Every bowl game has at least a player or two likely to be selected in the NFL Draft, but how about two potential 2013 top-ten picks? Georgia Bulldogs QB Aaron Murray and Central Florida Knights QB Jeff Godfrey are the first two freshman passers to rank in the top ten nationally in passer rating since Oklahoma Sooners QB Sam Bradford, who ended up winning a Heisman Trophy and being picked No. 1 by the St. Louis Rams.
But wait, there’s more! Both Liberty Bowl quarterbacks ranked in the top five in the nation in yards per attempt, both of them throwing for slightly more than Bradford did as a freshman. Both tied Heisman finalists Cam Newton and Kellen Moore with only six interceptions, good enough for 13th among all quarterbacks who threw 200 or more passes.
Godfrey completed a higher percentage of his throws, 68.4 to 61.8, and his 42 rushing yards per game topped Murray’s 14, but Murray did it against much tougher competition and without a defense that was much better than those of his opponents.
Some Godfrey highlights: