Georgia Bulldogs: Aaron Murray Is The Starting QB—No Question

Photo Credit: BRANT SANDERLIN/AJC

There will always be naysayers where Aaron Murray is concerned, but those people obviously didn't see how well Murray played in 2010. The redshirt freshman showed poise beyond his years and showcased a bevy of skills that even the coaching staff could not have expected.

So, when this article was published, questioning whether or not Georgia should "sit or start" Murray in 2011, I found myself intrigued as to what a non-Bulldog fan had to say on the subject. Below are the only two reasons this writer has for sitting the tough, young man from Tampa.

#1. Lack of Size

Murray measures in at 6'1" and 209 pounds. He needs to add a little weight to help endure some of the sacks he takes. Murray was sacked 24 times and suffered a number of hits during the 2010 season. Until the Georgia Bulldogs' offensive line improves, Murray should expect to have pass-rushers in his face at times.

His lack of height also occasionally leads to passes batted down at the line of scrimmage.

Okay, it's true that Murray is not the prototypical height and size of a pro-style quarterback, but that is not the only characteristic that goes into a quality starter.

There are plenty of 6'3", 225 lb, signal-callers that don't have the poise, pocket presence, or leadership ability that Murray displays on the football field and those are the intangibles that matter—every bit as much as the physical attributes.

Oh and, FYI, the nation's leading passer last season was shorter than Murray—Bryan Moniz. It also seems safe to assume that Boise State wouldn't trade their quarterback for  all the tea in China either. Kellen Moore clocks in at 6'0".

The point is, size doesn't always matter.

Furthermore, his lack of body weight is less important, where sacks are concerned, than Georgia's need to get their offensive line in order.

Murray didn't miss one game last season, despite being knocked on his backside better than 20 times. Even more, the anemic running game, the absence of playmakers in the receiving game (particularly in A.J. Green's absence), and the inability of the coaches to loosen the reigns as the season progressed, all played a hefty roll in Murray's inability to succeed in the win-loss column.

#2. Record

Murray was only able to produce a 6-7 record on the year and 3-5 record in Southeastern Conference play. While Murray's performances were decent, he wasn't able to lead the team to a winning record.

The fact that Murray was unable to "lead the team to a winning record" wasn't all on him. Poor playcalling, unfortunate turnovers, and defensive lapses in the secondary played key roles in losses at South Carolina, at Mississippi State, at Colorado, at Florida, and versus Arkansas—only one of those losses could, arguably, be attributed to Murray's play—he threw an ill-advised interception against Florida that led to the game-winning play in overtime.

If Georgia had taken care of business, on both sides of the ball in every one of those games, that 6-7 record might easily have been 10-3 or 11-2 (7-1 or 6-2 in the SEC).

Murray's lack of a winning record isn't all on him and there is no question that 2011 should be better for the Georgia Bulldogs—if Mark Richt and his staff can right the ship on both sides of the football field.

Heisman Oversight Committee: What College Football Players Aren't Getting Enough Love?

Cam Newton?...Yeah, we know all about him.


Denard Robinson?...Old news—next!

Kellen Moore?...Boring.


Mark Ingram?...Meh.


All of the above either have been, are, or will be placed in a discussion that suggests possible Heisman Trophy candidacy. However, there is not enough chatter about the following four guys, in particular, who have been lighting the scoreboard up for their respective teams as well.

For them, this site has appointed itself chair of the Heisman Oversight Committee. The number one goal of which is to bring these players to your attention since no one else seems willing or able to do so:


1. Robert Griffin III, QB—Baylor Bears 


It's amazing how much love you get when you play in the SEC or the Big Ten. Neither Cam Newton nor Denard Robinson have lacked in the attention department this season.

Robinson, despite having played bits and pieces of the last several games (losing them all) is still mentioned in the same breath as Newton based on what he did in the first five games of the year— when he seemed unstoppable.

Meanwhile, Robert Griffin has been doing a little playmaking of his own for the Baylor Bears.

He might not have the staggering rushing totals of either Newton or Robinson, but he's been an efficient passer, used his legs when he needed to, and has the Bears (7-2) bowl eligible for the first time in 15 years. Oh, and did we mention that his team is currently tied for first place in the Big 12 South?

Baylor is in position to win the Big 12 South. If that's not worthy of a little more love, then what is?


2010 season stats: 196/294 for 2,592 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. 92 carries for 401 yards and 7 touchdowns. 



2. Bilal Powell, RB—Louisville Cardinals


LaMichael James is all you hear about these days. He's the man that the Heisman committee drools over as he gets closer to eclipsing the 1,600 yard mark on the season. That said, Bilal Powell has come on mighty strong the last four weeks, breaking the 200-yard rushing mark in consecutive weeks as well as making mince meat of a tough Connecticut run defense (rushing for 105).

He's only hit paydirt nine times this season, but that's more than Mark Ingram or Roy Helu Jr. Add to that, he's averaging nearly 20.0 yards per carry—for the year.


2010 season stats: 153 carries, 1,067 yards, and 9 touchdowns.  



3. Da'Quan Bowers, DE—Clemson Tigers

Ryan Kerrigan of Purdue and Nick Fairley are both monsters—no question. But, how about a little more props going the way of the equally beastly Da'Quan Bowers? On top of his 17.5 tackles for loss—through just eight games—he's managed to record 10 sacks and 42 tackles.

His most impressive game this season came against Maryland a couple weeks ago where he tallied four tackles for loss and three sacks. The kid is sick—don't sleep on him.


2010 season stats: 42 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles, and 8 hurries



4. Dan Persa, QB—Northwestern


If it's impressive to see the efficiency ratings of both Kellen Moore (188.30) and Ricky Stanzi (180.28), then it's downright awe-inspiring to look at Dan Persa's numbers as well.

He not only has a higher completion percentage (74.4) on more attempts (244) than the aforementioned quarterbacks, but he's also doing it with his legs as much as with his arms—strapping the Wildcats on his back and nearly willing them to victory.


Perhaps his performance gets lost in the, somewhat, weaker schedule they've played this year, but, that's never hurt Boise's Kellen Moore now—has it?

2010 season stats: 174/234 for 2,062 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. 121 carries, 360 yards, and 6 touchdowns. 



What say you? Have a few nominees of your own to offer?