ESPN College Football

 
Edward Aschoff talks with Georgia coach Mark Richt.

ATHENS, Ga. -- On the field, Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall couldn’t have been more exciting last fall.

Georgia’s freshman running back duo combined for 2,144 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns and they couldn’t help but own a larger-than-life on-field persona with elite moves and pulverizing hits.

Off the field, however, the two couldn’t be anymore boring. You’re likely to find more excitement in a library than with these two laid back roommates.

They don’t have the desire to parade around Athens looking for excitement -- good or bad. They don’t crave attention, and they’d rather spend a quiet evening at home with a good movie.

“We’re just chilling,” said Gurley, who led the duo with 1,385 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns last season. “What else can we do?”

Added Marshall, who rushed for another 759 yards and eight touchdowns: “We’re trying to stay out of trouble. There isn’t much else to do.”

Oh, there’s plenty to do in a college town with a bustling nightlife like Athens. Georgia coaches know the distractions and wrong turns that can come with a night out on Broad Street. The Bulldogs have seen their fare share of off-field incidents with players in recent years, especially at the running backs position, so it’s refreshing to see two level-headed studs living the homebody life.

“We’re both smart enough to the point that we know what not to do so that we won’t get in trouble,” Marshall said. “I feel like we’re mature enough. Anything could happen being at the wrong place at the wrong time, but we try to stay out of certain situations.”

Instead, they choose cinematic situations. The two usually spend off nights (when they don’t have football, studying or tutoring) going to the movies or rummaging through the $5 movie bin at Wal-Mart.

Some gems include “Superbad” (Gurley’s favorite), all three “Rush Hour” movies, “Scarface” and “Blow.” The two even went to the theater and saw “The Call,” starring Halle Berry, and “Olympus Has Fallen” on back-to-back nights.

They don’t even partake in the cliché college student act of plopping in front of a TV to play video games, like “Call of Duty” or any of the “Madden” football games. That’s TOO boring.

There are no homemade pranks or competition, except on the football field.

They are the oddly boring couple, and Mark Richt loves it.

“I’ve not heard a peep about anything off the field,” Richt said.

“They’re smart enough to know and they have enough inside of them from how they were raised to feel like they understand the responsibility of celebrity they’ve got.”

And that celebrity status gets old. Marshall, who was the No. 2-rated running back in the 2012 recruiting class, said he first felt the nuisance of fame when he and Gurley were bombarded by adoring fans while they tried to eat at LongHorn Steakhouse after the two combined for 294 rushing yards and five touchdowns in the 51-44 win over Tennessee.

Both were caught off guard and a little naïve about the attention, which only grew. All the pictures and autographs perplex them because they still feel like normal people.

“It’s cool and I just try to have fun with it,” Gurley said. “We’re just college students. It’s not like we’re getting paid to play football or anything. I don’t like [the attention] sometimes; people will tell you that.”

Added Marshall: “I try to be nice to everybody because I don’t want people to get the wrong impression of me, but sometimes you just want to hang with your friends.”

Honestly, they're nothing normal in the eyes of those around them, and they shouldn’t expect anything else. But they're entitled to their freedom and independence, which is why their “Gurshall" nickname, which combines their names, jersey numbers and further links them to Georgia great Herschel Walker, is a touchy subject.

They think it's “clever,” but aren't exactly fans of it. They don’t like the Walker comparisons or the increased hype they the name brings.

“[Walker] was one of the greatest, but we still had to go out and play every week,” Marshall said. “It really didn’t mean anything. It was just people talking.”

So they created their own nicknames. They want to be known as individuals, not a tandem. Marshall is now “Sosa4aMil,” which is a play off his short dreadlocks and a million. Gurley is going by “TG4hunnind,” which he took from the rapper YG.

Not as catchy, but they’re independent.

They know the attention will only increase, but they plan to block it out like last year because they have even more planned for 2013 -- more production and more wins.

“Coach told us at the end of the season, ‘Don’t worry about last year,’ but I’m going to work as hard as I can for the season so hopefully we can just pick up where we left off and keep getting better,” Marshall said. “I don’t think there’s going to be a slump or anything.”

Imagine the attention then.

Checking out the links on a Monday.

