Notebook: QB Aaron Murray’s struggles coming mainly versus elite defenses
Aaron Murray says balance and footwork -- not nerves -- led to his poor first-half performance against Florida. (AJC photo by Bob Andres)
ATHENS — Aaron Murray is every bit the video junkie. But unlike normal, he dreaded getting up this past Sunday morning to head over to the football complex to review the tape of Georgia’s game against Florida.
Well, the first half at least.
“It was not good,” Murray said, but smiling and laughing as he did. “I tried not to go in but I had to get in here and watch the film. Definitely, there were some errors.”
Definitely.
The Bulldogs’ record-setting quarterback was breaking some personal records on infamy as he threw three interceptions in the opening two quarters against Florida. But Murray rebounded with a 45-yard touchdown pass in the second half and Georgia held on for decisive 17-9 win over the Gators.
Murray’s final line was not one of his better ones: 12-of-24 passing for 150 yards, 1 TD and 3 interceptions. But coming out with the victory helped salve any wounds Murray might have felt.
“It’s definitely one of the top ones for me, regardless of personal stats in the game,” said Murray, who hails from Tampa and was heavily recruited by the Gators. “All that doesn’t matter. I play to win games and that win was probably the biggest one I’ve ever been a part of since I’ve been here.”
While Murray contributed significantly to winning the game, his performance against the Gators continued a trend of struggle in big games against elite defenses. That’s certainly not unusual; the best defenses are going to make quarterback look worse – but a lot of Murray’s mistakes against Florida weren’t necessarily made under the duress pressure. They were simply bad reads or bad throws, neither of which Murray normally does much.
The first one Murray tried to force into triple coverage, the second was badly overthrown and the third was delivered late and off target over the middle. Here’s Murray’s explanations:
- Of the first interception, an attempt to tight end Jay Rome, Murray said: “I saw a window but it was a very, very tight window and the safety didn’t really back off at all. He pretty much sat on the route and I should have checked down to my fullback and gotten a nice little three- or four-yard completion.”
- Of the second one, an overthrow on an attempt to split end Marlon Brown over the middle, he said: “That was probably the worst throw I’ve ever made in my life. That was just me trying not to make a mistake on a pass and trying to throw it like a dart instead of throwing it like a football. “
- Of the third one, a hard over-the-middle throw for receiver Rantavious Wooten: “My feet just weren’t right and I was trying to throw it across the middle.”
Murray said his film study revealed it was mainly a matter of fundamentals. His tendency is to get off balance and neglect his footwork, which he is concentrating on improving in practice this week. But there is also evidence that Murray may be a little too pumped up and/or pressing in the Bulldogs’ most important games.
In his two games against Top 10 opponents South Carolina and Florida this season, Murray has completed 23 of 55 of passes (41.8 percent) for 259 yards and 1 touchdown with 4 interceptions. In his games against everybody else this season, Murray has completed 129 of 168 passes for 1,805 yards and 16 touchdowns with just 3 interceptions.
He has thrown 7 picks in three games against the Gators and had two interceptions in each of the Bulldogs’ final two games last season against LSU in the SEC Championship Game and Michigan State in the Outback Bowl. Both were Top 10 opponents.
“I don’t know,” quarterbacks coach Mike Bobo said. “The guy has performed so well over his career. The SEC Championship last year, he was on point in the first half and we didn’t help him out catching the ball. The bottom line is you’ve just got to relax and show you can play the way you’ve always played and be confident.”
Murray doesn’t believe he’s pressing more in big games, though he did say Bobo told him at halftime “to calm down and relax.”
“I’ve played in a lot of big games,” Murray said. “The locker room was all positive as far as my teammates and other coaches and I wasn’t stressed and freaking out. I just knew I had to clean things up. We were still up 7-6 at halftime so I knew I just needed to settle down a little bit and I’d be ready to go.A lot of my inaccuracy had to do with my feet not being on balance and that’s pretty much the reason. Come the second half, you could definitely see my footwork getting back to what it’s been during the entire season before and that’s when I started hitting more receivers.
The bottom line is Murray got the job done on Saturday, and his coaches and teammates have been unwavering in their support.
Asked if they’d considered making a quarterback change at any point in the game, coach Mark Richt snapped: “Aaron is the guy. Period.”
