01/06/2013 - Aaron Murray, one of the few underclassmen in position to bolster a weak senior class of quarterbacks, has elected instead to return to the University of Georgia. Rather than have the school set up a press conference, Murray made his decision via Twitter, announcing that "he's not ready to leave just yet." Coming off an MVP performance in a Capital One Bowl victory over Nebraska in which he tied the school record with five passing touchdowns, some had questioned what the 6-1, 212 pound passer could gain in returning for his senior season in the ultra-physical SEC.
Murray completed 64.5% of his passes for 3,893 yards and 36 touchdowns against just 10 interceptions for the year. In 41 career games, he's thrown for roughly a 3-1 TD to INT ratio (95-32) against a high caliber of competition.
In doing so, Murray had ascended to the No. 4 standing in NFLDraftScout.com's quarterback rankings for the 2013 draft, and the top underclassman. Despite less than ideal size, Murray possesses many of the other traits talent evaluators look for in a franchise quarterback. Murray has a strong arm, has shown the ability to throw with touch, precision and velocity and is both mobile and tough.
In returning to Georgia, however, Murray currently ranks as NFLDraftScout.com's top quarterback in the class of 2014. It is hard to question Murray's decision considering how similar choices by Andrew Luck, Jake Locker, Christian Ponder, and Matt Ryan over the past five years have paid off. - Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com
01/06/2013 - Breathe easier, Georgia fans. Quarterback Aaron Murray had a special message to deliver via Twitter on Sunday evening. Blessed to be the QB for the Dawgs, not ready to leave just yet. Time to get back to work & help lead this team to a championship #GoDawgs...Yes, instead of entering the NFL Draft, Murray will be returning to Georgia for his senior season. Murray had been projected as a possible second-round draft pick in this spring's draft. Instead he'll be remaining in Athens and trying to bring a national title to Georgia.
Murray threw for 3,893 yards, 36 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for Georgia this season, as the Bulldogs finished just a few yards shy of winning the SEC and moving on to the BCS National Championship Game. In his three seasons as a starter for Georgia, Murray has thrown for 10,091 yards and 95 touchdowns, leading Georgia to a record of 28-13.
Murray also finds himself first, second and third in the Georgia record books for yards passing in a single season. He's currently third all-time in career passing yards, but barring injury, won't have much problem passing David Greene and Eric Zeier next season. His 95 touchdown passes are already the most in Georgia history. - Tom Fornelli, CBSSports.com
01/01/2013 - PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Aaron Murray has put together another strong season for Georgia. The fourth-year junior has passed for 3,466 yards with 31 TDs and eight interceptions. He passed for his 90th career TD in the SEC title game loss to Alabama, passing Peyton Manning (89) for second on the all-time SEC TD passing list. - The Sports Xchange
01/01/2013 - Aaron Murray passed for 427 yards and five touchdowns, and No. 7 Georgia rallied for a 45-31 victory over No. 16 Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl on Tuesday at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium. Murray, a junior quarterback, was 18-of-33 and threw touchdown passes on three of four possessions in the second half, as Georgia (12-2) wiped out a 31-23 deficit against the nation's No. 1 passing defense.
Nebraska entered the game allowing 148.2 passing yards a game, the best mark in the nation. But Murray, who was spot-on on his deep ball, threw touchdown passes of 29, 75, 49, 24 and 87 yards. The last one came when Chris Conley caught a short screen pass for a couple of yards and ran the rest of the way, with no defenders within 20 yards of him. The touchdown with 11:03 remaining was the longest passing play in Georgia bowl history, and the longest ever in the Capital One Bowl.
Nebraska (10-4) entered the game on heels of an embarrassing 70-31 loss to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship game, when the Badgers ran for 539 yards and didn't attempt a pass in the second half. Georgia, though, did most of its damage through the air, although freshmen running backs Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall combined to run for 161 yards. - The Sports Xchange
12/14/2012 - The moment that Aaron Murray's final, fateful pass in the SEC Championship Game was tipped by Alabama's C.J. Mosley into the hands of Georgia wideout Chris Conley -- ending the game without even one additional shot into the end zone after first-and-goal -- the second-guessing of Mark Richt began. But Murray came to his coaches' defense on Tuesday, saying that not only did he support the decision to call a play, but that the play-call would have worked if Mosley hadn't made what might be fairly called the biggest play of the 2012 college football season.