• SEC teams spring into 2013.
• Johnny Manziel's return to class is a smart move.
• Nick Saban with an amazing photobomb.
• Injured Alabama running back Derrick Henry updates his Twitter followers with his "progress" report.
• Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron talks NASCAR and football.
• Auburn's quarterback race is tight, but the Tigers have plenty of options.
• Mark Richt makes it clear that the state of Georgia is the No. 1 priority when it comes to recruiting.
• Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham likes the potential of the Bulldogs' defense.
• The SEC Network is a big win for Missouri.
• A dare winds up helping Kentucky in recruiting.

ATHENS, Ga. -- In time, a relatively unimpressive stat line against Florida might go down as the turning point in Aaron Murray's career.

By that midseason game last fall, Georgia’s quarterback had already authored a series of subpar performances against ranked teams in his two-plus seasons as the Bulldogs’ starter. He was in the middle of another against the Gators, tossing interceptions on three straight first-half possessions as Georgia took a 7-6 lead into halftime.

Yet Murray was able to regroup, going 8-for-16 in the second half for 116 yards and hitting Malcolm Mitchell for a win-clinching 45-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that proved Murray is a tougher competitor than it might have once appeared.

“We talked a lot about what being soft is and what being soft isn’t,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said after the 17-9 victory against Florida gave the Bulldogs back-to-back wins against their biggest rival for the first time since the 1980s. “And the thing I mentioned to him and all the QBs is that being soft is if you get hit in the mouth a few times or sacked a few times or throw a pick here and there, you can’t stand back up and go back and play football.”

In Georgia’s next game against ranked opposition, Murray was hit in the mouth again -- literally, by Alabama defensive end Quinton Dial in the SEC championship game -- but went on to prove that he’s anything but soft. In Georgia's games against ranked opponents following the Florida win -- against Alabama and against Nebraska and its top-ranked pass defense in the Capital One Bowl -- Murray flashed resiliency that he might have lacked earlier in his career.

He was a combined 36-for-66 for 692 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions against the Crimson Tide and Cornhuskers. And in the second halves of those two games, he was even more efficient, hitting 15 of 25 passes for 401 yards, three scores and no interceptions.

“Hopefully he won’t have to hear any of that big-game stuff anymore,” said tight end Arthur Lynch, one of Murray’s closest friends on the team.

Murray will have an opportunity to end that criticism for good when the Bulldogs return to the field this fall. He’ll have a national TV showcase to open the season against Clemson and its high-powered offense on Aug. 31. And he’ll face South Carolina and LSU -- two defenses that created the previous low points in his college career -- before the end of September.

“It’s going to be a huge start to the season,” Murray said. “It’s very similar to two years ago when we started off with Boise State and South Carolina [both losses]. Obviously that didn’t turn out too well. The season turned out well, but we definitely want in any season to start off strong.

“To get those first couple of wins is always tough, to get that train rolling, and we know we have a tough task ahead of us and we have to be ready. It’s not like we can walk in there and have a game or two to warm up. It’s right off the bat and we’ve got to be ready to go.”

Murray and Georgia’s offense set a new school record by scoring 529 points last season. If they can somehow score enough to run the table against one of the nation’s most difficult September schedules, the Bulldogs’ only true SEC road games come against Tennessee and Auburn, who combined to win eight games last season. Survive September and UGA will be in the thick of the national championship conversation -- and Murray could firmly be in the Heisman Trophy talks.

He is already the first quarterback in SEC history to pass for 3,000-plus yards in three straight seasons. By the end of this season, he could own league career records for passing yards, touchdowns, completions and passing attempts.

While setting those records isn’t his primary goal, Murray worked this spring to make himself an even more productive quarterback as a senior. He dropped some weight, down to 207 pounds, to help regain some of the scrambling ability he believed he lost between his freshman and junior seasons. And he visited with quarterback guru George Whitfield -- who previously helped No. 1 picks Andrew Luck and Cam Newton prepare for the NFL draft -- during spring break to refine his technique and add velocity to his throws.

“I think anytime you can go somewhere and get one thing or two things that might help you be more accurate or help you with footwork, it’s good,” offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Bobo told reporters after Murray’s trip.

Statistically, Murray is going to finish his career as one of Georgia's and the SEC’s top quarterbacks so long as he remains healthy this fall. There is more to a legacy than stats, however, and Murray realizes that winning a championship would ensure he will go down as one of the elite quarterbacks in conference history.

