Quarterbacks: Offense appears to be in good hands with Aaron Murray`
Fifth in a series breaking down Georgia’s 2011 football team by position groups. . . .
In Aaron Murray the Georgia Bulldogs trust, and for good reason after a phenomenal freshman season. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin/bsanderlin@ajc.com)
THE QUARTERBACKS
- Returning starter: Aaron Murray (So., 6-1, 211).
- Others to watch: The competition to become Murray’s chief backup should be a good one between sophomore Hutson Mason, a lightly-recruited player who earned a scholarship offer with a record-breaking season as a high school senior, and true freshman Christian LeMay, an elite prospect of national renown who enrolled early in order to get into the mix.
- Key fact: Rarely is it that a sophomore quarterback is so roundly regarded as is Murray, but he appears to be gaining momentum as a consensus pick for preseason first-team All-SEC. His freshman season coupled with a blue-collar work ethic have excited the masses about the possibilities for improvement. As the meticulous researcher Phil Steele pointed out, Murray as a freshman had a higher higher pass efficiency rating (154.5) than Matthew Stafford did as a junior at Georgia, and Stafford ended up being the No. 1 overall pick in the subsequent NFL draft. Murray completed 61 percent of his passes for 3,049 yards passing — second all-time for an SEC freshamn — had a 24 to 8 TD to interception ratio and tied D.J. Shockley for UGA’s all-time record for TD responsibility with 28. Meanwhile, Murray did his best work at the end of the regular season, passing for 544 yards and 6 TDs with no interceptions against Auburn and Georgia Tech.
- Key fact II: The battle for backup duties is going to be interesting. Mason (6-3, 196) was solid in very limited as a true freshman, appearing in four games and completing 9-of-17 passes, including a TD pass on the very first attempt of his career (only the third QB in college football history to do that, joining Georgia Tech’s Taylor Bennett and Southern Cal’s Matt Leinart). LeMay (6-2, 195) put up some eye-popping passing numbers as a high school junior — 68.5 completion percentage, 3,296 yards, 48 TDs, 2 INTs — while leading Butler High to a 16-0 record and state championship. But he missed his entire senior season while protesting a controversial disciplinary suspension and the effect of the season off is unknown.
- Key questions: How will Murray perform without A.J. Green as a main target? Murray often joked that all he had to do was throw the ball high in the 6-4 Green’s general direction to complete a pass. He won’t have that luxury after Green was plucked away with the No. 4 pick in the NFL draft. But while Green caught 57 balls in nine games, Murray did manage to complete 152 passes to 18 other receivers.
- Recent developments: Murray was named to the Maxwell Award watch list for 2011.
- Outlook: Outstanding. What a difference a year makes. Coming into the 2010 season the Bulldogs had no quarterbacks with any experience. A year later they are relying on a 13-game starter and Freshman All-SEC selection in Murray, a tested backup in Mason and a bluechip prospect in LeMay. Freshman walkons Parker Welch and Greg Bingham provide additional depth.
- Your turn: What’s your take on Georgia’s quarterbacks?
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494 comments Add your comment
NoGaGator
July 7th, 2011
9:55 am
Tide Roll -
No way is LeMay better than Murray right now. The kid didn’t even play HS ball last year (due to his sexual encounter) whereas Murray played a full season against SEC competition. LeMay does have potential but Richt (or whoever) will have his hands full dealing with Daddy and his son’s sense of entitlement.
DawgInLex -
USCe’s backup last year was a freshman – Connor Shaw. He has a lot of potential and it appeared SOS liked him better than Garcia, especially given Garcia’s issues. I think SOS is caught beteween the two but my guess is that he’ll go all in with the experience right now because, if Garcia can keep his head straight, USCe has the chance to have a special season. They have the best receiving corps and one of the better running backs in the country.
