QB Murray returns to practice; throws ball ‘extremely well,’ Richt says
(Updated 8:45 p.m.)
As Georgia’s football team resumed preparations Monday for its regular-season finale against Georgia Tech, quarterback Aaron Murray returned to the practice field for the first time since suffering knee and sternum injuries against Auburn.
Coach Mark Richt said on his radio call-in show Monday night that Murray threw the ball “extremely well,” although Richt cautioned that practice conditions are quite different from game conditions for Georgia quarterbacks.
“Aaron is doing well,” Richt said. “He got to practice today. He went through the whole thing. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s ready to play [under game conditions]. But because we don’t hit our quarterbacks in practice, he was able to do everything we asked him to do. I’m not sure how he would have handled getting hit and tackled to the ground and having the full weight of one or two guys land on him. I don’t know how he’d do in that situation right now.
“But he does feel a lot better. He threw the ball extremely well. If he keeps getting better — like he said today, ‘Coach, I got five more days.’ I hope by the end of the week he’ll feel good enough to go.”
The Georgia-Georgia Tech game kicks off at 7:45 p.m. Saturday in Sanford Stadium.
Murray “wants to play, there’s no doubt about that,” Richt said.
The redshirt freshman quarterback suffered a bruised sternum and a bruised knee in the Bulldogs’ Nov. 13 loss at Auburn. He was held out of practice last week, when Georgia had an open date.
“[Murray] looked pretty good,” tailback Washaun Ealey said after Monday’s practice. “He came out a little edgy today, but he got all that worked out. He looked good toward the end of practice. You could tell he was real banged up, but he’s fighting through it. He’s a tough competitor. He knows we’re all counting on him to come through, so he’s out there trying to grind every day to get the job done.”
Ealey added: “I’m pretty sure he’ll play Saturday.”
– AJC correspondent Andy Johnston contributed to this blog.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
354 comments Add your comment
Marcus
November 23rd, 2010
11:07 am
all FREAKIN day little man
Marcus
November 23rd, 2010
11:08 am
has the fake Marcus left the building? come with it little boy.
Marcus
November 23rd, 2010
11:10 am
its easy to hide behind a computer screen and talk smack. i never have to look someone in the eye and say things like a real man.
Marcus
November 23rd, 2010
11:11 am
i am a coward and am considered a internet bully. In real life i am a scared little boy unwilling to stick up for myself and my believes.
Marcus
November 23rd, 2010
11:13 am
its a shame people like me exsist. I take over blog sites where uga fans comes to have contructive conversation, and i ruin it with my BS.
Marcus
November 23rd, 2010
11:14 am
GAME SET MATCH fake Marcus
Marcus
November 23rd, 2010
11:14 am
A D
Marcus
November 23rd, 2010
11:21 am
Here’s another way of looking at Murray’s “Choke City’ issue.
When Murray’s up by 15+ points, he’s 77% accurate. When the pressure’s off, he excels.
But what happens when the game tightens up? He chokes.
When the scores is 8-14 up, 50% accurate, 1-7 pts up, 57%, when game is tied (pressure at most) 43% accurate.
So, the closer the game, the worse Murray gets.
Marcus
November 23rd, 2010
11:32 am
I’m actually a middle school kid out of school for the Thanksgiving break and mom said I don’t have to take my Vyvanse so my ADHD is off the charts right now. I’m not old enough to really understand football, and any QB that doesn’t put up videogame type numbers sucks. I mean look at Murray he can’ even throw for 8 tds in a game like I can on NCAA 2010.
NERRRRRDDDDD!!!!!!!
November 23rd, 2010
11:33 am
Marcus
November 23rd, 2010
11:21 am
Here’s another way of looking at Murray’s “Choke City’ issue.
When Murray’s up by 15+ points, he’s 77% accurate. When the pressure’s off, he excels.
But what happens when the game tightens up? He chokes.
When the scores is 8-14 up, 50% accurate, 1-7 pts up, 57%, when game is tied (pressure at most) 43% accurate.
So, the closer the game, the worse Murray gets.
Draggin' Fly
November 23rd, 2010
11:41 am
After scanning this blog for 5 minutes, I’ve reached one conclusion: Marcus is bipolar.
Now, can I have that 5 minutes of my life back?
Amphora Project
November 23rd, 2010
11:44 am
The Amphora code words for today are “tryst” and “pepper.”
Doc Cheney
November 23rd, 2010
12:24 pm
Richt stays b/c we can’t get anyone better (unless Mike Leach wants the job). Either Bobo is out or his O-Line coach is out. The performance by an experienced O-Line was the biggest disappointment of the year. Murray is the best in the SEC East next year.
I would say give the head coach job to VanGorter, but I’m too big of a Falcons fan.
Marcus is starting to grow on me.
November 23rd, 2010
12:37 pm
I hate to say it, but he makes a good point. I verified his stats re Murray, and I have to agree he has piled up a lot of good numbers in easy situations.