He helped the Bulldogs recover from the first losing season in Richt’s tenure by leading them to SEC East titles in 2011 and 2012. They fell just short of a spot in the Discover BCS Championship Game when a last-minute drive against Alabama fizzled at the Tide’s 4-yard line -- motivating the Georgia quarterback to bypass an opportunity to enter the NFL draft in order to take one more shot at college football’s biggest prize.

“Obviously it would definitely be cool to have those records,” Murray said. “I’m a guy who has based my time here [on] I want to win championships. That’s my No. 1 goal. So to accomplish all of that in one year, I think that would be a great year. That would be a lot of fun.

“But like I said, my first goal and only goal, really, is to win an SEC championship and win a national championship next year.”

TGIF! Now get that fancy Kentucky Derby attire ready!

• Athlon Sports lists the top 50 running backs during the BCS era.
• Jon Solomon of Al.com takes a look at what sort of content the new SEC Network will have.
• Alabama coach Nick Saban talks new SEC Network and his support for a nine-game conference schedule.
• Auburn president Jay Gogue is "disappointed" in negative reports about Auburn, but he's satisfied with his school's response.
• Florida coach Will Muschamp is pleased with Jeff Driskel's offseason progress.
• Georgia coach Mark Richt and athletic director Greg McGarity say that the new SEC Network will help on the recruiting trail.
• LSU athletic director Joe Alleva says playing in Houston is a priority for the Tigers.
• Athlon Sports wonders if Missouri will get back to a bowl game in 2013.
• Jared McGriff-Culver, who was often overlooked as Missouri's fullback, gets a chance with the Oakland Raiders.
• Here's a look at Ole Miss' defensive ends after spring.
• South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier renews his call to pay college athletes.
• Big offensive lineman Orlando "Zeus" Brown from Suwanee, Ga., commits to Tennessee.
• Texas A&M continues to reap the benefits of its move to the SEC.

Linking our way around the SEC:

• According to the police report, suspended LSU running back Jeremy Hill punched the victim from behind and then celebrated with high-fives after a second man knocked the victim out with another punch.
• Arkansas and Texas Tech are in talks about a future home-and-home football series.
• Listening in to what Alabama coach Nick Saban had to say before his Crimson Caravan stop in Birmingham.
• Former Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray can look to other undrafted free agents for inspiration, writes Mike Strange of The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• Former Tennessee receiver Justin Hunter may be the prize catch the Tennessee Titans have lacked, writes David Climer of The Tennessean.
• Recalling the Clemson-Georgia rivalry.
• Texas A&M spices up its recruiting efforts with a little music.
• Dee Ford solidifies his spot at Auburn's premier pass-rusher with a stellar spring.
• The committee reviewing Auburn's athletic department will file its findings to the president in a few weeks.

Checking out some lunch links on a Tuesday while you chow down on that delicious chicken salad sandwich.

• NFL draft success is an important sales pitch on the recruiting trail.
• Auburn running back Tre Mason follows in Onterio McCalebb's footsteps by continuing Auburn's squirrel-chasing legacy.
• Georgia coach Mark Richt says his offensive line doesn't have to be dominant this fall.
• Former Kentucky quarterback Andre Woodson got a life-changing gift on his 29th birthday.
• Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart gets a one-year extension and a $50,000 retention bonus.
• Texas A&M is expected to announce on Wednesday that Kyle Field's capacity will go over 102,000.
• Missouri adds wide receiver Thomas Richard to its 2014 recruiting class.
• Alabama's AJ McCarron is on the Senior Bowl's preliminary 2014 list of eight quarterback candidates.

It was a two-coach race, but Georgia's Mark Richt won handily in the voting by fans on who was the SEC's most underappreciated coach.

Richt, who's guided the Bulldogs to the SEC championship game each of the past two seasons, received 43 percent of the vote. LSU's Les Miles garnered 27 percent. More than 13,200 votes were cast in our SportsNation poll.

Coming in third place was Mississippi State's Dan Mullen with 12 percent of the vote. Florida's Will Muschamp received 11 percent of the vote and Missouri's Gary Pinkel 7 percent.

Richt and Miles have each won two SEC championships, and Miles won a national title in 2007. Between them, they've won 10 or more games 14 times as SEC head coaches (20 seasons).

