Georgia Football: Murray, Houston Headline Week 2 Awards In South Carolina Loss

There’s not a lot of good to be taken away from the loss against South Carolina because the Dawgs just did not look that great. However, there were some players that stood above the rest and will be players to watch for as the season rolls on. Here are some awards to give out for Week 2 of the 2010 season.

GAME BALL- Aaron Murray

Coming into the game, there were a lot of questions concerning how Murray would do in his first road SEC game. Even though the offense scored zero touchdowns, Murray looked poised and confident in the pocket, going 14-of-22 with no touchdowns but zero picks. With the confidence he showed in the game on Saturday showed opposing fans do not phase him, which is good because SEC quarterbacks have to have ice in their veins to be effective. Let’s hope they open the playbook against Arkansas next Saturday.

OFFENSIVE MVP- Kris Durham

He is no A.J. Green, but Durham was able to be a big target for Murray. In the loss against the Gamecocks, Durham caught 3 balls for 76 yards including a huge 55 yard reception early in the third quarter. The catch led to the Dawgs driving all the way to the Gamecocks 1-yard line, but Washaun Ealey fumbled at the 1-yard line which South Carolina recovered. Durham will have to have another big game against Arkansas if UGA doesn’t want to go 0-2.

DEFENSIVE MVP-Justin Houston

The defensive unit had a hard time stopping running back Marcus Lattimore who rushed for 182 yards and two touchdowns. But they were able to apply pressure on Stephen Garcia who was sacked five times in the game. Justin Houston was able to get three of the sacks and it’s the most for a Bulldog since Marcus Howard got three in the Sugar Bowl in 2008. Houston is picking up where he left off last year where he notched 7.5 sacks. Expect him to have monster year at the outside linebacker position.

SPECIAL TEAMS MVP- Drew Butler

One of the reasons Butler was the Ray Guy award winner last season was his consistency. He was able to keep up that trend Saturday, punting five times with an average of 42.8 with the longest punt being 51 yards. By the way the offense played on Saturday, field position is going to be key for the Bulldogs this season, so Butler will have games where his punts will be more key towards the latter part of the season.

As said earlier, there wasn’t a lot of good to take from the loss, but Murray, Houston, Durham and Butler are guys that stepped up when there number is called upon. Now, if the rest of the team can do the same thing, the Bulldogs will have no problems when they face Arkansas at Sanford Stadium high noon on Saturday.