Georgia Football: Evaluating Aaron Murray at the Midway Point of the 2010 Season

If one was to grade the Georgia Bulldogs at the midway point of the season, the grade would not be a very high one.

But if one was to grade Aaron Murray for his play during the halfway point of the season, the grade would be significantly higher because he has played well in nearly every game.

What’s interesting about Murray is the biggest question for Georgia coming into the season was how will Murray fare in his freshmen season and if he struggles, would Mark Richt turn to Logan Gray? Now the question is how can the rest of the team match the level Murray is playing in order to salvage the season?

Murray was a blue-chip prospect from Tampa, Fla. and many thought he would be Georgia’s next great quarterback. And it’s something Georgia needed because much of their success has been relying on great quarterback play.

One example would David Greene who led the Bulldogs to a SEC title in 2002 and ended his career at that time as the winningest quarterback in NCAA history. Another example would be Matthew Stafford leading the Dawgs to a Sugar Bowl victory in 2008 and Georgia ended that season with a No. 2 ranking.

So there was a lot on Murray’s shoulder’s to carry and he had not played a down of college football yet. But that did not phase the 19-year old and showed everyone he was ready for the challenge from the start.

In the season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette he went 17-of-26 with 160 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He also added 42 yards rushing and one rushing touchdown.

In the second game against South Carolina, he did not have the game like the previous contest, going 14-of-21 with 192 yards and no touchdowns in the loss.

He was able to bounce back in the third game against Arkansas with 256 yards passing, one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown.

In the tough loss to Mississippi State, Murray threw for 274 yards and threw a late TD pass in the loss.

The Colorado game was another strong game for the freshman, throwing for 221 yards and three touchdowns.

But many would say his best game to date would be the game he played against Tennessee last week, going 17-of-25 with 266 yards, two passing touchdowns, 41 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.

So if you look at the stats, Murray is on pace to throw for over 2,700 yards and 20 touchdowns which is impressive for a first-year player.

But if a grade had to be given to Murray it would be a B-plus.

The reason why it's not an A is the team is only 2-4 and while Murray is not the reason for the team’s slow start, it is a team game and everyone including Murray has room for improvement.

The second half will indicate if Murray will be able to be the quarterback Georgia fans want him to be. If he is able to play well against Florida, Auburn and Georgia Tech, the Bulldogs have a star in the making in Aaron Murray, if he’s not there already.

One way or the other, it should be an interesting second half to the season.