3 things to know about Aaron Murray, Georgia’s star QB
Who’s Aaron Murray? Only one of the best, most prolific QBs that Georgia and the rest of the SEC have ever seen. Here’s what you need to know.
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
There might be no more heartbreaking play in college football last year than Aaron Murray's tipped completion to Chris Conley in the dying seconds of the SEC Championship.
That killed the game-ending drive five yards shy of the end zone, and with Georgia the No. 3 team squaring off against No. 2 Alabama, it’s safe to say the play killed Georgia’s title hopes. Yep, Murray had gotten his Dawgs that close. You can imagine that game is still motivating Murray and his teammates to this day, and will do so through November.
2. He should probably be a Heisman contender.
With a win over LSU, Georgia will be catapulted right back into the national title hunt; recall that in last year’s SEC title game, Georgia already had a loss on its resume and was still right there in position to face Notre Dame.
Assuming Georgia makes it back to the SEC title game (a pretty decent bet after beating primary division challenger South Carolina), Murray will have a record that Heisman voters notice and reward. He’s got a career of high success (more on that in a bit) and some outstanding senior season stats -- he’s fourth in passing efficiency thus far, even after having played an SEC defense, and he’s on pace for his best year yet in a career full of great years.
That’s a perfect recipe to get to New York, and at the very least be on most people’s Heisman ballots. He may not take home the trophy, as that’s so dependent on other players’ seasons, but he’s on his way to earning a spot among the best.
3. He’s almost—ALMOST—Georgia’s best quarterback ever.
In terms of overall stats, Murray’s career is just about unparalleled at Georgia; he’s on pace to obliterate David Greene’s mark of 11,528 career passing yards, which is not only a Georgia record but an SEC record. If Murray puts up 398 yards against LSU today -- unlikely, sure, but not impossible -- he’ll break Greene’s record this week. By the end of the season he’ll probably top it by at least 2,000 yards.
As touchdowns go, Murray has obliterated the record. Greene had 72 in his vaunted career, which was best in Georgia history, before Murray threw for more than 100. He won’t double up Greene, but it’ll be close.
This is a school that has produced Eric Zeier (owner of the SEC record for most single game passing yards and Georgia's top three games), 1942 Heisman winner RB/QB Frank Sinkwich, No. 1 draft pick Matthew Stafford, and the aforementioned Greene. Murray's going to leave them all in the dust when his days as a Bulldog are done.
It’s just that Georgia also produced Fran Tarkenton, and Tarkenton is one of the 10 best quarterbacks the sport has ever seen. Soooo ... no shame in placing second on this one, Murray!
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