JB
July 7th, 2011
9:55 am
Murray was a freshman last year for pete’s sake, playing on a bad football team….and put up some eye catching, national press took notice numbers. compare him to Brantley at Florida….Oh wait, there is no comparison……murray will be the best QB in the SEC this year. Will Georgia be the best team, no. Watch out for Murray.Good grief
Acworth Dawg Watch
July 7th, 2011
9:57 am
I get a kick out of you idiots that think Lemay is going to be the next great QB at GA. College is not HS. Additionally, he couldn’t do the right thing in HS so what do yo think he will do now that his “Daddy” won’t be around to keep him in check? His dad tried to enroll him in other schools so he could play football his senior year but failed in that endeavor for various reasons. What does that tell you about character? Finally he may not even be able to keep his grades up. I predict he never plays a down and if he does he will be a bust! Don’t count Hutson Mason out. He had a great spring and pushed Murray harder than a lot of you think! Go Dawgs!!!!
DAWG07
July 7th, 2011
9:57 am
Whats not to like about Murry. Seems to be solid in all areas. Only area that could be improved is consistancy.
GO DAWGS.
JB
July 7th, 2011
9:58 am
NoGaGator…………I to think SC will be hard to beat this year. They tend to fold late in the year, but if they can not to that, they will be in the dome……..Playing LSU.
TheXman
July 7th, 2011
9:59 am
i said getting a pro contract and getting paid. its up to the players when the get sign. greene, shockley and stafford all got paid and all pretty much played for 4 years or more football. joe cox is the only starter that richt didnt have go pro and thats because stafford left early for the pros as a number 1 pick. joe was a great back up though and a pretty good starter. if stafford would have stayed 4 years then mark richt and bobo would be 3 for 3 in sending qb’s top the pros and making some serious cash. i like them odds for sure. lemay see this just like i do. if he works hard and listens to them he will be there too.
Homepage | MrSEC.com
July 7th, 2011
10:02 am
[...] 7. Without A.J. Green around, how will Aaron Murray perform? [...]
sandman053
July 7th, 2011
10:03 am
Wonder if AJ wishes he had stayed for another year?
slaw dog
July 7th, 2011
10:06 am
EVERYBODY IS RIGHT AND EVERYBODY ELSE IS WRONG. rICHT WILL PROBABLY GET AN EXTENSION AND EVERYBODY WILL STILL BE CRYING OR BRAGGING ON HERE FOR THE NEXT 5 YEARS.
LOL....
July 7th, 2011
10:09 am
The outlook is …”outstanding” …. LOL… well, its almost August.. Georgia ALWAYS wins the MNC in August…too bad you have to also play the games.. which means you lose to the Gators!!
An illustrative story
July 7th, 2011
10:10 am
Let’s imagine that the year is 1981. Imagine that there are recruiting services like today (and not just Joe Terranova), and there are message boards like today. Imagine that Herschel Walker signed with Clemson and led them to a national championship. Can you begin to think of what kind of meltdown UGA fans would be having? Now let’s go to an interview with a “Dog fan” we will call Dog Biscuit.
Inteviewer: Dog Biscuit, UGA posters are still upset that we lost out on Herschel, yet as a regular poster you have never expressed any regrets over losing this “once in a generation” great.
Dog Biscuit: Well, let me tell you this, Bill Curry botched up Herschel’s recruitment bigtime. What in the name of Bobby Dodd is going on over on the Flats? There ought to be an investigation.
Interviewer: But every Georgia fan I know of is happy he didn’t go to Georgia Tech. Aren’t you upset in the least he did not sign with UGA?
Dog Biscuit: Whack Hyder, Homer Rice, Pepper Rodgers, whoever, someone ought to be talking to Bill Curry for not signing this kid.
Interviewer: What does his not going to Tech have to do with UGA missing out also?
Dog Biscuit: Another thing, this state turned out 25 offensive linemen that signed with D-! programs, and yet Bill Curry only signed 5 of them. Pro Bowl center, my foot.
Interviewer: Yes, but how do you feel about Georgia failing to land the “greatest college running back in history?”
