NASHVILLE — When you scroll the statistical ranking of the SEC’s top 10 quarterbacks, one thing becomes blatantly apparent: It’s hard to be a starting quarterback in the SEC.
Of the 10 players who lead the conference in pass efficiency, seven either are not their team’s quarterback anymore or are sharing the job with a teammate. That leaves three players who are the undisputed starting quarterbacks on their respective teams.
One of them is Georgia’s Aaron Murray.
That should come as no surprise since he was the consensus choice as preseason All-SEC signal-caller. But even Murray, a sophomore, has not been immune from criticism and second guessing.
Entering Saturday night’s game at Vanderbilt, at the halfway point of the season, critics could point out that Murray has yet to lead his team to a win over a ranked team and point to his increased interceptions. Yet he remains second in the SEC in touchdown passes (13), third in passing yards (221.2 per game) and fourth in pass efficiency (150.2).
Murray has completed 61.2 percent of his passes for 1,327 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions.
“I’ve got to be a little more accurate,” said Murray, who finished with similar numbers last season (61.1 percent, 3,049 yards, 24 touchdowns, eight interceptions).
“That’s definitely something I’m going to continue working on, my accuracy and making sure my feet are in a good position when I throw at all times. ... But actually the decision-making has been pretty good. I’ve just got to hit the target when it’s there.”
Half the teams in the SEC probably would trade for Murray, who also poses a run threat to opposing defenses. Vanderbilt, for one, has struggled at quarterback.
It’s likely that the Commodores will unveil a new starter Saturday night. Junior Jordan Rodgers — the younger brother of Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers — relieved injured starter Larry Smith on Saturday at Alabama and responded with a solid performance (11-of-18 passing for 104 yards, two interceptions, 23 yards rushing), albeit in a 34-0 loss.
“Any week at any position, if we feel like another guy gives us a better chance to win than the previous week, then we’ll make that change,” said James Franklin, Vanderbilt’s first-year coach. “Up to this point, we felt like Larry has been giving us the best chance to win. But based on what we’ve seen and graded in game tape and practice tape, there’s been some bumps and bruises along the way. That’s what we’ll decide this week.”
Reports coming out of Nashville this week were that Rodgers, a junior college transfer, has been getting the majority of snaps with the first team. Smith is still battling a sprained ankle.
In its previous game, Georgia saw how quickly things can change. Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray suffered a broken thumb in the fourth quarter against the Bulldogs and was unable to finish the game. He will be out four to six weeks and has been replaced by one-time starter Matt Simms.
Meanwhile, Florida’s John Brantley is out indefinitely with an injured leg. South Carolina’s Stephen Garcia was dismissed from the team, and Ole Miss is going on its third different starter this week. Also, Jarrett Lee shares snaps with Jordan Jefferson at LSU, Mississippi State’s Chris Relf is in a weekly battle with Tyler Russell, and Barrett Trotter is trying to hold off freshman Kiehl Frazier at Auburn. Only Alabama’s A.J. McCarron, a solid leader, Arkansas’ Tyler Wilson, the league’s passing-yardage leader, and Murray remain as the sole starters from their team’s openers.
“Time will tell,” said Georgia coach Mark Richt, who would turn to sophomore Hutson Mason if he had to make a change. “Some of these second-team guys may come in and play lights out. How many times has that happened when you’ve got a second-teamer who’s been waiting in the wings and all of the sudden he gets his moment and runs with it?”
The turnover at quarterback shows the importance of having a quality backup.
“Every recruiting class is incredibly important because every year you’re going to lose guys that you’re depending on to help you win,” said Tennessee coach Derek Dooley, whose team will play host to No. 1 LSU on Saturday. “You have to be able to stick another guy in.”
If Georgia has to play another quarterback, it likely will be because Murray has been injured. He has been sacked 13 times — fourth most in the league — and hit many times more than that. The Bulldogs believe they have a good one in Mason.
But based on Murray’s play, Georgia hasn’t been close to pulling him.
“I think he’s doing well,” Richt said. “I’m sure there are a couple of balls he’d like to have back. He has to continue to take advantage of the many fine habits he established as a freshman and just kind of let the game come to him and don’t feel like he’s got to go do anything heroic.”
Murray recognizes that and said he’s getting positive feedback from offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Bobo.
“I think knowledge-wise, my progression when it comes to understanding the playbook has definitely increased since last year,” Murray said. “Coach Bobo, when he grades it, he grades decisions, footwork and accuracy. When you go down my grade sheet after games, the decision column for me is mostly filled up with pluses. So my decision-making is a lot better.”
Said Richt: “The older you get, the more mature you get, you feel like, ‘well, now I’m a leader and I need to do something special.’ But the special plays are really the normal plays at an extraordinary time. So he just needs to learn to play within the limits of our system and his abilities, and I think he’ll be right back on track.”
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