See if you can guess what I’m thinking.
… Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, who coaches the quarterbacks, is looking for more consistency.
“We were kind of streaky last year,” Bobo said. “We’d be hot for a quarter and cold for a quarter. A lot of that would be the start of the game and the end of the game. We want to focus on fundamentals and be more consistent.”
If you picked “Murray’s not the only one who needs to work on being more consistent”, DING!, you’re a winner.
Murray’s self-analysis is interesting.
“It usually starts off slow, in the second and third quarter I get really hot, and at the end of the game, I start cooling off a little bit,” Murray said. “I’ve just got to stay focused throughout the game and not mentally lose it at times.”
Last season’s stats don’t completely bear that out. Murray put up a better passer rating in the first quarter than in the second (mainly because five of his interceptions came in the second quarter), but it’s not like he was wildly inconsistent over the course of the year, as the stats by half bear out. His first half passer rating in 2010 was 154.58; the second half rating was 154.34.
If there’s a place for him to work on his decision making, it’s where you’d expect it to be, on third and four or more yards to go. It wouldn’t hurt to be put in less third and long situations, either.
Get The Picture 
murray internalizing his signal caller’s shortcomings is not a good sign. good lord. . . .
LikeLike
I think Murray is smart enough to figure out Bobo is full of crap. Likely hates having to defend Bobo’s comments.
LikeLike
you could be right about that. it’s just such an odd comment that doesn’t bear much resemblance to what we all saw, as blutarsky’s stats suggest. even with some ups and downs, murray was the most consistent performer on offense except aj. just makes me think the bubble of unreality over uga football hasn’t quite burst yet, and that’s worrisome.
LikeLike
As a team we were at our worst in the first and fourth quarters. So, while his stats don’t bear out that conclusion, the results do.
LikeLike
Fine, but anyone can see that it was not The QB who failed in the 2nd and 4th. As a matter of fact, he had at least two really strong 4ths against Ark and UF lost by bad calls by the Offensive Coordinator. Now who could that be???
LikeLike
Wasn’t the pick in OT against UF a bad decision by Murray (that he admitted he made)?
LikeLike
To be fair, UF rushed 3 and all 3 got through almost instantly. We had 6 guys pass protecting…
LikeLike
Obviously Bobo’s fault then!
LikeLike
AMEN.
LikeLike
Aaron Murray (Freshman)
342 209 61.1 3,049 yds 24 td 8 int 154.5
Mike Bobo (Senior 1997)
2751 yards on 199 completions in 306 attempts and had 19 TD to 8 INT.
Advantage Murray
LikeLike
Maybe that explains Bobo’s inferiority complex about Murray. Be nice if just once Bobo would explain his OWN shortcomings in playcalling and his ability to stop the offensive momentum with one of those Thomas up the gut runs.
LikeLike
AMEN #2!! Did Thomas go outside the tackles more than twice in two years??
LikeLike
With both Robert Edwards and Orlandis Gary in the backfield and a pretty “strong” O line, I thought Bobo did well to get those stats. He was an awesome QB in that Outback Bowl… when the D put a hurting on the “Great Dane”. I’ve always thought Bobo was a gutsy QB….. never had the running skill set that Murray has. Another kid that imho doesn’t get enough credit for stepping up was Cory Phillips. That kid took some shots and kept getting up. I thought Tech was trying to kill him.
LikeLike
Aaron’s rank among SEC QB’s:
1st Quarter:
#6 pass effic, #9 accuracy
4th Quarter:
#8 pass effic, #10 longest pass, #17 accuracy
Murray seems to play better when the pressure is off, 2nd/3rd quarters. Tightens up too much in 1st/4th quarters. Question is: how do you fix that?
LikeLike
What games did Georgia play in last season when the pressure was off in the 2nd and 3rd quarters?
LikeLike
Auburn is one example of where Murray played great in the first quarter, and then dissapeared.
LikeLike
That’s not what I asked you, is it?
LikeLike
I’d say every game. Anyone who thinks the 2nd & 3rd quarters have more pressure or matter more than the 4th quarter, is wrong. That’s why Coach Richt emphasizes finishing the drill, or winning the 4th quarter.
LikeLike
You keep moving the goal posts. What happened to the pressure packed first quarter (during which AM has a higher passer rating than he does in your mellower second quarter)?
