In the span of one year, Georgia QB Aaron Murray has gone from an apple-cheeked freshman to being the most popular choice on most pundits’ preseason All-SEC rosters. If there was any temptation for him to get complacent about that, though, the 6-7 record last season probably got rid of it.
“Going 6-7 adds motivation,” he said. “Then, to add the team [Boise State] that’s won the most games the last four or five years . . . we want to show the nation we’re still a great team.”
With A.J. Green gone to the NFL, who’s Murray’s go-to target now? That would be Tavarres King, whom Murray said has not only been working with him “non-stop” but has also “done a tremendous job of taking over as a leader. He’s more like a mentor now.” Marlon Brown, a highly touted WR recruit who’s only been used sparingly his first couple seasons, “is looking awesome. He looks like a tight end now.”
When asked about the contentious (and painful-looking) finish to last year’s Auburn game, and whether the NCAA does enough to protect QBs, Murray was matter-of-fact: “I think they do enough. It’s part of the game. You’re gonna get the wind knocked out of you and you’re gonna take some hard hits.” Someone pointed out Will Muschamp’s the previous day about D-lines being the most critical elements to a team’s success in the SEC, and Murray agreed: “They’re HUGE. And they’re fast.” Last year, he said, he noticed a big difference between D-lines from out-of-conference teams and the lines from the SEC teams he played.
Naturally, Murray also got asked about whether he feels any additional pressure knowing that Mark Richt has been talked about as being on one of the hottest seats in the country. “I don’t want to say it puts pressure on us,” he said. But “We want him to be our coach. I want him to be here for the next three years.”