Unlike Joe Cox replacing Matthew Stafford last year, Aaron Murray is not entering the season carrying the onus of replacing a recently-departed quarterback legend on his young shoulders.
Still, there’s a fair amount of pressure resting on the inexperienced but talented signal caller, if for nothing more than the fact that he’s leading an offense in the pressure cooker of an über-competitive SEC.
And, while it was simply a “meaningless” scrimmage, Murray -- with a big assist from an All-World receiver -- showed glimpses Tuesday that the kid, and UGA by association, may just be alright on that side of the ball in 2010.
With no media present and just a smattering of people in the stands, Murray completed 12-of-21 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns in the first real “test” of his young career.
“I felt more comfortable in the pocket today,” said Murray according to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. “That’s been my biggest thing, just relaxing and trusting (the offensive line), so that’s what I did today. Trust them a lot today. And when there was pressure, just let those guys make the necessary blocks.”
Both of Murray’s touchdowns were thrown to A.J. Green, and each covered more than sixty yards. “It’s pretty nice, the plays he makes,” Murray said. “It definitely makes things easier.”
Murray was far from perfect as he also threw an interception, but head coach Mark Richt seemed pleased with what he saw.
“Other than that play, he made a lot of very good decisions and good throws,” Richt said. “Definitely, he has a very good command in the huddle and of the system. He does a good job of getting us in the right plays. We’ve given him a lot of leeway in that regard.”
Again, this was merely a scrimmage -- and one in which Murray’s first-team offense was going up against the second-team defense -- but Murray “lighting” it up is a whole helluva lot better than him stepping on his junk the first real time out.