Dog Biscuit: Thank you, thank you, thank you Bill Curry, for letting UGA sign Herschel’s offensive lineman teammate from Johnson County. Keep’em coming, we like to take a Chance on linemen like this.
Interviewer: So, because UGA took a Chance, and got a decent offensive lineman, are you saying that makes up for the failure to sign a Herschel Walker? You have to be kidding me.
Dog Biscuit: I cannot believe Bill Curry, who played for Vince Lombardi, did not bother to sign Herschel Walker. Did I mention Curry cannot recruit his way out of a paper bag? Where is Bud Carson when you need him? I can give you a list of every offensive lineman that came out of Georgia high schools and are starting for SEC and ACC teams. Want me to read it to you?
Interviewer: Let’s try one more time. You are not upset at all with Georgia losing a Heisman Trophy winner, yet you are ultra critical of Tech for not signing him?
Dog Biscuit: Bill Curry, blah, blah, blah Offensive linemen, blah, blah, blah.
Interviewer: My head hurts, think I will try something easier like herding cats or nailing jello to a wall.
Roll Tide
TheXman
July 7th, 2011
10:10 am
if johnson came to uga he would do good for about 3 or so years much like at tech because of the players already on the roster. gaily brought in better talent on offense as his players were drafted to the pros 2 years ago. johnson still doesnt have one a player drafted to go pro that played for his offense. other than adrian peterson from ga southern years ago. now if richt went to tech the talent pool would good up big time becasue he sends players to the pros at a very high clip. players see this and hear this from the high school coaches aswell. there is a reason only johnson and 3 armed forces teams run that offense. it helps out when you dont have enough good players on the offense. you will see very soon that without gailys players this offense will not do nearly aswell. the players they will have to go against will be sooo much better than the little guys on ga techs line
D-MAN
July 7th, 2011
10:10 am
With the concerns at OL,Lemay wont be redshirted.Richt has no choice but to use every weapon he has this year.
TheXman
July 7th, 2011
10:14 am
watch//lemay will be red shirted if hutson and murry stay away from injuries. i would do the same as well. if at all possible it is always good to red shirt the qb’s and running backs. it gives them a full year to get stronger and faster while building the confidence up.
harold
July 7th, 2011
10:16 am
GEORGIA FOOTBALL UNDER RICHT HAS DIGRESSED! HE DID WELL WITH DONNAN’S PLAYERS! SIX YEARS SINCE GEORGIA HAS BEEN IN ATLANTA????????????
IT IS TIME FOR RICHT TO GO!
TheXman
July 7th, 2011
10:19 am
he won a sec championship with his players and with donnans players…here is to richt staying another 20 years…..stay as long as you want coach richt
Timbodog
July 7th, 2011
10:20 am
“Xman,”
You just don’t get it, do you? Richt gets top players BECAUSE he is at UGA. If he went to Tech, he wouldn’t suddenly start signing 5 star players. Those guys DON’T WANT TO GO TO TECH, period. And is it really such a sign that none of Johnson’s players from GA SOUTHERN or NAVY went to the NFL?
Good players go to top programs. UGA is a top program, Tech is not.
But keep on slurping Richt and talking about what a great recruiter he is. The school primarily brings the players; the coach has a minimal impact.
TheXman
July 7th, 2011
10:20 am
almost to 100 wins…keep up the great work coach richt and see you at the dome very soon
DawginLex
July 7th, 2011
10:21 am
an illustrative story
to quote the moderator in Billy Madison:
“That story had absolutely no meaning or relevance to our discussion. You completely wasted all of our time and the story had not one single coherent thought. You are awarded zero points. Every person here is dumber for having listened to it. May God have mercy on your soul.”
Casey Anthony
July 7th, 2011
10:21 am
My Butt still sits in jail. Dawgs still stink. 5 – 7 Bank on it!
Timbodog
July 7th, 2011
10:22 am
“Xman” must be Richt’s nephew or something…he is running our program into the ground and you want him to stay 20 more years?
