Aaron Murray: Will Georgia's New QB Revitalize the Bulldogs?

On September 4, redshirt freshmen QB Aaron Murray officially takes charge of a Georgia team in dire need of a hero. Over the last few years, Georgia’s football program can best be summed up as one of squandered potential.

The Dawgs couldn’t get the job done even with a standout roster that included Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno, Mohamed Massaquoi, Rennie Curran, Reshad Jones, Jeff Owens and Geno Atkins. Of course they struggled with injuries, a young offensive line and a mostly anemic defense, but the talent was there.

From a coaching perspective, former DC Willie Martinez was a weak link. Replacing him with Todd Grantham and a 3-4 defense may put the “junkyard” back in the Dawgs.

On offense, Mike Bobo was pushed from the press box to the sidelines midway through last season after a blowout loss to Tennessee. He had mostly good results thereafter (5 wins, 2 loses) and has already announced he will stay on the sidelines this year.

Higher up the food chain, Mark Richt is entering his 10th season with Georgia. His overall record of 90-27 is impressive but it's possible he just doesn’t have a championship in him. Les Miles (LSU) and Nick Saban (Alabama) were able to produce national championship teams during their third years as head coach at their respective schools, and Urban Myer did it in two at Florida.

Whether past problems originated in the coaches' room or the locker room, someone clearly needs to ignite a fire on the field this year. Is Murray the man?

After a year of foundering under the wildly inconsistent arm of Joe Cox, Georgia needs a freshmen QB in the vein of Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow, Jamelle Holieway (Oklahoma, 1985, before injury) or Bernie Kosar (Miami, 1983). Every time those guys suited up, they gave their team a way to win big. Every time Cox suited up, he mostly gave fans heartburn. Not even a star receiver like A.J. Green can do it alone—someone needs to get him the ball.

There is a lot of well-placed anticipation riding on Murray’s 6'1" frame. When he was recruited by Georgia in 2008, he was considered the No. 8 quarterback in the country. During his junior year at Plant High School in Tampa, Florida, Murray threw for 4,012 yards and 51 touchdowns. He was also a machine on the ground rushing for 932 yards and 12 touchdowns (Tim Tebow anyone?).

During his senior year, Murray threw for over 1,900 yards and 33 touchdowns before suffering a broken fibula. He was out a large part of the season but returned to lead his team to a state championship title after throwing 344 yards and three touchdowns.

Fast-forward to Georgia 2009 where Murray sat out as a redshirt freshman under Cox. His sabbatical was probably a wasted opportunity for the Dawgs, but at least it gave Murray time to learn the program. He has already been through two springs and an entire football season. At this year’s SEC Media Days, Mark Richt summed it up this way: "You can get him in the meeting room, get him on the board, ask him anything. He'll tell you the answer, get it right. And that could be exciting as a coach.”

On the not so positive side, he lacks real playing time. During Georgia’s annual spring G-Day game last April, Murray hardly wowed fans. He completed 10-of-22 passes for 96 yards and one interception. His competition for the position, Zach Mettenberger, had a stronger performance but was later tossed from the team.

Although Murray seems to have gotten the starting job by default—Logan Gray was never really a threat—there’s hope that he can do for Georgia what he did at Plant High.

His numbers have improved in summer scrimmages and he appears to be settling down. But can Murray be a game-changer in the fall? The Dawgs will find out soon enough.

Luckily, Murray can ease into the job against Louisiana-Lafayette before facing Steve Spurrier and the South Carolina Gamecocks, who have their own quarterback quandary with Stephen Garcia. Around the SEC, Florida, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee all have a new crop of QBs so at least Georgia is not in it alone.

Bottom line: If Georgia is going to break through to the top of the SEC, someone has to step up to role of hero. It’s a big role for an untested quarterback to fill but that’s what separates good high school players from collegiate champions.

Weigh in Dawgs fans, what do you think? Will Murray make the difference? Will this be the “Year of the Dawgs” or another year of rebuilding? Comment below.