Comparisons are likely to follow UGA’s Hutson Mason all season
It can’t be easy stepping in for a four-year starting quarterback who broke just about every conceivable school and SEC record and won the hearts of the Bulldog Nation with his gritty play, but that’s what UGA starting quarterback Hutson Mason has to do in 2014.
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It’s only natural that Mason will be compared to his predecessor, Aaron Murray, openly and often. Georgia fans and the media grew accustomed to seeing Murray’s heroics and failures over his four seasons at Georgia.
But Aaron Murray isn’t the only former Georgia quarterback to whom Hutson Mason is drawing comparisons. There are several ex-Dawgs who (the media in particular) will love to draw comparisons to while Mason uses his last season of eligibility to secure a championship for the Dawgs.
D.J. Shockley took a similar path while at Georgia, sitting for several seasons behind David Greene, and according to an Associated Press article and interview by Paul Newberry, Mason and Shockley have formed a bond based on their shared experiences.
"“When you look at all the quarterbacks Georgia’s had, it’s the same bond, the same brotherhood,” Shockley said. “But for me and Hutson, our situations are so parallel to each other, it’s a different type of bond.”"
There are some who want to throw a less flattering comparison on Mason, wondering (for some unknown reason) if he’ll become the next Joe Tereshinksi, who despite spending time watching Greene and Shockely, simply didn’t have the skill set to be a top-flight SEC quarterback.
There’s also the inevitable “he’s the only one who won the big one” comparison to 1980 National Champion QB, Buck Belue. There are already rumblings that Mason may be in the same category with Belue, being a quarterback with not the flare or skills of a Aaron Murray, or the cannon of a Matthew Stafford, but surrounded by the right people at the right time to bring home a championship.
No, the comparisons between Hutson Mason and practically every other UGA quarterback since 1980 will continue all season long. And when it’s all over – championship or not – this season will be Mason’s to call his own, and leave his own stamp upon for future quarterbacks to find themselves compared to, much to their chagrin.
So if Todd Gurley is Herschel, and Hutson Mason is Buck, then that means that one of the receivers is going to have to step up and be Lindsay Scott.
Any takers, Chris Conley?