AU fans, if the shoe was on the other foot, and a great NFL prospect had come close to seriously injuring more than one SEC QB–to the point where even the announcers approached the DC before the game and asked him if they were getting complaints about their star making dangerous and cheap shots–and then in the game he made several cheap shots on Cam, with the last one injuring him, would you cry foul? Of course you would. Let me tell you what I have seen all season. In tackles, Fairley tries to injure his victims. When he gets the chance to fall on his victim, he uses all of his weight. Not good, clean, hard hitting and tough football–I’m talking attempts to dislocate and injure. When he gets the chance, he actually picks up the victim and throws him down and then he falls on him. He will spear with his helmet in the back, to the knee–any place that will injure his victim, and of course he will continue to drive his victim long after the normal tackler–in an attempt to end the QB’s career. Then when confronted by the opposing team, he goes to the middle of the field and does a victory rap dance to boast of his prowess. And it wasn’t just against UGA-look at what he did to Shepard and most of the other QBs he has faced. The sad part is that he is a great athlete–but number 90 has turned his gift into a terrible liability–he is dangerous. If the refs won’t stop him, I’m sure somebody on an opposing team will. The best choice would be for Chizik to publicly discipline him, and then slap his wrist in private, and get him on with what could be a great career. I really liked AU until I saw Fairley. And I have watched the injury in slow mo on an HD DVR several times–Fairley continues while he is looking at Murray throw the ball; after Murray throws, he drives through the blocker’s momentum and lunges to spear Murray. He also has to follow through in order to deliver the injuring blow, and the follow through doesn’t start until well after the throw. He is your man, but I would straighten him out!
Hollywould
November 15th, 2010
2:29 pm
Vince, I surely don’t condone injuring an opponent but there is a reason there are 2nd and 3rd string players. A legal hit that takes number 1 out helps your team normally.. This is football.
Eric C.
November 15th, 2010
2:29 pm
Yeah, I said before the knee injury that they should take Murray out…down by 18 with 2 mins was insurmountable. However, after reading complaints about them taking a knee with less than a minute left, I don’t know, it was a no-win situation for the coaching staff. On one hand, you get flack for “quiting” and on the other, you get flack for not taking Murray out. Richt hasn’t been the greatest, but I’d sure as @@@@ wouldn’t want to be in that position.
WarEagle
November 15th, 2010
2:31 pm
Funny how know one talks about the constant chop blocking from UGA’s O-Line. That could have had something to do with the frustration Fairley felt, that and he is a beast. Get over it “Dawg” fans. The bottom line is if you would have won, none of this would even be a discussion. It isn’t like Fairley’s actions, right or wrong, were the reason we won.
Eric C.
November 15th, 2010
2:31 pm
And btw, all of the pi##ant Auburn fans can go ##$% @##.
Vince
November 15th, 2010
2:31 pm
@ JB…
I agree. I hope the few on here don’t represent the majority of Auburn fans. One of my employees (Auburn grad) wore black and red today. She said it was an apology for how dirty things got.
TrishaDishaWarEagle
November 15th, 2010
2:31 pm
CHD, falling with all your weight is called a Siragusa, named after another NFL great because thats what his signature was….
I guess UGA wants to play flag football, maybe in the WAC…
takedowndawg
November 15th, 2010
2:33 pm
fairly-BRANDON SPIKES, BRANDON-SPIKES-fairly, fairly-BRANDON SPIKES: They are cut out of the same piece of “cloth”. If not for football, which street corner or block would either one of them be “holding”down?
Vince
November 15th, 2010
2:33 pm
@ Hollywould
…but then again…we aren’t exactly talking about legal hits…are we?
JB
November 15th, 2010
2:33 pm
Today, I’d rather be 5-6 with Richt than 11-0 with Chiznik and AU……That’s just me……
MURPHY
November 15th, 2010
2:33 pm
Eric C.
Curious- Pull Murray? Put Matsonn in so he can take a beating? Im sure Matson,s family and himself would have appreciated Richt doing that.
WDE99
November 15th, 2010
2:35 pm
To all Dawg fans who “used to like Auburn” but are now “hoping Alabama kills them”.
We. Don’t. Care.
