Bulldogs placing more faith in QB Murray

There are a lot of college football players who know full well who Steve Spurrier is.

When you grow up playing football in Florida, those odds are even greater.

Unless you’re Aaron Murray.

No. 5 Georgia’s junior quarterback knows Spurrier is the coach of No. 6 South Carolina. He knows he used to be the coach at Florida, the team he followed during his childhood in Tampa, Fla.

But so blissfully unaware is Murray about the particulars, he muffed the iconic name of the offense Spurrier perfected but has moved away from since he began relying on running back Marcus Lattimore.

“It’s all adapting to what you have, pretty much,” Murray said. “I’m sure (Spurrier) would do the ‘gun and fun’ or whatever it is if he had a whole bunch of receivers and didn’t have Lattimore.”

The irony, of course, is one could argue Murray himself is running a version of Spurrier’s “Fun n’ Gun” this year for the Bulldogs.

“Oh, yeah, it’s a lot of fun,” he said. “I’m loving what (offensive coordinator Mike Bobo) is doing right now with really spreading things out in terms of offense. We had five receivers last week. I don’t think anyone in Georgia history has even seen that before.”

For Georgia, the 2012 season has been about putting the ball in Murray’s hands and letting him lead the Bulldogs to victory, according to coach Mark Richt.

As an example of that faith, Richt spoke of last week’s game against Tennessee, when the Bulldogs had the ball in their own territory with 37 seconds remaining before halftime. Tennessee had just scored to take a 30-27 lead.

Murray marched the Bulldogs into position for a game-tying field goal as the half ended. Those points played a key role in Georgia’s eventual 51-44 victory.

“I don’t know if I would have done that last year,” Richt said. “I definitely wouldn’t have done it his freshman year. I guess that shows you the faith I have in him as a head coach.”

The one thing no one can deny is Murray’s track record against elite teams. He has a few key victories against the likes of Tennessee and Florida, teams that were ranked in the back end of the Top 25 at the time. But he lacks a signature win against a top-10 opponent.

“I’m sure he’s thinking about that a little bit,” said receiver Michael Bennett, who will miss Saturday’s game after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament during practice this week. “He wants to prove himself in a big game.”

Fellow receiver Tavarres King said Murray’s work ethic this season has been a difference-maker.

“He’s been extremely focused on the task at hand, which is winning each ballgame,” King said. “He comes in here every Sunday and watches himself, then immediately starts on the next team. I feel that’s not an issue right now and we’ll see how he handles it on Saturday.”

Murray’s week began with a tradition he calls “Sundaes on Sunday,” where he and a few backfield mates take the offensive line out for ice cream. When he ventured into the Butts-Mehre Athletics building later that day, he passed monitors playing highlights of the Tennessee victory and last year’s 45-42 loss against South Carolina.

Later, he ventured into a meeting room where Bobo had written the numbers of five receivers on a white board.

“I said what is that, our depth chart for the week?” Murray said. “(Bobo) said no, it’s our new formation. I was like, oh, my, goodness. I don’t know if any team can cover all five of those guys at once, especially the way they’re playing right now.”

Georgia used a variation of the five-receiver set about a half-dozen times against Tennessee. Last year against South Carolina, they utilized a number of plays that involved five players running routes, but the fifth often was a tight end or running back.

Murray said those plays were the most efficient ones Georgia ran against the Gamecocks last year, so he expects to see them again, even though USC boasts a ferocious defensive front, led by Jadeveon Clowney and Devin Taylor.

Handling USC’s defense, dealing with the pressure of playing in Williams-Brice Stadium — Georgia’s coaches have been blasting “Sandstorm” over the loudspeakers while having Murray whisper his snap count during practice — and doing so on national television is something that might have broken Murray during the past two seasons.

Now? He’s ready for his close-up.

“Their fans are loud and rowdy. I remember the white towels waving the entire game, every time I looked up. It’s a great environment and a lot of fun,” Murray said. “I’m definitely more mature this season and ready to go handle the big-time games in big-time environments.

“Right now, Saturday (can be) a huge win for us, to beat the No. 6 team in the country, to go into their home and beat them,” he added. “Another big SEC win, another big win leading to our ultimate goals of Atlanta and Miami.”

This story was originally published October 3, 2012 at 10:00 PM.