TheXman
July 7th, 2011
10:24 am
timbodog..you dont get it..richt got great players because he is a great coach and recruiter. he played qb in the pros and can relate with the kids. richt recruited and laned great players at fla st and when he came to uga, uga recruiting classes went from top 35-25 to top 10- 5…how can you no see that and admit that richt has it all. he can coach and recruit with teh best of them. the talent level since coach richt has been here has never been better on both sides of the ball.
Timbodog
July 7th, 2011
10:29 am
The talent level was just as good under Donnan…did you forget Richard Seymour, Marcus Stroud, and company?
Florida State won because they had superior talent to the rest of the ACC. And Richt wasn’t the head coach anyway.
Seriously, how much is Richt paying you to sing his praises like this?
Hardtruth Soldier
July 7th, 2011
10:32 am
Dawg Nation, You can’t be serious, to think that Lemay will sit and wait like D.J. This kid is just to good, and his father won’t let him make the same mistake that Don Shockley did. If you look back and see, Shockley had the same numbers as Cutler in his senior season, and took UGA to the SEC TITLE game,but the difference was experience,henceforth Cutler went in the first round and D.j. The seventh. Lemay’s father won’t allow that to happen. Murray is good, no doubting that, but this year, unlike years past, the rope is very short on players screwing up on the field as well as off the field. (Notice it’s been a quite no arrest summer)Mark Richt will slowly work this kid in the lineup and his mobility and arm will be something you can’t deny. The rope is very, very short in Athens,and trust me, nobody is safe this year. Remember the first rule of nature, self preservation. Richt must win and win now.
TheXman
July 7th, 2011
10:32 am
those guys dont want to go to tech because of the lame coaches they keep bringing in. chan gaily will prove to be better that johnson when its all said and done,which isnt saying much, but at least gailys team would win 8 games a year. johnson will be lucky to win 7 most years now that gailys players are all gone.
and uga is a tiop program because of richt..im pretty sure no one called uga top program before richt was here. not with goff and donnan..i liked donnan too but richt i like even more becasue he runs a program the right way while still winninng a ver high clip.. i would love for uga to win 11-12 games a year more, which richt alomost avg by the way, but i know no coach can win at the clip. in 10 years richt has had 1 losing season,..thats it…and he is far from running the program into the ground..your just plain silly if you really think that. or your really a tech fan hoping that uga fires richt, which will never happen.
Timbodog
July 7th, 2011
10:32 am
I could also point out that Richt’s best seasons came early in his career when he was playing with Donnan’s players.
Timbodog
July 7th, 2011
10:34 am
If I were a Tech fan I’d want UGA to keep Richt…he’s looked like a total buffoon against Tech the last three years.
TheXman
July 7th, 2011
10:34 am
but cutler is better than shockley so he should have been drafted higher. shockley was very good though.
TheXman
July 7th, 2011
10:35 am
a baffoon? how? he beat his offense rips them every year.
TheXman
July 7th, 2011
10:36 am
meant to write his offense shreds them every year
Timbodog
July 7th, 2011
10:36 am
11-2, 10-3, 8-5, 6-7…those are the records of Richt’s last four seasons. I’d call that running the program into the ground.
DawginLex
July 7th, 2011
10:37 am
timbo
don’t say Richt won with Donnan’s players. that makes you look stupid. you are smarter than that.
how many games did David Greene play for Donnan?
Donnan would have run a reverse on 4th and 15 against Auburn in 2002 and we would be sitting here today with zero SEC titles since 1982
Timbodog
July 7th, 2011
10:38 am
Yeah, and his defense gets ripped even worse…the last two we have won by the skin of our teeth despite having far superior talent.
redneckviking
July 7th, 2011
10:38 am
Murray to Mitchell…………………..touchdown
TheXman
July 7th, 2011
10:38 am
you could argue that and it wouldnt hold water because unlike johnson,.richt has won with his players as well. reason he is still coaching for the dogs after 10 years. he won jims players and an sec titlw with his as well and also finished number 2 in the country 1 year with his players.