Jordan Jenkins’ stock is up
Richt confirmed on Wednesday that Jordan Jenkins has solidified his status as starter at “Sam,” or strongside, outside linebacker opposite of Jarvis Jones. Junior Chase Vasser is currently sidelined with a shoulder injury and senior Cornelius Washington has been playing primarily at a down lineman position since senior Abry Jones was lost for the season with an ankle injury.
Besides, Jenkins is playing lights out. The 6-foot-3, 257-pound athlete from Harris County has now started three games and, despite limited playing time early in the season, he’s second on the team in sacks (3), tackles for loss (6) and quarterback pressures (13).
“We’re going to play him as much as he can,” defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said. “He’s really come on and produced and really had a chance to have a sack the other night and he’s done some other good things. So we’ll continue to play him and try to get players that can make plays on the field.”
Having Jenkins opposite of Jones has proved particularly effective as teams are running away from the Bulldogs’ All-American only to find Jenkins at the ready. Occasionally, Grantham will pair them on the same side.
“Those two guys have got a pretty good pass rush, a pretty good twitch, get-off, and it allows them not to be able to say that they can totally go to this guy,” Grantham said. “If they do, it’s going to leave somebody else one-on-one. By doing that, though, a guy like Cornelius Washington went inside and that was really big for us. I thought Cornelius did good inside, so at times we had as many as three outside backers in there, maybe four every now and then.”
John Jenkins sidelined, Hall out
Starting nose guard John Jenkins was help out of practice Wednesday because of an ankle injury he suffered in practice on Tuesday. Richt indicated the 6-foot-3, 358-pound senior will be able to play against Ole Miss on Saturday.
“We think he’ll be fine but we didn’t want to put him out there today,” Richt said. “We think he’ll be ready.”
Richt said starting fullback Merritt Hall (ankle) did not practice and is likely out for Saturday’s game. He said junior Zander Ogletree, who played every fullback snap against the Gators, will start instead.
Etc. . . .
Cornerback Damian Swann was in a non-contact, green jersey but is not expected to miss any playing time this week. . . . Richt said Jamie Lindley handled all the kickoffs against Florida because Georgia wanted to attempt an onsides kick, Richt said. He won’t necessarily handle them against Ole Miss, however. “I don’t think Marshall (Morgan) is done with that,” Richt said. . . . Since it has been more than a month since the last home game, the Bulldogs expecting a big recruiting weekend. Among the unofficial visitors will be Grayson defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche, the younger brother of Ole Miss linebacker and leading tackler Denzel Nkemdiche.
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
337 comments Add your comment
DawgFanInBama
November 1st, 2012
9:45 am
Someone pointed out Murrays main flaw…He only focuses on one receiver and than stares him down the entire time. On all 3 INT, the guy he was throwing to was either double or triple covered. Why did they know to double/triple team that guy? Because Murray had his eyes on him from the snap. Murray had guys WIDE open on all 3 picks yet tried to force it to his prime target. I know for a fact that Tavares King was wide open on 2 of those plays.
monty
November 1st, 2012
9:47 am
We sure miss Bennett. Not sure what to make of our vaulted pass offense in big games. If it all boils down to Murray playing better or is it our receivers who can’t get open or if it’s the scheme of Bobo. Seemed like Aaron had 3 seconds several times but couldn’t spot anyone to throw to. Florida had DB’s draped on our receivers. JUst not sure what to make of it.
monty
November 1st, 2012
9:49 am
Florida’s QB has only started a handful of games, Murray is a seasoned pro by comparison.
AltamahaDawg
November 1st, 2012
9:49 am
I am surprised how little has been said about the 3 drops by WR in the second half. Those all forced punts and put the game in dager just as much. I would assume there were also multiple errors made in routes, but that’s the kind of thing they see in the film room, not on national TV.
ugab
November 1st, 2012
9:50 am
I don’t think Lemay is ready. He is a dual threat. Maybe put him in some wild cat. What about lil Tbow? He is a big ole boy.
AltamahaDawg
November 1st, 2012
9:53 am
I only hope when I “choke” in real life, in business, I recover as well as Murray has to beat my competitor and land the biggest deal of the year, 2 out of 3 times.
