Aaron Murray: A Polarizing Star (w/ Poll)

After Saturday's win vs. LSU, Georgia has started the 2013 season impressively, defeating two top 10 teams and losing only to #3 Clemson by 3 (on the road) in the season opener.

There are many factors which have contributed to UGA's early success, including:

1. Offensive Line play

2. Todd Gurley, Keith Marshall, and RBs

3. Chris Conley, Justin Scott-Wesley, Michael Bennett, Arthur Lynch

4. Coaching/Play Calling

--and, oh yea,--

5. Aaron Murray, the guy who was surgical in his performances against South Carolina and LSU, and is now starting to receive the credit he deserves.

Unfortunately, Aaron Murray has been one of the most polarizing "Stars" in UGA history. Some people love him, some are slowly starting to believe in him, and some are waiting for him to screw up again.  After the Clemson loss, I remember walking back to my car and hearing several UGA fans criticizing Murray heavily (not a word about the defense or Murray's lack of protection).  After UGA beat LSU, Murray certainly got credit, but I'm not sure people fully appreciated how well he played, especially without Gurley for most of the game.

Consider this...No matter how many times Matthew Stafford lost to teams badly (i.e. Florida/Alabama) , fans did not seem to blame him exclusively.  It seems the blame went to the coaching staff/play calling (notably Mike Bobo), offensive line, etc.  For, Matthew Stafford was the #1 pocket passer out of high school and was projected as the #1 pick in the NFL Draft by Mel Kiper before he even played a down at UGA.  I believe Stafford's continuous NFL hype and rocket arm significantly decreased the amount of criticism he received from the media and fans.

However, more recently, when UGA loses, the blame seems to go to Aaron Murray in disproportionate fashion, as compared to Stafford.  And, when Murray wins, a lot of people don't seem to credit him as much as David Greene.  Further, I don't remember hearing about Stafford's house being egged after UGA got blown out by Florida in 2008...By contrast, how many times have you heard the fans and media question Aaron Murray's ability, decision-making, play under pressure, etc?

I understand that Murray's play vs. certain teams the last few years was not great (relative to his other performances, which have mostly been elite).  He turned the ball over more than usual in certain games and did not always "win" games for UGA.  But, he certainly didn't "lose" games for UGA either.  As my esteemed colleague Jeremy would say, there is more to winning than QB play - there is offensive line protection, execution, and notably, better defensive play.  Further, during a lot of Murray's career (notably before Gurley/Marshall), the play calling has seemed questionable...how many times have you seen UGA run conservative plays on 1st and 2nd down, leaving Murray with 3rd and 7 or more? How many times have you seen UGA's run game shut down, and yet UGA continues to run play-action pass? Boise State (2011), South Carolina (2010, 2011, 2012), LSU (2011 SEC Champ), and others. 

So, what's the point of this posting? I want to provide UGA fans a heightened awareness of just how elite Murray has been at UGA.  Sure, David Greene will go down as one of UGA's best and favorite QBs; he broke UGA's SEC Championship drought and delivered some big plays at the end of huge games against rivals (Tennessee, Auburn).  But, I want you to take a look at Greene's statistics (and Stafford's) in comparison to Murray. Several numbers pale in comparison to what Murray has done at UGA...note the career QB ratings: 

	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	Int	Rate
Greene
Fres	192	324	59.3	2789	17	9	143.3
Soph	218	379	57.5	2924	22	8	137.3
Jun	264	438	60.3	3307	13	11	128.5
Sen	175	299	58.5	2508	20	4	148.4
Career	849	1440	59.0	11,528	72	32	138.3
Stafford	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	Int	Rate
Fres	135	256	52.7	1749	7	13	109.0
Soph	194	348	55.7	2523	19	10	128.9
Jun	235	383	61.4	3459	25	10	153.5
Career	564	987	57.1	7,731	51	33	133.3
Murray	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	Int	Rate
Fres	209	342	61.1	3049	24	8	154.5
Soph	238	403	59.1	3149	35	14	146.4
Jun	249	386	64.5	3893	36	10	174.8
Sen   (9/29/13)	79	116	68.1	1338	11	3	191.1
Career (9/29/13)	775	1247	62.1	11,429	106	35	161.6

Impressed yet?  For those of you who want to see how Murray did compared to QBs outside of UGA, let's compare him to some of the past elite SEC and NCAA QBs: Danny Wuerffel (Florida), Peyton Manning (Tennessee), and Matt Leinart (USC).

	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	Int	Rate
Wuerffel
Fres	159	273	58.2	2230	22	10	146.1
Soph	132	212	62.3	1754	18	9	151.3
Jun	210	325	64.6	3266	35	10	178.4
Sen*	207	360	57.5	3625	39	13	170.6
Career	708	1170	59.0	10,875	114	42	163.6
P.Manning	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	Int	Rate
Fres	89	144	61.8	1141	11	6	145.2
Soph	244	380	64.2	2954	22	4	146.5
Jun	243	380	63.9	3287	20	12	147.7
Sen	287	477	60.2	3819	36	11	147.7
Career	863	1381	62.5	11,201	89	33	147.1
Leinart	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	Int	Rate
Soph	255	402	63.4	3556	38	9	164.5
Jun*	269	412	65.3	3322	33	6	156.5
Sen	283	431	65.7	3815	28	8	157.5
Career	807	1245	64.8	10,693	99	23	159.5
Murray	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	Int	Rate
Fres	209	342	61.1	3049	24	8	154.5
Soph	238	403	59.1	3149	35	14	146.4
Jun	249	386	64.5	3893	36	10	174.8
Sen   (9/29/13)	79	116	68.1	1338	11	3	191.1
Career (9/29/13)	775	1247	62.1	11,429	106	35	161.6

*Heisman Trophy Winner

Yes, Aaron Murray has been that amazing statistically.  And, let's not forget, he has dominated Auburn, gained wins over Florida twice, and played great in the SEC Championship vs. Alabama.  Not only do I want UGA to win a National Championship as a fan, but I also want Murray to win one.  Murray has been the model for hard work, leadership, perseverance, and excellence at UGA, and I truly hope fans appreciate him as one of the best to ever wear Red and Black.  

Which best describes your view of Aaron Murray?