LikeLike
Murray said himself he starts slow, then plays well in the 2nd & 3rd, then cools down in the 4th. You don’t even believe Murray’s take on Murray? Funny.
LikeLike
Again, that’s not what the stats say. So now you don’t believe the stats? Funny.
LikeLike
The stats say, in the 1st quarter & 4th quarter:
Aaron’s rank among SEC QB’s:
1st Quarter:
#6 pass effic, #9 accuracy
4th Quarter:
#8 pass effic, #10 longest pass, #17 accuracy
Wrong there also.
LikeLike
You’re losing, FYI
LikeLike
Murray’s the best 3rd quarter QB in the SEC (accuracy, pass effic). But he’s middle of the road in the 1st or 4th quarters. We lost a bunch of games in the 4th quarter, according to Coach Richt. How do you fix that? How can a guy be #1 in the 3rd quarter, and #17 in the 4th quarter?
LikeLike
Murray’s #1 in passing accuracy in the 3rd quarter in the SEC, #17 in the 4th.
LikeLike
What are the implications of Murray ranking 10th in long balls in the 4th quarter to the opposing defense?
LikeLike
Murray’s accuracy is 77%, and pass effic is 200 when leading by 15+. So one solution, is just keep a 15 point lead. Easier said than done, but Murray plays at a high level when that happens.
LikeLike
Let’s hope that a stronger (or at least more consistent) running game will make things much easier for both Murray and Bobo. Also more quality depth at the qb position should allow Bobo to use Murray’s running ability more. One thing about Aaron is that he’s critical of himself & always trying to improve.
LikeLike
I would rep a lot, all situations where Murray performed at his worst. For example, instead of throwing the interception on the first play against Florida, or the one in overtime, read faster, and go to a safety valve option, or audible to a run or scramble for some yards. Same for the situations where he took sacks at the ends of games (Ark/UCF), read faster, throw the ball away or beyond the first down marker in that situation to stop the clock. It takes a lot of reps.
LikeLike
Did you see the INT in overtime?
If reps are the issue, you might want to start with Sturdivant’s blocking and Charles’ route running.
The play in overtime that Murray deserves criticism for was his poor attempt at a fade pass to Durham on first down. They had the matchup they wanted on that play and AM whiffed on the throw.
LikeLike
Blaming teammates won’t make Murray better. Murray has to control what he can control.
LikeLike
This isn’t about blaming teammates. It’s about questioning your powers of observation.
LikeLike
This isn’t about blaming teammates? Really, why did you bring up Studivant’s blocking and Charles’ route running then? Blaming teammates will never help Murray improve. Murray had 2 WR’s in 1 on 1 coverage, could have scrambled to the right or left, or could have hit Caleb. He had 6 options, 4 of which were good, and he chose the worst one, throwing into a small area where we had 2 receivers and 3 defenders.
LikeLike
I brought it up because you seem to have watched a different game than everyone else did.
LikeLike
Reps are definately a critical piece of the issue for correcting mistakes. Murray’s not comfortable in the 4th quarter, the stats don’t lie. You have to create some muscle memory so you don’t over-think things in those pressure packed situations. Until Murray gets clear on those situations where he blew it last season, he’ll just repeat the same mistakes.
LikeLike
Which stats show that Murray’s not comfortable in the fourth quarter? Is it the zero interceptions that gives it away for you?
His passer rating is lowest then for what should be obvious reasons (hint: Georgia went 6-7 last season).
LikeLike
Unless you like Murray being ranked below 100 in accuracy in the 4th quarter, or beng ranked #59 in pass effic, take your pick, let me guess, you think both are marvelous and see no room for improvement or it’s Studivant’ fault Murray’ sranked 17 out of 18 SEC QB’s in 4th ?
LikeLike
Did I see the INT in OT against Florida? Yes, many times. If you watch the play, AJ Green is never open. AJ heads up the middle, never gets any space, and has 2 guys in front of him, 1 behind him. Tavarres King on the left in 1 on 1 coverage and open for a throw on the left. Durham is WIDE OPEN on the right in 1 on 1 coverage with lots of space, Murray locked in to AJ, never looked right of left, released into triple coverage, and game over. Murray should have at least looked to his right or left, if nothing else, to throw the coverage off of AJ. Also, if Murray scrmbles inside of the right defensive end to the right, he probably scores a td if he gets a block from Durham. If murray rolls to the left, away form the pressure, he could have hit Caleb King who was releasing into the flats.