Timbodog
July 7th, 2011
10:39 am
Just playing the Devil’s Advocate, Dawginlex…I know I went too far with that one.
But the point I made I still stand by…Donnan had just as good of talent as Richt has had.
The University brings the talent, not the coach.
SSIgator
July 7th, 2011
10:40 am
“Murray often joked that all he had to do was throw the ball high in the 6-4 Green’s general direction to complete a pass.”
If you saw the look on AJ’s face after one of those throws, he was not laughing. No wonder AJ Greenbacks left early. He could have been killed trying to catch some of those off-target throws that Murray was launching. But not to fear. Murray will be great this year. UGA sportswriters all say so.
TheXman
July 7th, 2011
10:41 am
guess you missed the last two games. not once was i worried that tech was going to win those games. johnsons offesnse had no passing game last year or bey bey to throw it up too. and the year before johnson had no timeouts left with 5 min to go and with his offense you need time outs.
OldFan
July 7th, 2011
10:43 am
Good stats. Promising talent. Losing record. Glad to see we’re solid at QB. Sure would like to win a few more games this season, and I believe we will. But from losing team to champions is way too far a stretch.
TheXman
July 7th, 2011
10:44 am
also its granthem defense now and they stopped tech all game last year. look at the avg per run. and the only reason they ran that well was becasue of another non johnson recruit. allen transferred in from louisville. another running back built for the pro style offense
Gary
July 7th, 2011
10:44 am
Without Green murray is done. Opposing teams will blitz almost every play without that weapon on the field. The o line will not be able to hold up. The kid is going to get crushed or scramble constanly. Get the back ups ready.
Timbodog
July 7th, 2011
10:46 am
You have an obsession with pointing out the flaws of Paul Johnson.
I’m more concerned with OUR coach…who cares where the players came from? The fact is they ran us ragged, and every single one of us knows we had FAR superior talent.
sandman053
July 7th, 2011
10:48 am
I think this year we might just “coach ‘em up.”
I am real excited to see Grantham’s defense in year two, especially with Big John Jenkins
SSIgator
July 7th, 2011
10:48 am
“Offense appears to be in good hands with Aaron Murray”
I guess, if that is the way you want to look at it. When as a Freshman QB you lead your team to a 6-7 record and can’t even beat a team with a winning record the future must really be great. I think they call that fuzzy logic.
TheXman
July 7th, 2011
10:49 am
timbo..richts players are better than donnans. plain and simple..the recruiting classes prove it, just look it up. i agree uga brings better players than tech but if there was a coaching change and say jim donnan had his offense back out there then johnson might land some players from georgia but most likely they would go to ala or south carolina and tenn and aub, but because richt is at uga he is landing those guys.
ROZEMAN13
July 7th, 2011
10:52 am
Please Lets try to get Lemay on the field, maybe wildcat or help maybe some nickel back until his time comes at QB. Lets not wast him for three years like Schockley Speed should always be on the field somewhere. Just an opionno expert here
TheXman
July 7th, 2011
10:52 am
if you would go back and watch the game you would see that they didnt really have achance of beating uga. the best qb was hurt for 1 thing and there offense couldnt score enough on our defense.guys might have been tired but most of that was becasue uga offense was scoring every 2 min. it could have been worse but tech ran out the clock with there running every play. richt wasnt looking to kill them he was just wanting to win the game.
AltamahaDawg
July 7th, 2011
10:53 am
“he is running our program into the ground and you want him to stay 20 more years?”
In that somehow different than pulling for Richt to win a bunch of games this year and get the program back on track, Just like you?
TheXman
July 7th, 2011
10:54 am
rozeman…uga has plenty of players to run the wildcat formation, they dont have to pull a red shirt off for that. nothing run redshirting a qb if you can. all colleges would love to have that luxury.
ROZEMAN13
July 7th, 2011
10:54 am
Man I need to learn to check My spelling before I hit submit.