ATHENS -- Somebody in Georgia’s camp must not have appreciated Aaron Murray’s assessment of Saturday’s scrimmage.
Murray shared a detailed analysis of what he’d witnessed during the Bulldogs' third preseason scrimmage at Sanford Stadium — including an especially thorough breakdown of the quarterbacks — via a Twitter post on Sunday. Then he deleted it hours later.
His chief takeaway: D’Wan Mathis may well end up being Georgia’s starting quarterback.
“(Mathis) was actually given the nod yesterday to get with the ones in the first half to start the scrimmage off and he didn’t disappoint,” Murray said. “I thought he looked really comfortable in the system. He’s a kid with a lot of upside, big arm, athletic.”
A short time later, Murray’s observations were gone. Poof.
Murray really shouldn’t have bothered erasing his thoughts. His conclusions were similar to many other observers who saw the Bulldogs' new offense at work Saturday. And, to be clear, that were a lot of observers at the scrimmage.
Georgia’s star quarterback-turned-football-analyst watched the practice game alongside hundreds of fellow lettermen, Magill Society donors, IMG sponsors and other various other individuals watching from the stands and peering in from the public-access area below the scoreboard on Gillis Bridge.
It was as open of a closed scrimmage as there has been under coach Kirby Smart.
It’s just that the opinion of one of Georgia’s greatest quarterbacks of all time carries a little more weight than that of a long-retired tackle or a nouveau riche donor.
And what was Murray’s conclusion?
Chiefly, that Mathis very well could end up being the starting quarterback in the opener in two weeks and that Georgia’s No. 1 offense is actually looking pretty good.
“I thought it was a great scrimmage,” Murray said on Twitter. “I thought everyone looked really good, had their moments to shine. In speaking with (offensive coordinator) Todd Monken before, I think one guy we both feel has a lot of potential, a lot of upside, is D’Wan Mathis.”
Murray confirmed that Mathis started and led the No. 1 offense for the entire first half of the scrimmage. But it’s his opinion on each of Georgia’s signal-callers that was most notable.
Mathis is competing with sophomore transfer JT Daniels, junior Stetson Bennett and freshman Carson Beck for quarterback snaps this season. Murray said the athleticism of the 6-foot-6, 210-pound sophomore from Oak Park, Mich., was apparent.
Credit: UGA Sports
Credit: UGA Sports
“He showed that both inside the pocket, outside the pocket, had some great runs throughout the first half as well,” Murray wrote. “I think he’s someone you continue to work with, has a chance to be pretty darn special, just needs those live, in-game reps.”
Experience is the key difference between Daniels and all the other quarterbacks. Daniels has 742 career snaps under his belt from his time at Southern Cal. Meanwhile, Bennett is the only other Georgia quarterback who has appeared in a college game, and he has only a few dozen snaps as a backup for the Bulldogs.
Mathis was redshirted as a freshman and then had to have to have brain surgery last year to remove a cyst from his nasal cavity. He has been cleared to play.
Daniels is one year removed from ACL surgery that wiped out his sophomore season with the Trojans. He technically is not cleared for contact but is expected to be for the opener. He took all the snaps with the No. 1 offense in the second half.
“I thought JT when he did take over in the second half, looked comfortable,” Murray wrote. “He looks healthy, waiting to see when he gets cleared.”
Interestingly, Murray thought the freshman Beck had the most impressive overall performance of the quarterbacks, but that opinion came with a caveat.
“Lucky for him, he was going against the No. 2 defense,” Murray pointed out. “But he looked really comfortable, big, strong arm. Just like D’Wan, he also made plays both inside and outside the pocket. He’s someone I’m interested in watching over these next couple of years (to see) how his development takes off within this system.”
That was another observation that Murray shared with a lot of other individuals who watched the entire scrimmage — Georgia’s No. 1 defense continues to look elite. Saturday, the offense moved the ball much better against a unit expected to again be one of the best in the nation. But then the Bulldogs struggled to score inside the red zone.
“Thought it was a big win for the offense two weeks out from that first game,” Murray noted. “Running backs produced, receivers made some plays on the outside.”
Murray also had praise for 6-7 freshman tight end Darnell Washington and split end George Pickens.
Others who saw Saturday’s scrimmage were impressed by the play of flanker Matt Landers and the overall play of the offensive line, especially the left side occupied by tackle Jamaree Salyer and Justin Shaffer and sixth man Clay Webb.
Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson caught the attention of many others, both in the secondary and as a kick returner. Fellow corner Tyson Campbell did not participate, riding a stationary bike on the sidelines instead.
Freshman defensive lineman Jalen Carter continues to create a buzz, as does Georgia’s defensive line overall. Even with inside linebacker Monty Rice out due to an excused absence, Dan Lanning’s group looked and played impressively, especially near the goal line.
But it was the quarterbacks everybody was talking about afterward, most notably, Georgia’s all-time passing leader.
“All three quarterbacks, like I said, I thought played really well,” Murray wrote, before his comments disappeared.
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