Richt, who's entering his 13th season at Georgia, was reputed to be on the hot seat after suffering through his only losing season in 2010. The Bulldogs lost two of their final three games in 2010 to finish 6-7 and then lost their first two games of the 2011 season to Boise State and South Carolina. But since that rocky start to the 2011 season, they've won 22 of their last 26 games, and two of those losses came in the SEC championship game to teams ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the country.

Spring practice ends for seven more SEC teams on Saturday. Here's a check of what's shaking around the league:

• Athlon Sports ranks the SEC quarterbacks for the 2013 season.
• Arkansas' Daunte Carr is making his presence felt at middle linebacker.
• Auburn's personnel groups are still shifting.
• Breaking down Auburn's offense heading into Saturday's spring game.
• Breaking down Alabama's offense heading into Saturday's spring game.
• Defensive starters Jermauria Rasco, Jalen Mills and Ronald Martin will miss LSU's spring game.
• Georgia coach Mark Richt expects plenty of competition in preseason camp.
• Mississippi State's defensive linemen are in sync with new position coach David Turner.
• Junior college newcomer Jeremy Chappelle finishes spring practice with a flourish at Mississippi State.

We asked your opinion earlier this week on LSU's Les Miles being ranked by Athlon Sports as the SEC's seventh best head coach.

We heard plenty, too, both yea and nay.

Miles has won two SEC championships and one national championship at LSU, and he's also won 11 or more games in five of his eight seasons in Baton Rouge.

Is he the league's most underappreciated head coach?

Or is it Georgia's Mark Richt, who according to a loud sect of Georgia fans I hear from regularly, should have been gone several years ago. Never mind that he's been to the SEC championship game each of the past two years and came within a tipped pass of playing for the national championship last season.

Then again, maybe it's Florida's Will Muschamp, Mississippi State's Dan Mullen or Missouri's Gary Pinkel.

We'll let you tell us who is the SEC's most underappreciated head coach by voting in our SportsNation poll.

We'll give you the rest of the week to vote, and we'll go over the results later in the week. This ought to be interesting.

ATHENS, Ga. -- Mark Richt delivered his standard line after the annual G-Day scrimmage, noting that "it was a great day" in his postgame news conference.

How great a day depends on which coordinator you asked, as defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo served as Saturday's head coaches, with Grantham's Black team defeating Bobo's Red 23-17.

"I hope it's a wake-up call. We've got a lot of work to do," said Bobo, who had a first-team offense that returns 10 starters on his sideline Saturday. "You can't just flip a switch and say, 'Hey, I'm ready to play' and step on the field on Saturday night in Clemson, S.C. [for the Aug. 31 season opener].

"It's hard for young kids when they're told over and over they're this and they're that and they're good, but you've got to put in the work. And our guys are working -- don't get me wrong -- but we could be a lot better than we are right now."

Read the rest of the story at DawgNation. For more on Georgia's spring game, check out the notebook.

One of the most pressing priorities this spring for Georgia defensively was settling on a position for talented sophomore Josh Harvey-Clemons.

Was he an outside linebacker or a safety?

Turns out he's a little bit of both.

Georgia coach Mark Richt said following Saturday's scrimmage that Harvey-Clemons was the Bulldogs' starting strong safety in their base defense. But when they go to nickel, the 6-5, 210-pound Harvey-Clemons will move to that "star" role, which is a cross between linebacker and safety.

Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said prior to the start of spring practice that he felt like Harvey-Clemons was athletic enough to handle that position, but wanted to see how he fared this spring. The reality is that Georgia will be in its nickel package at least half the time and possibly more in 2013.

Grantham also had high hopes for true freshman safety Tray Matthews, and he's been impressive this spring.

Seth Emerson of The Macon (Ga.) Telegraph has put together a projected depth chart defensively for the Bulldogs. One of the major moves this spring was shifting redshirt freshman John Taylor from nose guard to defensive end. The 6-4, 325-pound Taylor moves extremely well for a guy his size.

I'd definitely say that Sunday was the day of must-see TV.

Here's some info on the three scrimmages that occured over the weekend:

• Arkansas unofficial statistics from Saturday morning and quotes from coach Bret Bielema.
• Stats and notes from Georgia's Saturday scrimmage and more from coach Mark Richt.
• Vanderbilt sticks with the Wildcat during its scrimmage and here's more from Vandy's official website.