JvilleDawg
November 1st, 2012
9:53 am
I think the FL win will do a lot for Aaron’s confidence going forward. I think it was a head thing. He’s not stupid, he heard it from the media, fans and critics about “not winning the big game”. Even though he won’t admit it, his problem is he comes into those games all amped up and not so much pressing or playing tight, but trying to do too much, like he has to prove that he can play against top competition. His receivers HAVE to help him out. A.Lynch drops a pass right to him and had nothng but green grass in front of him. TK dropped on that he planted right between the 1 and 2 on his jersey and had one man to beat. Both would/could have been 40-50yd TDs. If those two make the plays and his stat line went to 240yds and 3 TDs we wouldn’t even be having this discussion with or without the INTs. He’s an aggressive QB who attacks, and those type of QBs tend to throw a lot of picks but also throw for a lot of yds and TDs and tend to have a lot of long plays. i.e. Brett Farve. (NO I”M NOT SAYING AM IS BRETT FARVE JUST USING HIM AS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT STYLE QB)
Neutral
November 1st, 2012
9:53 am
Please read my last blog and consider this: Murray has struggled against FL, SC, LSU and Michigan State over the past 2 years in the “Big Games”. Is it all Murray’s fault or is it that EVERY QB in the nation….even at Bama has struggled against ALL of those teams because ALL of these teams have or had defenses in the TOP 5 in the nation….ALL of them. Even Peyton Manning would have had problems…..as he demonstrated by losing to FL 4 consecutive years when FL had top ranked defenses. Please quit piling on Murray and accusing him of choking….if that is the case then you need to say the same for the QBs at FL, SC, LSU and even Bama (note: in the regular season loss last year to LSU….Bama only scored 6 points….and it was a home game for Bama)
ugab
November 1st, 2012
9:53 am
Altahama
There were some drops. Just like in the LSU game. It does not make AM look any better, when the WR can not catch a catchable ball. Where is AJ Green when you need him?
ugab
November 1st, 2012
9:56 am
Murray is the man for the job. The entire team needs to play balanced. Murray can not do it all. Lynch need to step it up.
AltamahaDawg
November 1st, 2012
10:00 am
To me the biggest compliment you can make about a QB is DESPITE having a terrible first half, he had a heck of a second half to win the game.
And BTW, Any credit whatsoever to “coaching” that settled him down and directed him to defeat Florida? Florida, #2 Florida. Jacksonville. Twice. No, because it’s only “coaching” when it’s a bad result.
AltamahaDawg
November 1st, 2012
10:02 am
Put in a different QB, when Murray makes mistakes…………you people have lost your mind. Yea, Mason was going to beat Florida. Sure he was.
I-DOG
November 1st, 2012
10:03 am
North Carolina:
Well, technically he won the big game last Saturday didn’t he? I mean Georgia did beat #2 ranked Florida so it isn’t fair to say he will never win the big game.
It might be fair to say that the incredible job by the defense and 6 Florida turnovers assisted Georgia in the win more than Murray’s mediocre performance
Joey
November 1st, 2012
10:06 am
Murray misses his big, over-the-middle WR, Bennent. I bet 10-12 passes have been dropped since Bennent went out.
The other receivers, even the TE’s (maybe except MM?) are “sometimers” that have aligator arms when thrown to, over the middle.
Neutral
November 1st, 2012
10:08 am
You are so incredibly correct JvilleDawg!!! The negative bloggers contribute more to “failure” than to “success”. When you say things like, “can’t win the big game”, “choke against top10 teams”, etc., you start believing as a player that you really can’t do those things. Now that we have beaten the #2 team in America…..let’s try to think positive. We have also beaten 3 ranked teams in our last 10-12 regular season games. There are books written about the “power of positive thinking” and I sincerely believe it is a totally true philosophy. I BEG YOU TRUE FANS TO QUIT NIT PICKING AND START BELIEVING. LEAVE THE PAST IN THE PAST AND QUIT REGURGITATING EVERY NEGATIVE STAT. GO DAWGS……and let’s run the table and play our hearts out in Atlanta!!!
JB
November 1st, 2012
10:11 am
And please, Florida was NOT the #2 team in the Nation. By poll yes, but anyone think Dawgs would fair well against this years Oregon or Notre Dame team?
