Georgia QB Aaron Murray vs. Louisiana-Lafayette: Off to a Winning Start

When redshirt freshman Aaron Murray faced Louisiana-Lafayette on September 4, he hadn’t played in a game since 2008. His last contest in high school ended with a state championship. His first one in college led to a 55-7 win for Georgia.

Despite the nearly two year lapse, Murray didn’t appear rusty. His first snap of the game resulted in a three-yard completion to Branden Smith. Next, he handed off to Caleb King for a four-yard gain. His third play was an 11-yard pass caught by Chris Young.

Although Murray’s first drive didn’t put points on the board, it did instill confidence in Georgia fans. You could almost hear the crowd inside Sanford Stadium exhale.

Much of the preseason hype focused on Murray’s inexperience and average performance in spring camp. His debut in red and black helped put the worst fears to rest. He played with poise, accuracy, agility and mostly good decision-making.

When Murray handed over the reins to true-freshman reserve Hutson Mason late in the third quarter, Georgia was up 41-7. His last play was a touchdown pass to Fred Munzenmaier.  

Murray finished 17 of 26 for 160 yards and three touchdowns. His longest pass came at the start of the second quarter. On third and 11, Murray connected 41 yards with Kris Durham in the end zone.

His most controversial play came eight seconds before the half expired. Georgia was second and 10 and Murray had no open receivers. He rushed hard for 16 yards and dove across the goal line for a touchdown.

Despite the 31-7 halftime lead, Mark Richt looked irritated not happy. He wanted Murray to throw out-of-bounds and stop the clock so Blair Walsh could attempt a short field goal. Instead, he got a potentially risky run that could have injured his young quarterback.

Murray got the message. He summed it up this way: “We didn’t have any timeouts left, and there was only eight seconds. Coach was like, ‘If you can’t score, try to throw the ball out of bounds.’ Luckily we got a score. I realize in a game situation, from now on, we probably should make sure we get points at the end of the half.”

For the most part, Murray’s touch was golden. His only interception came on a perfectly-delivered pass that was dropped by Durham, who missed the entire 2009 season following a medical redshirt.

In the coming weeks, Murray undoubtedly faces faster, bigger, less-forgiving opponents, but he is off to a good start. Even without star-receiver A.J. Green, Murray helped orchestrate the most points in a Georgia season opener since 1998 when Quincy Carter led the Bulldogs to a 56-3 win against Kent State.  

Under Mark Richt, only D.J. Shockley had a better debut as starting quarterback. In Georgia’s 2005 opener, he recorded five touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown for a total of 374 yards against Boise State.

Of course Shockley was redshirted in 2001 and played behind David Greene. When he took the field for the first time as a starter four years later, he was a much more seasoned quarterback than Murray.

Other SEC schools put young guns on the field for their openers, but not as starters.

Mississippi State’s reserve quarterback Tyler Russell, a redshirt freshman, took over from Chris Relf in the second half. He threw 256 yards and recorded four touchdowns and no interceptions in a 49-7 win over Memphis.   

South Carolina, Georgia’s next opponent, gave playing time to true freshman reserve Connor Shaw who passed for 32 yards and rushed for 31 yards. The Gamecocks beat Southern Mississippi 41-13.

When Murray meets up with the South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia next week, he will be tested against his first SEC rival. Think he’s ready to bring home a conference win for Georgia? Comment below.