Aaron Murray Rides Again

The SEC’s Erstwhile Punching Bag Gets One Last Shot

By Chris Landers

It might just be because he’s seemingly been on campus since the Clinton Administration, but Aaron Murray has been the perfect encapsulation of the Mark Richt era at Georgia — loads of talent and expectation, and always just tragically short.

AP Photo

By now, the numbers are nothing new: following a season-opening loss to Clemson, Murray was 4-11 against ranked teams, including a heartbreaker to Alabama in the 2012 SEC Championship Game with a shot at a national title on the line.

Judging an individual with team statistics is always problematic, and it bears mentioning that Murray’s reputation isn’t entirely deserved — the Tide rolled up over 300 yards rushing last year in Atlanta, after all, and there’s been plenty of blame to go around over the last four years. But what sticks with us, as it always does, are the late-game failures, that long walk off the field that we’ve seen Aaron Murray make one too many times.

Which is why what happened between the hedges on Saturday — a 300-yard, five TD gem to knock off LSU, including a game-winning streak with under two minutes to go — was more than just another step in one last title run for Aaron Murray. It was redemption, not just for him but also for an entire program, a chance to rewrite a legacy that seemed set in stone. The crowd at Sanford Stadium didn’t celebrate so much as collectively exhale, one more potential nightmare avoided in what could finally, mercifully be the dream season that has seemed so close for so long.

It’s remarkably smooth sailing from here for the Bulldogs. Georgia won’t be tested again until the Cocktail Party against Florida in November. But Florida is a virtual MASH unit, having lost Jeff Driskel and Dominique Easley for the rest of the year. Barring something inexplicable (and hey, this is the SEC, so who knows), the Dawgs might find themselves back in Atlanta one more time, staring down their old nemesis with the Promised Land in sight.

Maybe nothing’s changed. Maybe Murray and Richt will fall just short one more time, watching somebody else celebrate what could’ve been there’s. But watching this year’s Aaron Murray, something has been palpably different. He no longer seems overwhelmed by the moment, like he did against Alabama and South Carolina and so many before that. Even in the opening loss to the Tigers, Murray was just about the only thing that went right for Georgia — he was on point all night, despite an underachieving defense and the loss of leading receiver Malcolm Mitchell.

Only time will tell, really. That’s the thing about reputations. But Aaron Murray is going to get one more shot to change it all, one last chance to ride off into the sunset and prove everybody wrong.

In the Wise Words of Katy Perry…ROAR!

But is a Tiger’s Roar the Swan Song of the SEC?

By Caroline Davenport

Stacy Revere / Getty Images

Disregard the cliche, teenage girl, chart-topping, pop music reference; the roar I'm talking about this week is the Tiger Bowl, where the LSU Bayou Bengals took on the Auburn War Eagle, aka Tigers (which makes so much sense, right?). LSU played a tough game against an undefeated Auburn squad, winning 35-21, and senior quarterback Zach Mettenberger passed for an unremarkable 229 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

This game had the potential to be exciting. LSU came out blazing, scoring 21 points on Auburn in the first half and leaving them with nothing heading back into the locker room. But Auburn did what they do best: weaseling themselves back into games at the last minute to keep things interesting. After scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter and one in the forth, they couldn’t quite seal the deal, and the game ended.

Yawn.

Could it be that there’s a virus going around the SEC? The same bug that Jadeveon Clowney came down with in the first week of the year? No, Alabama and LSU’s defenses are decent.

I’m talking about the offense! So far this season, LSU is ranked 44th over all in passing yards and 35th overall in rushing yards.‘Bama, the number one team in the nation, is even worse, ranked 58th in passing yards overall, and 90th in rushing.

Is it possible that these undefeated SEC teams are…overrated?

Historically, the SEC is known for their defensive expertise and powerful offenses that could annihilate teams. But are the teams of today giving a bad name to the teams of yesteryear?

Not necessarily. Right now, the SEC has a combined record, for the entire conference, of 50-13, with big stars like Johnny Manziel, Aaron Murray, and Jadaveon Clowney.

Comparatively, the Big Ten has a combined record of 63-11, with two less teams in the conference, and stars such as Devin Gardner, an injured Braxton Miller, and Trevor Siemian (who is he you are thinking? ‘Cuse football fans know him as the guy who beat our team up in the second week of the season).

 Granted, the SEC has had more conference games than the Big Ten has had so far, but maybe being unimpressed with Alabama last week was just the beginning of a trend, and LSU is continuing it for me.

As much as I love saying “Geaux Tigers” in a fake French accent and “Roll Tide” like a true Alabamian, I should really start thinking about learning “Hail to the Victors” or the baritone solo in the Ohio State fight song at some point. 

How Will Aaron Murray Bounce Back?

It's more than just a game

(Bob Kupbens/Icon SMI)

By Jasmine Watkins

When something happens in a professional athlete’s personal life people still expect them to focus on the game.

In 2004 Kobe Bryant, on trial for sexual assault, came straight from court directly into the game over halfway through the first quarter and ended up hitting the game winning shot against the Denver Nuggets.

Last month the brother of Baltimore Ravens wide receiver, Torrey Smith, died in a motorcycle accident and he played an extraordinary game less than 24 hours later with five catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns.

All of that is one the professional level … can we really expect student athletes to do the same?

Collegiate athletes aren’t as developed. It takes time to learn certain skills that will help them on and more importantly, off the field.

Last week Georgia suffered a loss to South Carolina 35-7. The offense that had been so impressive the first five games with over 240 points combined, couldn’t get into a rhythm this game allowing for the Gamecocks to take over.

Soon after the game, the home of Georgia quarterback, Aaron Murray, and four other players was vandalized. Then the next morning while visiting his parents he learned that his father, Dennis, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and would be required to have surgery that Monday.

“The worst 12 hours of my life,” Murray tweeted.

That’s a hard pill for anyone to swallow but add that on top of being a college student and the pressure of having to lift the Bulldogs into BCS contention this year, the stress could take a toll on his play.

Georgia head coach, Mark Richt, said in an interview with ESPN that a situation like is tough but also a good life lesson for Murray.

“There’s never a good time to hear about your father having a situation like that, but it does help you get everything in perspective – whether it was just the game itself or what happened after the game to his home,” Richt said.

Having a bye week will certain help Murray get back on track after the loss, but the question of how focused he will be against Kentucky on October 20^th is a definite concern.

College fans are relentless. They want their alma mater or favorite team to win and they want them to win now, no excuses. The pressure doubles if you’re in the SEC, where football is religion.

Although the pressure to win is high, Murray says he received well wishes and positive reactions from the rest of Bulldog nation and isn’t going to let the negative actions and words of a few affect his play.

“Tons of emails, Facebook messages, Twitter messages from people. That was awesome,” Murray told ESPN. “That’s why I say it really is only five or ten percent [who are negative] But usually 90, 95 percent of the fans are true Dawg fans and are going to stick with us through good times, bad times.”

They trounced their other opponents from Missouri to Vanderbilt, but it shouldn’t be expected that the same would happen to South Carolina who are filling up their BCS resume quite nicely.

Murray stated that his father’s surgery went well and the family is hopeful for a good prognosis. With all that put to the side, Murray is ready to take on the task in front of him and get his team to a bowl game.

This is the stuff that legends are made of. It is an accumulation from things on the field and off that makes a true champion.

Win or lose Murray already has already demonstrated he has the potential to be a champion.