"Oh, it's a touchdown," Murray said of the play minus Mosley's intervention, per the Macon Telegraph. "It's a 50-50 ball. The guy's facing Malcolm [Mitchell], and Malcolm just has to go up and catch the ball ..." "I don't see any problem with the play call at all. It's not like we were designed to throw a short pass. It was a fade into the end zone and either a catch or an incompletion." As he had done previously, Richt reaffirmed his decision not to spike the ball. "If you run a system where you're used to going fast, it's no big deal. You just run the next play. If you spike it, you give [the defense] a chance [to get ready]," Richt said. "The problem wasn't the play; the problem was that the ball was tipped." - Jerry Hinnen, CBSSports.com
12/08/2012 - 2012 ALL-SEC HONORABLE MENTION (MEDIA): Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia, Jr., has been selected Honorable Mention All-Southeastern Conference (Media selection) for the 2012 college football season. Currently, Murray leads the nation in passing efficiency at 177.2. In his 27 wins as a starter, he has 69 TDs to just 15 INTs.
Murray is the SEC's leading active player in total offensive yards (9,618, which is 10th in SEC history), completions (660), TD responsibility (99, which is fifth in SEC history), TD passes (89, which is tied for second SEC history) and passing yards (9,399). - Georgia football
11/29/2012 - 2012 MANNING AWARD FINALIST: Aaron Murray (Georgia)...Murray, a 6-1, 210-pound native of Tampa, Fla., has developed into one of the nation's elite at his position. He has been named a finalist for Wuerffel Trophy and a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award. He became the first SEC quarterback in history to have three consecutive 3,000-yard passing seasons after completing 14-of-17 for 215 yards and two touchdowns versus Georgia Tech last week.
Currently, Murray leads the SEC in passing efficiency at 177.2. In his 27 wins as a starter, he has 69 TDs to just 15 INTs. Murray is the SEC's leading active player in total offensive yards (9,618, which is 10th in SEC history), completions (660), TD responsibility (99, which is fifth in SEC history), TD passes (89, which is tied for second SEC history) and passing yards (9,399). - Georgia football
11/26/2012 - WEEK 13 SEC OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE: QB AARON MURRAY (Georgia) -- Completed 14-of-17 passees for 215 yards and two touchdowns against Georgia Tech. - SEC football
11/26/2012 - With Georgia one win away from playing for a national championship, quarterback Aaron Murray has suddenly imposed a media blackout. The school said Monday that Murray met with coach Mark Richt and got permission to be relieved from his media responsibilities leading up to the Southeastern Conference championship game between the third-ranked Bulldogs (11-1) and No. 2 Alabama (11-1). The winner of Saturday's game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta will advance to face top-ranked Notre Dame for the BCS title (12-0).
Murray has always been one of Georgia's most accessible players, usually meeting with the media on Tuesdays and after games. But he gave a hint that his approach would change when he didn't hang around following last week's win over Georgia Tech, appearing to catch the sports information staff off guard. One of his best friends, linebacker Christian Robinson, said Murray simply wants to make sure his entire focus is on beating the Crimson Tide. ''I don't think this has anything to do with the media,'' Robinson said. ''I don't think he's trying to send message. It's just something he decided to do this week as far as being prepared.'' - AP Sports
11/24/2012 - Aaron Murray threw two touchdown passes, Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall each ran for a pair of TDs, and No. 3 Georgia stayed right in the thick of the national championship race with a 42-10 rout of Georgia Tech on Saturday. The Bulldogs (11-1) extended the domination of the Yellow Jackets, beating their state rival for the 11th time in 12 meetings. This one was a laugher from the start as the home team scored just over a minute into the game, built a 28-3 halftime lead and was up 42-3 before Georgia Tech (6-6) scored its lone TD. Georgia will face No. 2 Alabama for the Southeastern Conference championship next Saturday. The winner of that contest will likely play in the BCS title game on Jan. 7.
