Mark Richt didn’t hesitate to categorize Aaron Murray as one of the best quarterbacks he has coached.
Richt mentored Heisman winners Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke during his time as Florida State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in the 1990s. At Georgia, he coached No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick Matthew Stafford for three years.
In one aspect of the game, he put his current starter above the rest.
“I just don’t think I’ve had a guy that prepares like Murray prepares,” Richt said. “There really hasn’t been one, and there’s been some really good ones. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. But this guy, he’s really taken it to another level when it comes to prep.”
That work ethic helped the junior signal caller win the starting job prior to his first season at Georgia.
As a freshman, Murray entered the Southeastern Conference spotlight and did not seem out of place. He completed more than 60 percent of his passes for 3,049 yards. He also threw 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
“We put a lot on our quarterbacks, and it takes a great commitment to really be good,” Richt said. “If you’re not willing to work, you might as well play another position or go to another school.”
This season, Murray’s completion percentage is up to 65.3 percent, and he has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 4-to-1.
Murray will look to continue his solid play at quarterback tomorrow when the No. 12 Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1 SEC) try to upset the No. 3 Gators (7-0, 6-0 SEC) and keep their SEC East title hopes alive.
Richt said Murray enjoys the process of preparing for games.
“He loves the grind of learning how to be an SEC quarterback, learning how to be a potential professional quarterback,” Richt said. “He eats it up. He works like no one’s business.”
Murray’s 168.63 passer rating ranks seventh in the country and second in the SEC. But Florida defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said Murray can also be effective with his legs.
“He is a hard guy to sack because he clearly knows when he feels pressure,” Quinn said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for him and how he plays at that position in terms of being able to distribute the ball to guys.”
Murray’s statistics against the Gators have been average, but he was good enough during critical moments of the Bulldogs’ 24-20 win last season. He completed 15 of his 34 passes for 169 yards but threw two fourth-down touchdown passes to bring Georgia back from a 17-3 deficit.
One of those touchdowns came with junior cornerback Jaylen Watkins in coverage. Watkins has used memories of the 2011 game as motivation. He added that the Florida defensive backs cannot rely on Murray to make mistakes on Saturday.
“He’s very quick with his decision making,” Watkins said. “You can tell he understands coverages. He can pick you apart, to the field, to the boundary, it doesn’t really matter. He can do everything. This week, we can’t say this quarterback can’t make this throw, can’t make that throw. He can make everything.”
Contact Josh Jurnovoy at jjurnovoy@alligator.org.
Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray (11) attempts a pass during the first half against Kentucky on Oct. 20, 2012, in Lexington, Ky.