But, he sure looked great throwing to #8 during the Idaho State game.
USCRULZ
November 23rd, 2010
1:33 pm
No other coach has done less with more than Mark Richt. I like the guy but I just don’t get how you consistently recruit so well and do nothing with it. Murray will be a great QB, but if he doesn’t get the protection he needs is is unlikely he will make it through the next three years. You UGA fans can blame dirty play on AU all you want but the truth is your offensive line is pathetic. You should be calling out your coaches instead of whining so much.
kevin
November 23rd, 2010
1:56 pm
murray is the best freshman qb since david greene. before the auburn game, murray had 2500 yards for the season. hes only going to ger better.
Marcus
November 23rd, 2010
2:13 pm
AlL Day boy
Marcus
November 23rd, 2010
2:23 pm
i am a liar
Marcus
November 23rd, 2010
2:23 pm
a cheat
Marcus
November 23rd, 2010
2:24 pm
a swindler
Ned
November 23rd, 2010
2:24 pm
Murray had a great game against Louisiana Lafyette, and boy oh boy, played great against Idaho State. Looked solid against Tennessee and Vanderbilt too. Didn’t do anything against Kentucky. Wow, some of the plays he made against Louisiana Lafayette, look, I know they’re 1-10 Div two and all, but man, Murray looked so good in that game. If only Georgia could play more 1-10 Division two teams like Louisiana Lafayette, then Murray would be great in every game.
Marcus
November 23rd, 2010
2:24 pm
i have no real thoughts of my own
Reddawg0369
November 23rd, 2010
2:25 pm
Marcus… stop being an idiot, the lack of running game is the issue with us being 5-6. Our “Most experienced line” hasn’t done squat to open holes for the running backs, not to mention that AJ was out for 3 of those 6 loses, not to mention the only pass rusher we have is coming from the line backer position (We need a new Offensive line coach, and a real deal Nose Tackle to make the 3-4 defense work properly). Learn more about football and stop quoting your useless stats from ESPN.
Drew
November 23rd, 2010
2:25 pm
Aaron Murray is the best freshman to play any sport, since the Greek Olympics, I checked.
Marcus
November 23rd, 2010
2:25 pm
all da y
Falls Church
November 23rd, 2010
2:28 pm
Let’s not judge Aaron Murray by what he did against teams like Florida or South Carolina or Mississsippi State, those teams were good teams. Let’s judge him by something on his level, like Idaho State, geez, he’s a freshman now, come on people. Freshman arn’t supposed to be able to beat great teams like South Carolina.
Landon
November 23rd, 2010
2:32 pm
Look, true, no one else has noticed the link between georgia’s 5-6 year and the Freshman QB. Murray’s a FRESHMAN, so he’s not accountable for how he plays this season.
Hoss
November 23rd, 2010
2:34 pm
I tend to think any Qb on the UGA roster would have beaten teams like L Laffy, Id St, Vanderblt, Tenn and if they had 4 turnovers against Kentucky. Hard to credit any of those wins directly to Murray.
Drew
November 23rd, 2010
2:36 pm
Uh, meant to say “worst”, not “best”, sorry.
Reddawg0369
November 23rd, 2010
2:37 pm
The pass rush will improve our secondary. Look at what the Falcons did from last year to this year… Where did the secondary improve besides getting Robinson? By an improved pass rush. Don’t get me wrong, rushing the passer can get you beat sometimes, but these great QB’s in the SEC would have allot more problems hanging 30-40 points on us from their backs.
Hoss
November 23rd, 2010
2:41 pm
I wouldn’t credit the Tenn win directly to Murray either. Georgia forced 3 turnovers in that one, it’s a game any UGA Qb would have won too. Murray’s been given too much credit for the wins, particularly the Tenn & Kentucky wins, where the defense forced 7 turnovers in thsoe two games. The L Laffy, Id St, and Vanderbilt, those are teams any Qb on the UGA roster wins too.
Reddawg0369
November 23rd, 2010
2:44 pm
I’m all for letting him develop. I still wish we could have held onto Mettenburger too… I hear he’s about to commit to either LSU or Arkansas. Who sees this coming back to bite us?
Hoss
November 23rd, 2010
2:46 pm
The UGA defense acutally has won all 5 of Georgia’s wins.
Kentucky–defense forced 4 turnovers
Tenn- defense forced 3 turnovers
Id St- defense has a shutout
L Laffy- defense held to 7
Vanderbilt- dfense held to 7 points
The defense hasn’t gotten enough credit for the wins. With this defense in these 5 games, any UGA Qb on the roster woud have won those 5 games.
Reddawg0369
November 23rd, 2010
2:51 pm
I agree Hoss… The wins are a credit to good defense and run heavy offense. Place the losses onto the shoulders of poor pass rush on defense and lack of run game on the offensive line. It’s hard to score points from the bench.