LikeLike
If you think going left would have taken him away from the pressure, you need to watch it again.
LikeLike
Just like on AM’s last TD pass that game.
The play was designed to go to Green. The problem was that Charles didn’t run his route correctly.
LikeLike
In your opinion, you can blame Murray’s int on Charles if you want to, but it won’t help Murray get better, I guess you blame all of his int’s in that game on Charles’ routes? He made a poor read, and a poor throw on that play.
Where’s Murray’s responsibility of this play–what all could he have done better, in your opinon?
LikeLike
You’re missing the point – deliberately, I suspect.
Murray doesn’t operate on an island by his lonesome. It’s ludicrous to analyze his situation on the basis that he controls everything that happens. Context matters and you seem unwilling to recognize that.
Murray’s responsibility on that play, since you ask, should have been to throw the ball away once he realized things had blown up in order to salvage a Walsh FG. That’s easy for me to say, though, since I’m not the one who had three big d-linemen who should have been better blocked bearing down on my ass.
He was a redshirt freshman, dude. He’ll get better.
LikeLike
I’m not missing the point. Murray himself said he needs to improve in the 1st & 4th quarters, so did Bobo, you’re missing the point. Blaming Studivant when Murray held onto the ball too long is weasling out. Blaming Charles when Murray made the wrong read is also weasling out. It’s one thing to be loyal, it’s another to offer no solutions and be blind. We’ll see who’s the starting QB in game 3.
LikeLike
As we say in the law biz, res ipsa loquitur.
LikeLike
As we saw in my neck of the woods:
vincit qui se vincit
LikeLike
You’re obviously someone who doesn’t take his own advice.
LikeLike
Lawyers, blaming others, attempting to escape personal responsibility, what a shame, and a sham.
LikeLike
And now we enter the ad hominem phase of the discussion.
Speaking of shams, how many different handles have you posted under here? I’ve got six under this IP address alone.
LikeLike
Last time I checked, you’re the one that started an anonymous blog under a character out of a fiction movie. Very fitting, I might add, the name fits your blog like a glove.
LikeLike
I think you mean to say I’m a pseudonymous blogger. The blog has a real name.
If you’re gonna dazzle me with your Latin skills and then insult me, at least get the terms right.
LikeLike
“And now we enter the ad hominem phase of the discussion.”
Oh boy, my very favorite part of day!
LikeLike
And the truth shall set you free! Now we know the underlying reasons – dude, Mettenberg is gone. For someone who seems to have some reasonable knowledge of football, if you think Lemay or Hutson are starting over Murray by game 3, perhaps I need to amend my statement about your football knowledge.
LikeLike
My point is by game 3, we’ll see who’s right. Yes, I’ll go on record saying Mason or Lemay will win more games than Murray. I don’t see there being enough reps to correct all the things the kid does wrong. You don’t wake up one day with new habits.
LikeLike
Will someone please tell Joe Cox Jr. here to get off our blog?
LikeLike
Come on boys, we don’t want any trouble in here, not in any language.
LikeLike
As his experience grows, Murray’s reads will naturally come easier as the game slows down to him. For the most part, I think that he took care of the ball pretty well (FL game notwithstanding). He made some mistakes sure, but he also seemed to have a good sense of when to get rid of it. We are talking about a rFR here. Some of the sacks he took were not in any way his fault, at times our blocking could be pretty non-existent.
LikeLike
Dave, you are an idiot if you think LeMay or Mason is starting by game 3 unless there is an injury.
Trust me.
LikeLike
I’m not Murray’s coach, but it seems like he would be the type of player who feeds off of positivity, not negativity. Bobo hasn’t missed a chance to throw him under the bus, and I guess I have to trust in the fact that he knows his quarterback. However, if your QB’s one flaw is his nerves (getting too jacked up at GA/FL) then don’t you think you’d be better served to use positive reinforcement instead of criticism?
