Georgia's Aaron Murray ready to lead

By Steve Hummer

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

No. 1 on the depth chart and therefore No. 1 in the hearts, minds and cross hairs of Georgia Bulldogs fans, quarterback Aaron Murray has declared himself ready for the coming tumult.

As ready as any 19-year-old redshirt freshman can be to bear the weight of a program trying to recover from a bowl trip to Shreveport. Add to that the combined expectations of every follower out there with an opinion and an Internet service provider.

The only audience Murray seems eager to impress, however, is the one he dresses with.

“When you take the quarterback role, you are one of the leaders, even if you are a young guy,” he said Friday during a telephone media conference, his first since being outed by Mark Richt as the Bulldogs top quarterback emerging from spring practice.

“All eyes are on the quarterback,” he said. “I’m going to have all the other guys on the team looking at me and watching my every move. I have to go out there and prove myself to these guys.

“Prove to them that even though I’m young that I’m willing to work my butt off each day and that I’m not going to let them down once the season comes.”

Murray has thrown not a single pass against a college team other than his own. Overall this spring he was solid (completing 59 percent of his passes in three scrimmages). But he reserved one of his more mediocre performances for the G-Day game (10-of-22, 96 yards, one interception).

Still, Murray counterbalances the unknown with some other encouraging numbers.

84 — Career high school touchdowns at Tampa Plant.

3 — His national ranking among all 2008 high school quarterback recruits, according to Rivals.com.

0 — Arrests.

That last number is particularly meaningful after the past month in which Richt dismissed three players from the team for various legal entanglements. Among them was a key figure in the starting quarterback derby, fellow redshirt freshman Zach Mettenberger.

Murray and Mettenberger entered Georgia together as early enrollees in January 2009. They roomed together that first semester and competed in lockstep ever since.

Murray said he was “upset and hurt” for Mettenberger after the dismissal. But, added, “He has bright future, he’s a very talented kid. He just has to find the right place, and I’m sure he will.”

Murray’s reputation as a tough guy preceded him to Athens. His coming back from a broken leg and dislocated ankle weeks ahead of schedule to lead Plant to the 2008 state championship is bit of Tampa lore that only seems to grow through the years with each retelling.

His high school coach, Robert Weiner, adds other shades to the portrait, shades that potentially could serve Murray well during the intense scrutiny bearing down on him.

Half Jewish, half Catholic, Murray already comes with a certain crossover appeal.

His former coach suggests the young quarterback displays such a fundamentally solid character that he will win over a lot of fans, especially those weary of reading about some Bulldog who got crossways with a drinking statute.

“He was the guy on our team who set the standard for what was right. If Aaron did it, you could be sure that it was OK,” Weiner said.

“He has come from a program that plays big-time games all the time,” the coach said. “He was under that pressure all the time. He’ll have to adjust physically to the speed of the game in the SEC. But mentally, that adjustment can be very, very quick.”

Murray was emphatic about putting his current position in perspective, echoing what Richt said earlier: No. 1 in spring does not guarantee No. 1 in the fall. “It is just one step, not a done deal,” Murray said.

Also, he was clear about what he thinks is a fair standard of behavior to apply to the big men on campus.

Sure, he said, he might want to be able to act like any other student. But, Murray realizes, “As a UGA athlete, you have to be careful how you act in public. Everyone on campus knows who you are.

“It’s just something that comes with the territory. Your every move is looked at, if you are a starter or a backup, no matter what. You want to represent your school and your team well. You don’t want to put any shame on your school or your family.”

Consider that the first call from Georgia’s new No. 1 quarterback — something straight-ahead, simple and direct.