Eric
November 23rd, 2010
2:55 pm
Mett has been spectacular, yes, he’s been offered by both LSU and Alabama, he threw for 36 td’s/3int’s, 11-0, and has Butler playing in the Nationla Championship. Coach Richt over-reacted getting rid of Mett. He’s a superstar.
http://grizzlies.butlercc.edu/football/footballschedule.cfm
Hoss
November 23rd, 2010
2:58 pm
Actually, the defense played good enough to win against South Carolina & Mississippi St, held them both to under 20 points, just didn’t get any offense. The defense played pretty good against Florida too, not as bad as the past, but the 4 turnovers on offense proved too hard ot overcome. Offense lost those 3 games.
Reddawg0369
November 23rd, 2010
3:00 pm
Eric… I said it from the beginning of last season to the time he got booted from the team “Mettenberger would have been our starter this year” not taking anything from Murray, but Mett has the size and arm strength that a pro-style offense is looking for. If we make it to the SEC championship game next year, we may be looking at this kid pick us apart!
Hoss
November 23rd, 2010
3:00 pm
I blame the defense for 3 losses, Colorado, Auburn, and Arkansas. The offense played good enough to win those games, but the defense blew it. Defense gets credit for 5 wins, and 3 losses, offense gets credit for 0 wins, and 3 losses.
Reddawg0369
November 23rd, 2010
3:09 pm
Coaching, Defense, and a stout run game, will have us bookend wins in the Georgia Dome next year… that or we’ll be talking about a new head coach.
Hoss
November 23rd, 2010
3:12 pm
Yes, to whoever earlier said Bobo needs to be fired. Without a doubt, he needs to go. Watch the Mississippi St or the South Carolina game, the offense just didn’t show up, and with a brand new defense so early in the season, the offense had to carry the team in those 2 games. They didn’t, Bobo should be fired.
Hoss
November 23rd, 2010
3:14 pm
You just can’t win in the SEC passing the ball. Bobo needs to go. He doesn’t believe this. And he is wrong.
Hoss
November 23rd, 2010
3:17 pm
The offense knew they had to win the games against Auburn & Arkansas, they knew they’d be shootouts, and Bobo didn’t get it done. Auburn & Arkansas just score a lot of points, no one really stops them. So, you have to outscore them like Joe Cox did last year–the offense has to win those 2 games.
Marcus/Hoss
November 23rd, 2010
3:53 pm
I changed my name to irritate bloggers
Bo
November 23rd, 2010
4:05 pm
Hoss, you and Marcus are fools. If you watched any of the games, you would know that the offensive line cannot block and that the points UGA has put up are in spite of their poor blocking.
As for the defense, the stats are misleading. UGA’s secondary looks to be suspect but they are getting burned off the play action pass. The problem is the D-line cannot stop the inside run. Opposing teams torch UGA up the middle with inside runs and cutbacks, then throw a few passes behind the DB off the play-action.
UGA’s problems are pretty simple to identify, really. Coach better on the offensive line and recruit Mount Cody #2 for the Nose Guard. The D tackles will probably be pretty good with another year under their belts. Both groups of linemen need to get stronger.
I didn’t say it would be easy to correct, just easy to identify. Ok nerd, you can go back to trolling this blog in between games of Call of Duty.
Frank
November 23rd, 2010
4:11 pm
I can’t wait til this weekend when clemson beats sc and then they can say they are sec champs in 2 weeks. That would be so funny right! Just like the idiot uga fans who said the same thing last year!
What would be even more funny is clemson would be the team that
A. played auburn the closest…so far..still bama left
B. Beat the sec east and possibly the sec champ!
Fsu is going to roll over Fla and show you stupid sec morons your conference is only where it is today because of brand image. Most see that your conf is very overrated this year.
That will be proven on Saturday
Billo
November 23rd, 2010
4:16 pm
frank…dare you to come back on this site Sunday morning after UF beats FSU. The ACC is the joke of college football, much like you coming on UGA blogs to run FSU smack. Who’s the moron? Ignoramus
Bo
November 23rd, 2010
4:17 pm
Frank, true the SEC East is not in good shape but the ACC sucks. Don’t try and spin it, you are the Big East Lite. For your argument to hold true, Clemson would have to beat Auburn (the likely SEC champ) to make that claim. But the point is moot. Clemson will lose to SC and has already lost to Auburn.
Can Georgia Tech upset 5-6 UGA?
November 23rd, 2010
4:19 pm
Maybe.
Blog Security
November 23rd, 2010
4:34 pm
Bo,
You do realize you are talking to the same poster-Its Tech idiot boy. Uses 7-10 different names on all today’s blogs.
Marcus and Hoss on this blog
Posing as: WDE on the Junkyard Blawg
Bubba Grunt on the Schultz blog
What?
November 23rd, 2010
4:56 pm
Marcus, you’re an idiot. You want a kid right out of high school to replace a guy who is throwing the ball well, very few interceptions and twice named sec freshman of the week? I’m sorry, but you must be one brain-dead cat.