AltamahaDawg
November 1st, 2012
10:12 am
That’s true, I-Dog, but wouldn’t it also be true that special team miscues, missed blocks, and a porous defense at times, ALSO contributed to several of those”big game” losses we love to hang entirely on Murray neck too?
Columbus
November 1st, 2012
10:12 am
You can see it all over Murray’s face when he is shaken. Its like all confidence is dranied out of his body and certainly his mind. Like he is severely lost. Paralyzed mentally and in confidence might be a good way to describe what I see and have seen on several occasions.
JB
November 1st, 2012
10:12 am
News Flash…..No bloggers on here affect ANYTHING on the UGA football team. Please.
CHDawg
November 1st, 2012
10:14 am
Mobile, what I meant was establish the pass first, not pass on first down. We threw the majority of plays in the TD drive, and Murray looked great on that drive. He looked strong for most of the second half, in fact. That the Dawgs can attack with a run-first, or a pass-first strategy makes us tough to defend. The one missing ingredient, imo, has been our line blocking. They look like they are improving to me, and I expect a lot of momentum going forward. You remember how much we improved in ‘07 as the season went on. If we can do that again, we should finish very strong. Here is hoping that is the case. Ole Miss played Bama closer than any team this year, so we have our work cut out this week.
bill arp
November 1st, 2012
10:14 am
Murray is what, 1-10 against top ranked teams? There’s no arguing he does have a different look in his eye when they play a big game. And the yanking the chin strap thing tells me he may be a little spoiled. and it just seems to me, that if he studies SO much film, why does he need to look over to the sideline to get the play? Shouldn’t he automatically know by what he see’s?
other than that, he’s a pretty good qb.
AltamahaDawg
November 1st, 2012
10:15 am
That #2 ranking sure was the gospel in here last week.
Neutral
November 1st, 2012
10:16 am
Right on AltamahaDawg!!!!! P.S. The GT bloggers begged, pleaded, screamed and hollered to put Vad Lee into the game last week….and he looked great for a few plays and as the defense adjusted to his playing style he was annihilated !!!! That is why we pay big bucks for coaches and they know, not us, who the best QBs are. To you Sunday Morning Coaches…….. Quit thinking you have a better plan because you DON’T, you absolutely don’t have a clue !!!!
CHDawg
November 1st, 2012
10:17 am
JB, you are right, the BCS computer had Florida ranked number 1 in the country.
Neutral
November 1st, 2012
10:19 am
Yes JB, I think we would fare very well against those teams. Are you a GT fan or just one of those negative bloggers who is never satisfied that I mentioned earlier?!?!
Joey
November 1st, 2012
10:20 am
JB, do you think Notre Dame or Oregon could beat A&M, LSU, UT, and SC?
Cause UF has . . .
JB
November 1st, 2012
10:20 am
LOL….CHDawg……….The computer was wrong
AltamahaDawg
November 1st, 2012
10:21 am
Bill , is it really your honest opinion that the reason they freeze the snap count and all 11 player look over at the sideline for the adjustment is becasue Murray “doesn’t know what he sees”? Seriously, thats why you think they do that?
CHDawg
November 1st, 2012
10:21 am
Some of you guys might want to look at the game on an HD DVR and notice how many times Murray has a monster in his face as he is throwing. The fact that he threw surgically in the second half with one of the nation’s top defenses (filled with 5 stars, btw) in his face, tells me most of you have absolutely no clue about evaluating SEC QBs.
BooneDawg
November 1st, 2012
10:23 am
I respect Murray’s toughness and committment to excellence. I know he works hard and has extremely high expectations for himself. But, to me, he comes across just like the golfer that thinks he can better his score if he gets his club a little more on plane. Of course, there is some truth to this, mechanics and fundamenals do matter and I am a big advocate. But, it is really a matter of relative importance. Meaning, what is more important, great fundamentals or just being a great gamer? If I were Bobo I would tell Aaron to spend an hour less each day watching film and working on his fundamentals and an hour more playing backyard football (or some other sport for that matter) with his buddies. He needs to do less “left brain thinking” and more “right brain playing”. He just needs to fricken play. If he can understand his dominant mindset (which sure seems to me to be a left brain analytic) and utilizes techniques to make a shift (which is possible), I think he could be a great player.
