Georgia loses Aaron Murray in 59-17 win over Kentucky

Nov 23, 2013; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray (11) leaves the field injured against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second quarter at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

On Senior Night in Sanford Stadium, the stage was set for a blowout victory to send out Aaron Murray and the entire senior class out with a bang. However, an unfortunate injury sidetracked the celebration a bit for Georgia, despite a decisive, ??-?? victory over Kentucky.

Sigh.

Aaron Murray left the game during the 1st half, and while the result was very much wrapped up by then (despite the early point in the game), the diagnosis doesn’t look great.

Clearly, this isn’t a run-of-the mill injury of Murray left the stadium prior to the conclusion of the game, and while it is too early to speculate, you can be sure that Murray’s status will trump any positive emotion coming out of the blowout win.

As for the Kentucky game itself, it was terribly non-competitive. The Bulldog offense was in great hands with Murray or backup Hutson Mason, as the team amassed 602 yards of total offense in addition to the 59 points, and the majority of that production came through the air. Murray threw 4 touchdown passes before leaving with the injury, and Mason picked it up from there, going 13 of 19 for 189 yards and a touchdown in extended mop-up duty.

On the ground, it was a very light workload for Todd Gurley, who needed only 8 carries to gain 77 yards, and the Brendan Douglas-JJ Green combination took it from there, combining for 94 yards and 2 touchdowns on 18 carries. As a team, the Dawgs rushed for 230 yards (with a 5.8 yard average) and 3 touchdowns, and it was basically the most lopsided conference result imaginable.

Kentucky’s offense was stymied throughout the night, and while they did gain 211 yards thanks to the crazy number of possessions, the Wildcats committed 3 turnovers. The UGA run defense also pinned their ears back in this one, holding UK to just 2.1 yards per carry despite the element of surprise being firmly in place due to the point differential on the scoreboard.

There isn’t a lot to take from this game, other than the fact that Kentucky is a wretched SEC team (with apologies to ATL All Day writers Eric Graff and Brad Stiene) and that Georgia is certainly ready to take on the in-state rival Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. However, all focus now shifts to awaiting information concerning Aaron Murray, as the 4-year starting quarterback is one of the best players in UGA history, and it would be a shame to see the team forced to take the field in Atlanta without him.

Stay tuned.