If your team had fulfilled at least half of it’s potential, maybe you’d have more to talk about.
Crybabies.
Dawglasville
November 15th, 2010
2:35 pm
To our Auburn friends – I use to love this rivalry. Please do not get on this blog and look for sympathy if the NCAA comes down you.
Cry-babies
November 15th, 2010
2:35 pm
Get the baby a real Offensive Line and he won’t have to worry about any more LEGAL hits after he releases the ball.
JB
November 15th, 2010
2:36 pm
wareagle, if you can handle the payback ( not from us, ya’lls next two games) I’m Ok with you feeling that way. The “code” of the street will catch up with Mr. Fairley. He will get taken care of…….
darn
November 15th, 2010
2:37 pm
waaaaa waaaaaa waaaaa
dawgrific
November 15th, 2010
2:37 pm
First of all, let’s all remember that this classless win by auburnt ended UGA’s 4 game winning streak, which will become 5 when the record is straightened out. The Classless/Disgusting display by “not-so-fairley” was bad, but the fist-pumping and other ways of celebrating that garbage, by the coaches, was utterly embarrassing. Enjoy it while you can plainsmen, I mean tigers, I mean war-eagles, whatever, because your day is coming you &*@! bunch of cheaters.
CHDawg
November 15th, 2010
2:39 pm
Trisha,
It is called a cheap and dirty shot, sweetie, and your defense of it just makes AU look evil. Gouging player’s eyes out at the bottom of the pile is called a Spikes–the signature of another great NFL player. You really think ending people’s careers is good football, eh? Why don’t we let them bring knives to the game and then we would see who is really the toughest?
chainz
November 15th, 2010
2:39 pm
Hope AU can hide Scams’ pay for playchecks…….I hope war eagles choke on their mistake of playing the scammer………once again a possible national title GONE all for the sake of lining some poor inner city kids pocket…….I don’t care what you say ..the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Like fathetr like son…..If you think Scam is there playing for free……..you need a drug test……. when you are declared inelidgable to play in a bowl game…… season lost for once again making a deal with the devil…..lmao
Ginger
November 15th, 2010
2:40 pm
Get rid of Fairley…..Pile driving Murray into the ground time and time again…Auburn should have to forfeit the game……I don’t care if UGA gets the win…Let UGA keep the loss…But Auburn should have a loss too. The officials were terrible….College football should not be about pile driving QB….good tackling is fine…even a hard shot is ok…..but knees should be off limits….and pile driving off limits.
dawgrific
November 15th, 2010
2:40 pm
by the way, 2 of those hits on Murray were 3 seconds after he released the ball
WDE99
November 15th, 2010
2:40 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS7nqwGt4-I
59bulldawg
November 15th, 2010
2:41 pm
So that’s the way you folks in Auburn think? “Knock out” the QB of the opposing team? Never heard that one before. Intercept him? Yes! Sack him? Yes! Hurry his throws? Yes! But you folks in Auburn actually want to “knock out” the other team’s QB? So you admit that’s what you folks in Auburn accept as normal play? I don’t know what’s worse . . . a player like Fairley or that type of mindset. I didn’t think it was possible for me to become a Bama fan but I know I will be for at least one game this year. Roll Tide!
CHDawg
November 15th, 2010
2:42 pm
WDE,
It is obvious you don’t care; that is why you are defending Fairley! It says a lot about your character.
TrishaDishaWarEagle
November 15th, 2010
2:43 pm
oh spare me, this is football, the sport who’s unnofficial motto is “Just win, Baby!”
GeorgeDawg
November 15th, 2010
2:43 pm
Auburn fans. Congrads on your terrific season. Should have heard the ESPN telecast. Farley’s day will come. He was intentionally trying to take out Murray. On that, the film will not lie. Hope the SEC office upon reviewing film, suspend him. If not, if he keeps playing like that, someone else will take care of him. Maybe Alabama.
I’ve no problem that UGA lost, but if you as an Auburn fan are proud of that type of play and I guess someone thinks $ wasn’t enough at Mississippi, so Cam just went to Auburn cause he liked it, well, frankly I’m not surprised. There’s a reason Auburn has been penalized so often for recruiting violations!