Joey
November 1st, 2012
10:23 am
Dang, Neutral – don’t have a coronary. We all don’t have to think exactly alike on here.
Neutral
November 1st, 2012
10:24 am
JB…..FL was #2 in the BCS (Polls and computers). Sorry they weren’t #2 in the real expert’s (JB) poll. Hopefully we will one day be able to understand your logic. Again, you are one of the negative bloggers who most definitely is a GT fan trying to act like a UGa fan. I guess it is some type of “envy” behavior!!!
Tide Roll
November 1st, 2012
10:24 am
And it’s not just Richt and Booboo. It’s rhe history of your football program. FOUR In-state QB(s) have led teams other than UGA to National Titles. Homer Jordan, Charlie Ward, Sean Jones and Cam Newton. Either your coaches don’t know what they’re doing or y’all are supporting a racist program
DogFaceBlues
November 1st, 2012
10:25 am
One of the major flaws of AM is not his mechanics, its his height. If you was a short feller trying to see over the hedges, you would be undecided what cheerleader to look at. If I was a recruiter, the first thing I would look for is height.
JB
November 1st, 2012
10:26 am
Not a Tech fan….. Just tired of seeing this program do less with more. I am hard on this coach. Not because I don’t like him. I do. I have met Mark on several occasions and voiced my concerns to him face to face. He understands and tells me there are lot’s of circumstances that effect decisions that the public doesn’t know or see. True…..But at the end of the day, Saban is fixing to win his 3rd title probably in 6 years at Bama…While we as state have more D1 talent and as much money as anyone, can’t sniff one in 12 years. I’ve determined it’s coaching. Sorry, But That’s how I see it…And no, I don’t want to be a Bama fan. I want MY HOME STATE and University to win a title.
I-DOG
November 1st, 2012
10:27 am
Richt’s comment that there will be no change at QB seems to have drawn the ire of some in Dawgnation. Honestly, it is the only answer since there is no plan B at this point. Lemay is not ready (he may be good someday, but from what what we saw in his limited playing time this year that day is not now).
Mason wasn’t deemed by the staff to be the best QB and bringing him in cold against Ole Miss when he hasn’t played a snap this year due to trying to redshirt him doesn’t make any sense either.
The only way Mason plays is if Murray can’t physically play for some reason. If Georgia were to lose to Ole Miss or Murray were to have a historically bad game against ole miss that could change, but as this article points out, he usually plays well against teams like Ole Miss and this year’s Auburn team, GSU and tech. I expect Murray to have four good games to finish the regular season.
Tide Roll
November 1st, 2012
10:27 am
So which is it?
JvilleDawg
November 1st, 2012
10:28 am
@JB – If you feel that way about Oregon or ND then why should any team bother playing the games? I laugh at the ESPN folks who have already put Bama in the NC game. There is a LOT of football left to be played.
2-3 games ago Geno Smith had the Heisman locked up and people were saying no one could stop West Va’s juggernaught offense.
Bama might not even get out of Baton Rouge unscathed. (go ahead an laugh if you want) But go take a look at Bama’s schedule and who they’ve played to date. They are running off a lot of hype because of where a couple of their opponents were ranked early in the season. Michigan has played 3 good teams this year Bama, ND and Nebraska and lost all 3. Compare what Bama did against UGA common opponents FAU and Missouri. Tenn was the only one with some disparity in the score because we gave up more in a game that was Tree and Rambo’s 1st game back from suspension and a banged up Jarvis.
Simply put you will very often find whatever you’re looking for. I can’t believe people are on here STILL criticizing coaches and players after one of the biggest VICTORIES UGA has had in a while. Sheesh, how about just enjoying it, and let the season play out and see what happens.
AltamahaDawg
November 1st, 2012
10:30 am
Jb, you realize we won this weekend, right?
Got you on the whole “I want National Championship, like my Alabama Buddies beat thier chest about” deal , but man, WHY this week to be so bitter?
Neutral
November 1st, 2012
10:31 am
AltamahaDawg
I notice that the offense freezing the snap also takes place with FL, LSU, SC, TN and Bama. I had the same question, but the QB must be looking for some type of guidance from the coach who may be getting Info from the booth (better view of the entire field). Actually I don’t have a clue, but it seems to be what the great teams do.