On to the links:

• More than anything, Mal Moore's love story stands out.
• Remember Moore as a winner and a gentleman, and not in that order.
• LSU defensive end Jordan Allen is working his way back from last year's knee injury.
• Tennessee's offense is adapting to a quicker pace.
• Florida cornerback Jeremy Brown gains perspective through injury-plagued career.
• Auburn is still rotating quarterbacks on Day 4 of spring practice.
• Auburn gets a commitment from 2014 offensive lineman Josh Casher.
• Mississippi State receiver Robert Johnson is ready to be a threat for the Bulldogs this fall.
• Kentucky running back Raymond Sanders is adapting quickly to the Wildcats' new offense.
• Reserve offensive linemen are still getting into rhythm for Ole Miss.
• Physical play highlights Arkansas' first spring scrimmage.
• Here's a look at Georgia's new-look, ever-changing defensive line.
• Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel might need an off-field blocker these days.

ATHENS, Ga. -- As valuable as this spring will be for early enrollees Reggie Carter and Ryne Rankin, it will be just as important for Ramik Wilson.

The rising junior has finally settled at inside linebacker -- after shuffling between inside and outside over the past two seasons -- and believes he is making rapid progress at the Mike position, where he is responsible for making defensive calls.

“It helps me out a lot,” Wilson said after leading the defense with seven tackles in Tuesday’s scrimmage at Sanford Stadium. “I can just learn one position and just keep going from there. I haven’t got to keep doing double duty and just focus on my time at mike. It’s coming real good.”

So good, in fact, that he has established himself as an early favorite to start alongside fellow junior Amarlo Herrera this fall.

“I’d be thrilled if Ramik continued to improve like he has,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “He’s playing inside now. He was playing outside before. I think he’s comfortable in there. I think that’s probably more of a natural position for him. Hopefully he’ll keep coming on.”

Wilson, Carter and Rankin all have a valuable opportunity this spring to earn playing time before two more inside linebacker signees, Johnny O’Neal and Tim Kimbrough, arrive this summer. With 2012 regulars Alec Ogletree, Christian Robinson and Michael Gilliard now pursuing their dreams of playing professional football, only Herrera remains from last season’s rotation -- so position coach Kirk Olivadotti knew this spring would involve major turnover.

With little more than a week left until next Saturday’s G-Day game, Olivadotti said the teaching opportunities involved in spring practice have been valuable for the group, and particularly for freshmen Carter and Rankin.

To read more of David Ching’s story, click here.

Hutson Mason has been yearning for his shot as Georgia's starting quarterback, and he got it Tuesday in the Bulldogs' first major scrimmage of the spring.

Aaron Murray was away receiving an award, and Mason worked with the first-team offense. He finished 14-of-23 for 186 yards with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Chris Conley and also threw two interceptions. The wind was whipping Tuesday in Athens, and coach Mark Richt said there were several drops and wind-swept passes.

Still, he was impressed with Mason's command of the offense and has said that Mason will get a chance to play some in 2013 even with the record-setting Murray returning. It's not going to be a rotation by any means, but the Dawgs will look for situations to get Mason into the game.

"It's his fourth year in the system, so he's very capable of running the show," Richt said.

Mason has considered transferring a couple of different times, but decided to stay. He redshirted last season and will be a junior in 2013. It's obvious that his coaches and teammates have confidence in him. He's not afraid to mix it up or get on teammates, either. Chip Towers of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Mason and linebacker Amarlo Herrera got into a scuffle during Tuesday's scrimmage.

A lot of quarterbacks playing behind Murray would have already left. Kudos to Mason for sticking it out, and it's a great deal for Georgia.

We've seen time and time again how crucial it is to have a second quarterback who can play and has the confidence of the team. Several people in and around the Georgia program feel like 6-foot-3, 205-pound Mason will definitely get a shot in the NFL.

Defensively, one of the most promising things to come out of Tuesday's scrimmage was the play of freshman safety Tray Matthews, who made a couple of impressive open-field tackles on Keith Marshall and also broke up a pass in the end zone. The Bulldogs need Matthews to be a factor at safety next season.

Ramik Wilson, who's settled in at middle linebacker, led the defense with seven tackles. Cornerback Sheldon Dawson had two interceptions and returned one 67 yards for a touchdown.

For more on Georgia's scrimmage, click here and here.