Murray completed 14 of 17 for 215 yards, becoming the first quarterback in SEC history to pass from more than 3,000 yards in three straight seasons. Gurley finished with 97 yards on 12 carries and now has 14 touchdowns on the season, one shy of Herschel Walker's school freshman record set in 1980. Marshall, also a freshman, piled up 66 yards on just seven carries. - AP Sports
11/24/2012 - With another state title safety tucked away, third-ranked Georgia can finally shift all its focus on college football's ultimate prize, the BCS championship. No, the Bulldogs aren't there yet. There's still the not-so-small matter of next week's SEC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome, but after Saturday's 42-10 thrashing of Georgia Tech, the Bulldogs (11-1) will have an opportunity to punch their ticket to Miami with a victory. Georgia Tech (6-6) still has title hopes of its own, a conference crown the Yellow Jackets (6-6) will have a chance to win when they take on Florida State for in the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte, N.C. next Saturday. The Bulldogs, obviously, will be playing for a lot more.
Georgia, by winning the SEC title game, would earn a spot in the BCS title game for the first time since the championship format was established. No doubt the Bulldogs would love a performance similar to one they offered Saturday against the Yellow Jackets, who had all sorts of issues trying to slow Georgia's offense. Quarterback Aaron Murray was once against efficient, completing 14-of-17 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns in going over the 3,000 yards for the third straight year, the first quarterback in SEC history to do so. - The Sports Xchange
11/19/2012 - WEEK 12 SEC OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE: QB AARON MURRAY (Georgia) -- Completed 18-of-28 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns against Georgia Southern. - SEC football
11/17/2012 - Aaron Murray threw four touchdown passes, Todd Gurley became only the second true freshman in Georgia history to rush for 1,000 yards, and the No. 5 Bulldogs bounced back from a sluggish start to blow out lower-division Georgia Southern 45-14 Saturday. Georgia (10-1) reached 10 wins for the eighth time in Mark Richt's dozen seasons as coach. Georgia Southern (8-3) had a shot at the halftime lead, only to get scuttled by a penalty, and Murray took control from there. He completed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Malcolm Mitchell with just 4 seconds left in the half, sending Georgia to the locker room with a 17-7 lead. In the third quarter, Murray hooked up with Chris Conley on a pair of scoring passes, sandwiched around a 43-yarder to Tavarres King. - AP Sports
11/12/2012 - WEEK 11 SEC OUTSTANDING PERFORMER: QB AARON MURRAY (Georgia) -- Completed 18-of-24 passes for 208 yards and three touchdowns against Auburn. - SEC football
11/10/2012 - Earlier this week, Georgia coach Mark Richt acted like a reporter had lost his mind when asked if there was a chance the fifth-ranked Bulldogs might not be focused for Saturday night's game against struggling Auburn. It turns out Richt knew his team better than some might have thought. Against its longtime SEC rival, Georgia (9-1, 7-1) started quickly and never let up, racing past the Tigers 38-0 to win the East Division title and claim a spot in the league championship game set for Dec. 1 in the Georgia Dome for the second consecutive year. Exactly who the Bulldogs will play, however, won't be known until Nov. 24 when Alabama plays host to Auburn (2-8, 0-6) in the annual Iron Bowl. The Crimson Tide could have sewn up the SEC West on Saturday but were upset 29-24 by Texas A&M in Tuscaloosa. Auburn, meanwhile, continues to suffer through its worst season in recent memory, a loss that will no doubt add to speculation on whether or not Tigers coach Gene Chizik will be able to keep his job. Richt, whose own seat has been warm in recent years, has no such concerns, other than to make sure his team can stay focused and healthy for its two remaining regular-season games against Georgia Southern on Nov. 17 and Georgia Tech on Nov. 24. Saturday's game was never in question. Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray was spectacular, completing 18 of 24 passes for 208 yards and three first-half touchdowns before being replaced to start the fourth quarter by backup Parker Welch. - The Sports Xchange