JB
November 1st, 2012
10:31 am
Neutral……..I’m just saying the polls had Florida wrong. They were not that good. Their Offense is horrible…and the Dawgs, other than Murray’s off night, played a good football game.
CHDawg
November 1st, 2012
10:32 am
T.Roll, that has to be the dumbest question I have ever seen, man! You are accusing UGA of being racist because they don’t have enough black players? You might want to take a look at the team picture, buddy. The fact that players go to other states to play ball is a fact of life. For instance, Gurley, Lemay, and Marshall are from NC, while Murray, Theus, Wooten, and many more are from Florida, and we even have some kids from Bama, I think. Please get a life.
Mobile Dawg
November 1st, 2012
10:33 am
Neutral, get of JB’s back, he’s been here a lot longer than you, at least with the same moniker. Just because everyone’s not a “pie in the sky” blind follower doesn’t make them wrong. I’d take a realist on my team any day over a “warm and fuzzy” everything is groovey guy like you. Reality, until proven differently on the football field, with some consistency, not just one win, says Richt is not earning his salary.
Joey
November 1st, 2012
10:34 am
Tide Roll, shut up, you idiot jackass. So all of those players WANTED to play for UGA? They all were dying to be a Bulldog, but our coaches told them, “sorry, but there’s a problem with your color?”
What a moron you are.
How long do we have to put up with called racists, Chip?
CHDawg
November 1st, 2012
10:36 am
JB, we are entitled to our opinions, but I think Muschamp has done a great job and the Gators have a great team. Their offense is very good and getting better each game imo.
JB
November 1st, 2012
10:39 am
Thanks mobile…..I did enjoy the win……My eyes told me were were 2 seconds and one Jarvis great play from maybe not winning. And yes, I don’t look at this program from the viewpoint of the last 7 days. I look at the trend over the last four years I’ve seen. At the end of the day, Richt is 1-9 over the last 10 big time football games he;s played. I’m puzzled why favorite players play over more talented ones. He’s the coach. I accept that. It is unusual.
JB
November 1st, 2012
10:41 am
CHDawg……I agree. Muschamp is doing a good job year two.IMO, Just mine, if not for Shawn Williams, we don’t win last week. And yes, Just my opinion.
kingdaddy
November 1st, 2012
10:41 am
As a junior, Murray own most records at UGA just beat UF for the second year in a row. No he didn’t do it by himself but it’s been a while since we beat a #2 and the Gators twice in a row. If we had lost, it would have been his fault, so since we won, it was his win. Remember, Murray is not calling the plays. If he would play small-ball better, we would have opportunities for home-runs. He trys to force it too much. Also as our Oline improves, so will his “happy-feet”…Thanks in part to Arron Murray, we are having a pretty good year. We live for things bigger than ourselves (Mitt Romney) …
JvilleDawg
November 1st, 2012
10:42 am
Tide Roll
November 1st, 2012
10:24 am
Either your coaches don’t know what they’re doing or y’all are supporting a racist program
WOW an Alabama person calling Georgia’s program RACIST?!! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!
Has Bama EVER had an African-American QB? Oh and btw, CMR coached one of the QBs you mentioned (Charlie Ward), plus DJ Shockley, and recruited Christian LeMay.
Not to mention we were one of the earlier SEC teams to have a full time starter at QB.
Here’s a list:
James Jackson (84-87) 19-9-2 as a starter
Wayne Johnson (85-88) 14-4 as a starter
Quincy Carter (98-00) 22-9 as a starter
DJ Shockley (02-05) 10-2 as a starter
Not to mention 6 others that played limited time in single seasons including one Hines Ward.
Who else can you name that had significant time at QB outside of Andrew Zow?
RxDawg
November 1st, 2012
10:43 am
I didn’t think Murray was that bad in the game. The only INT I think was completely his fault was the throw to Rome in coverage. Otherwise I thought Aaron had a good game and was pretty clutch in the 4th.
Why are we even bothering with Kemdiche? That dude doesn’t want to stay in the state, I’d withdrawl his scholy offer and focus on people that want to be Dawgs.