The denizens at everyone’s favorite Georgia Tech message board have greeted the news of Murray’s injury with all the sensitivity you’ve come to expect, combining passive-aggressive wishful thinking with a cocky, yet deluded assurance that people taking offense at their boorishness are simply proving their intellectual inferiority to a bunch still internally distressed over their acne not clearing up during their college years.
As you read it, you realize this is all they’ve got. Murray’s absence doesn’t improve Georgia’s chances this Saturday, of course. But it’s not as if Mark Richt hasn’t proven he can successfully deal with adversity in a game against Tech. He’s beaten the Jackets with a converted fullback playing tailback. He’s beaten the Jackets with a quarterback with an injured hand. He’s beaten the Jackets with Calvin Johnson, repeatedly. (Okay, Reggie Ball helped.) He’s beaten the Jackets with Joe Cox throwing for 76 yards. He’s beaten a seventh-ranked Georgia Tech team with the worst team he’s fielded in Athens. He’s beaten the Jackets with Willie Martinez and he’s beaten them with Todd Grantham.
Murray’s absence, then, doesn’t concern me. It does, however, fill me with regret that he won’t be able to pad his stats one last time against a team he’s absolutely owned. Here are his passer ratings against Tech:
- 2010: 250.86
- 2011: 177.14
- 2012: 227.40
And as a bonus, his passer ratings against Ted Roof’s Auburn defenses are 170.83 (2010) and 255.74 (2011).
So, yeah, that’s a shame, but otherwise I’ll take my chances. Oh, and in case you haven’t noticed, Hate Week has officially commenced. FIAR,B!