10/22/2012 - WEEK 8 SEC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Aaron Murray, Quarterback, Georgia...Murray completed 30-of-38 passes for a career-high 427 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions in Georgia's 29-24 win at Kentucky...The 78.95 completion percentage against the Wildcats is a Georgia single-game record and his 30 completions were a career-best...The 427 yards were fourth-highest in school history and second best in the SEC this season...Murray is now Georgia's career leader in touchdown passes (75), which is tied for ninth in SEC history...He is the SEC active leader in five different categories and is third in the NCAA FBS in careeer pass efficiency rating (154.02). - SEC football
10/22/2012 - Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray set a career high with 427 passing yards and the Bulldogs pulled out a 29-24 win over Kentucky on Saturday night. The Bulldogs (6-1) led 22-17 early in the fourth quarter of the SEC game when a critical play vaporized all of Kentucky's momentum. Georgia was set to punt from its own 19-yard line. But Kentucky was called for running into the punter, which gave the Bulldogs a first down at their own 25. Murray then passed for all 75 remaining yards, completing 6 of 7, to give the Bulldogs a 29-17 lead. The Wildcats answered with a touchdown on their next drive but failed to recover an onside kick with 3:59 left. Kentucky (1-7) scored a touchdown on the first drive of the game, and it has been a long time since the Wildcats have been able to say that. Before Saturday, they hadn't scored a touchdown in the first quarter of any game since Nov. 27, 2010, a span of 20 games between first-quarter TD drives. - The Sports Xchange
10/07/2012 - Georgia linebacker Christian Robinson said on his Twitter account he returned from the Bulldogs' lopsided loss at South Carolina on Saturday night to find a house he shares with quarterback Aaron Murray ''egged and rolled.'' Georgia was No. 5 before the 35-7 loss to South Carolina. The Bulldogs fell to No. 14 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday. Robinson, a senior, concluded the toilet paper and eggs on the house were a result of the loss. He posted on his Twitter account ''Came to a house that was egged and rolled. Seems that people turn on you when you're not perfect. Thought we were in this together.'' Coach Mark Richt said Sunday negative feedback from fans is not a surprise. Richt said players in the public spotlight can't respond to negative displays from fans. ''I think you just hold your head high,'' Richt said. ''You act in a first-class manner. You don't do anything that would retaliate or anything like that. Just be man enough to turn the other cheek and go about your business. That's what I would say.'' Georgia (5-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) has a week off before playing at Kentucky on Oct. 20. Murray completed 11 of 31 for 109 yards, the lowest total of his career, with an interception in Georgia's third straight loss in the series. ''It stinks,'' Murray said. ''We felt like we had a great rhythm offensively going on in the first five games. We've got to go back, watch the film and make corrections and get better. It's still a long season to go and there are still six games left. Plenty of chances to get better, more games to win. We just have to watch the film and get better.'' - AP Sports
09/29/2012 - In the long history of the series between SEC rivals Georgia and Tennessee, there has never been a game quite like this. Fortunately for the fifth-ranked Bulldogs, it will be one they can remember fondly after winning a track meet, 51-44, Saturday at Sanford Stadium. "It's nice to have a gut check and come out on top," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "A lot of things happened in the first half that deflated us, but we kept them out of the end zone when we had to." Up next for Georgia is a much-anticipated game in Columbia, S.C., against sixth-ranked South Carolina, which played at Kentucky on Saturday night. It was certainly a great day to be an offensive player. Quarterbacks Aaron Murray of Georgia and Tyler Bray of Tennessee certainly weren't complaining. Murray completed 18 of 24 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns, and Bray completed 24 of 49 passes for 281 yards but was picked off three times. - The Sports Xchange