LikeLike
Good point
http://www.vanderbiltsportsline.com/2011/04/boclair-stallings-is-too-honest.html
LikeLike
I’ve said it for years, you never hear about other schools coming after our coord. I cant recall one time where a school tried to persuade Bobo to come run their team, that says enough about his ability to run a D1 offense. Bobo is so predictable to UGA fans imaging what I guy who gets paid big money as a D-coord is going to do
LikeLike
+1 If he was any good he would be mentioned in the coaching vacancies that come up. He’s a legacy coach and that is what has been the problem at UGA. Mack at Texas has figured it out but Mark is only half way there. That was why the hiring of CTG was so great at least we got some new ideas into the staff.
LikeLike
Agree, Bobo has to go to a completely different strategy and play calling philosophy. Averaging 18 points against ranked teams, 11th in scoring in SEC against ranked teams, will not get it done.
LikeLike
I didn’t read Bobo’s comments as excluding himself from criticism.
LikeLike
Cam Newton was ok in the 2nd/3rd quarter, but #1 in the 1st/4th quarter.
Newton in 4th quarter:
67% pass accuracy, 187 pass effic, 7 td’s
LikeLike
You have to remember that Newton had a little more experience than Murray & he took his plays directly from the sideline.
LikeLike
Cam had Papa Gus holding his hand, too…
LikeLike
That’s right any idiot can call plays when he looks at the pretty pictures on the sideline. Our QBs learn to actually look and read the Defense. It means growing pains, but by the time they are seniors, they know the offense well and can read a defense. I would imagine right now, if you had to bet the house on AM or CN to read a defense and I mean really read it, who would you pick?
A guy whose coach has to call the plays for him at the line or a kid who has now had a full season of looking at defenses.
LikeLike
I worry the coaches are dumping too much of the load and responsibility on AM’s shoulders. AM did better than most of us expected last season – perhaps the only offensive player who had an above average season. It was the other 10 returning starters on O and the coaches that let us down.
I’d say each and every other O player and coach need to step up their performance before we start picking apart AM’s game.
LikeLike
You happy with the way Murray played against Florida? How many turnovers–I lost count. Blaming others won’t help Murray get better. Florida & South Carolina are the two most important games for us each year, you can’t win, if you can’t score, or make too many mistakes.
LikeLike
Ah, memories of Willie. I had almost forgotten the equisite taste of that “we.” “We were kind of streaky last season” is almost as good as “we just need to get to the ball quicker and make plays.”
I’ll forbear mentioning that Murray’s “bad streak” in the Auburn game–remember that 2d quarter?–began when we sent 2-receiver routes into a secondary overloaded to stop the AJ bomb. The underneath route or RB safety valve? Not there until Q4–and Murray hit Ealey then.
Also, I won’t recall Murray’s 2 TDs in the 4th quarter against Arky. Or that perfectly-thrown AJ TD to tie it up against UF as time ran out. AM needs to shift his focus to consistency during that quarter.
Which should be easy. His goal — “not [to] mentally lose it” — sounds as defined as the “poise” Joe Cox was instructed to exhibit late in games. Honestly, between UGA football & golf, I don’t see how I’m coming back from any fall weekend with more hair than I went into it with.
LikeLike
The questionable analysis by Murray does not take into account questionable play calling by Bobo and his tendency to get conservative at the wrong time. Murray was hammering Auburn’s secondary until Bobo decided to go the “two run plays up the gut and third down and long” route. Murray was a redshirt freshman who made some mistakes. He also made some pretty darned brilliant plays. It is a different game playing from behind in the 4th quarter when the pass rush is coming.
Aaron Murray had a great year. He was not the problem last year. Quarterback mistakes are part of the game. How many picks did senior QB Bobo throw against Florida in 97? Look it up. We still won because that team played good enough to overcome them. The crowd that is overly critical of Aaron Murray is a bunch of morons. Only a doofus would hang last year on Aaron Murray.
LikeLike
The questionable analysis about Murray…
LikeLike
Exactly.
Evidently that’s a hard concept for some to grasp.
LikeLike
If Murray’s going to focus on improvement, I hope he focuses on improving what’s actually broken: he could make better, faster reads. Making decisions under pressure is the hardest thing any QB has to do, and that’s where Murray made his mistakes. Shocking, I know.
His 1st/4th quarter play wasn’t bad enough to worry about. Don’t focus on the clock – focus on the skills.
LikeLike