09/22/2012 - Aaron Murray completed his first 12 passes and No. 5 Georgia finally got off to a good start, blowing out Vanderbilt before halftime on the way to a 48-3 victory Saturday night. Murray hooked up with Tavarres King and Marlon Brown on touchdown throws, breaking a tie with Eric Zeier for second place in school history. The junior quarterback has 69 TDs, just three behind David Greene. Murray also scored on a 1-yard sneak as the Bulldogs (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) raced to a 27-0 lead. He finished 18 of 24 for 250 yards. Todd Gurley rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Keith Marshall also had a pair of scoring runs. Vanderbilt (1-3, 0-2) took its worst defeat since a 48-0 loss to Tennessee in 2003. - AP Sports
09/17/2012 - WEEK 3 SEC OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE: QB AARON MURRAY (Georgia) -- Completed 14-of-19 passes for a career-high 342 yards adn two touchdowns and also scored two rushing touchdowns against Florida Atlantic. - SEC football
09/16/2012 - Aaron Murray passed for a career-best 342 yards and two touchdowns, also scored twice on short runs, and No. 7 Georgia bounced back from another slow start to rout Florida Atlantic 56-20 on Saturday night. Playing without Jarvis Jones and two other defensive stalwarts, Georgia (3-0) struggled in the first half to slow a Florida Atlantic team that scored a single touchdown against lower-division Wagner. The 44-point underdog Owls (1-2) kept converting third downs and found themselves tied at 14 early in the second quarter. But the Bulldogs simply had too many weapons, piling up a school-record 713 yards. Murray hooked up with Michael Bennett on a 67-yard touchdown and went to Arthur Lynch for a 36-yard TD. The junior quarterback scored himself on a pair of 1-yard sneaks. - AP Sports
09/11/2012 - LOOKING GOOD: Georgia again had an excellent day throwing the football, finishing with 242 yards passing with QB Aaron Murray spreading the ball to seven different receivers. TE Jay Rome made his first career catch, a 15-yarder that resulted in a first down. Defensively, Georgia came up with big plays, forcing three turnovers and coming up with two sacks. Georgia held dual-threat Missouri QB James Franklin to just 25 yards rushing on 20 carries. Overall, Georgia held Missouri to just 102 yards rushing on 2.6 yards per carry. RB Richard Samuel stopped a Missouri fake-punt attempt, holding Missouri P Trey Brown to a 3-yard gain on 4th-and-11. Murray finished 22 of 35 for 242 yards with three TDs and one interception vs. Missouri. Murray has a TD-interception ratio of 6-to-1 so far this season. - The Sports Xchange
09/08/2012 - THIS WEEK'S GAME: Georgia at Missouri, Sept. 8 -- Georgia will be looking to spoil Missouri's SEC debut. A raucous crowd is expected for the Saturday night game at Missouri's Faurot Field. Missouri DT Sheldon Richardson has already sparked the flames of a rivalry between the two schools by saying that Georgia plays "old man football." KEYS TO THE GAME: Georgia must contain Missouri dual-threat QB James Franklin. The 6-foot-2, 228-pound Franklin passed for 2,865 yards and rushed for 981 yards last season. Missouri runs a spread offense, so it will be important for Georgia's defense to remain disciplined and stay in the gaps. Defensively, Georgia should be able to find some holes against a Missouri defense that allowed 380 yards per game last season. The Bulldogs will need to remain balanced, with QB Aaron Murray leading the passing game and big-play freshman RB Todd Gurley sparking the running game. On special teams, Georgia's coverage team will get a test against Missouri sophomore Marcus Murray. Murray returned punts 70 and 72 yards for touchdowns against Southeastern Louisiana last week. PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Aaron Murray got off to a strong start for the Bulldogs, finishing with 258 yards passing and three touchdowns against Buffalo. His completion percentage (15-of-26, 57.7 percent) wasn't great, but some of that could be attributed to some first-game rust. It will be important for Murray to get in better sync with his receivers in case the Missouri game becomes a shootout. - The Sports Xchange
09/03/2012 - WEEK 1 SEC OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE: QB AARON MURRAY (Georgia) -- Completed 15-of-26 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns against Buffalo. - SEC football
08/04/2012 - 2012 PRESEASON JOHNNY UNITAS GOLDEN ARM AWARD CANDIDATE: Aaron Murray, Georgia...In his second season as a stater, Murray led Georgia to the SEC Championship Game by passing for 3,149 yards and a school-record 35 touchdown passes. He was second-team All-SEC last season and should make another bid for the SEC East title. - The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
07/21/2012 - 2012 PRESEASON ALL-SEC SECOND TEAM (MEDIA): QB Aaron Murray (58), Georgia, Jr., finished the 2011 season with a school record 35 touchdown passes and set a school record for touchdown responsibility by a quarterback in a season with 37 (two rushing). Murray is the SEC's leading active player in total offensive yards (6,476), completions (447), touchdown responsibility (65), touchdown passes (59) and passing yards (6,198). - Georgia football
07/21/2012 - 2012 PRESEASON ALL-SEC SECOND TEAM (COACHES): QB - Aaron Murray, Georgia, ... A Tampa, Fla., native, Murray finished the 2011 season with a school record 35 touchdown passes and set a school record for touchdown responsibility by a quarterback in a season with 37 (two rushing). Murray is the SEC's leading active player in total offensive yards (6,476), completions (447), touchdown responsibility (65), touchdown passes (59) and passing yards (6,198). He also graduated in May 2012 and is now in graduate school. - Georgia football
07/20/2012 - 2012 DAVEY O'BRIEN PRESEASON WATCH LIST: Aaron Murray, Georgia, has been selected to the Preseason Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award Watch List for the 2012 college football season, presented annually to the nation's best college quarterback by The Davey O'Brien Foundation. A Tampa, Fla., native, Murray finished the 2011 season with a school record 35 touchdown passes and set a school record for touchdown responsibility by a quarterback in a season with 37 (two rushing). Murray is the SEC??s leading active player in total offensive yards (6,476), completions (447), touchdown responsibility (65), touchdown passes (59) and passing yards (6,198). He also graduated in May 2012 and is now in graduate school. Murray, who has also been named to the Maxwell and Manning award watch lists, is one of six quarterbacks from the SEC included on the Davey O'Brien list. - Georgia football
07/20/2012 - 2012 PRESEASON WALTER CAMP PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD WATCH LIST: Aaron Murray, junior, QB, Georgia, has been named one of of fifty preseason "players to watch" for The Walter Camp Football Foundation 2012 Player of the Year Award, the nation's fourth-oldest individual college football accolade. A Tampa, Fla., native, Murray finished the 2011 season with a school record 35 touchdown passes and set a school record for touchdown responsibility by a quarterback in a season with 37 (two rushing). Murray is the SEC??s leading active player in total offensive yards (6,476), completions (447), touchdown responsibility (65), touchdown passes (59) and passing yards (6,198). He also graduated in May 2012 and is now in graduate school. Murray has also been named to the preseason watch lists for the Maxwell Award, Manning Award, Davey O'Brien Award and the AFCA Good Works Team. - Georgia football
07/09/2012 - 2012 MAXWELL AWARD PRESEASON WATCHLIST: Aaron Murray, Georgia, QB, Jr., has been selected to the preseason Maxwell Award watchlist for the 2012 college football season, given to America's outstanding collegiate football player since 1937 and named in honor of sportswriter Robert W. "Tiny" Maxwell. A Tampa, Fla., native, Murray finished the 2011 season with a school record 35 touchdown passes and set a school record for touchdown responsibility by a quarterback in a season with 37 (two rushing). Murray is the SEC's leading active player in total offensive yards (6,476), completions (447), touchdown responsibility (65), touchdown passes (59) and passing yards (6,198). e also graduated in May 2012 and is now in graduate school. - Georgia football
05/15/2012 - 05/14/12 BIG BOARD, BEST FOR 2013: 25. *Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia: Murray, like my top-rated prospect, Matt Barkley, does not possess the ideal measurables for the quarterback position but he does boast the arm talent, toughness and success in a pro-style offense against quality competition to make him an easy projection to the NFL. - Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com
