Hutson Mason: The most important player in 2014

The anticipation that leads to a new football season is different all over the country. In the south, the countdown starts following spring practice, and as we are now seven days from kickoff, it feels like your birthday and Christmas all rolled into one.

For Georgia fans, this year is a bit different. Since Georgia lost their opening two games of the 2011 season, and then ran the table to make it to the SEC title game, expectations have been high. In 2012 Georgia lived up to those expectations by finishing in the top 5 and coming up five yards short against eventual national champion, Alabama in the SEC title game. Last season, expectations were as high as they have been since 

Herschel left town over thirty years ago.

However, going into this season, I think some Georgia fans don’t really know what to expect. It’s hard to blame them. Aaron Murray is gone, there is a new defensive coordinator, and if you looked at 10 different prognostications you would find that half think Georgia are ready to contend for a title and the other half think the Dawgs are going to be mediocre again.

I am guilty of being the ultimate optimist at times, but in a sober moment I can tell you this entire season will come down to the performance of one man: Hutson Mason.

Aaron Murray’s backup for the last four years now has his time to shine in Athens, and as Georgia fans, we have seen this twice before, with two drastically different outcomes.

In 2005, I was lucky enough to be in the building when DJ Shockley finally took the reins of the Georgia offense and put on a show against Boise State. Shockley had a fantastic season even though he missed two games due to an injury. He led Georgia to their second SEC title in four years and an appearance in the Sugar Bowl. Shockley had been a part of the Georgia offense for his entire career. Mark Richt took heavy criticism for putting Shockley in games and seemingly breaking the rhythm of David Greene. By the time Shockley stepped on the field as the starter, we had a pretty good idea of what to expect from him.

Hutson Mason’s path into the Bulldog huddle resembles that of Joe Cox, and those results will chill Georgia fans to the bone.

Cox sat for three seasons waiting his turn behind Matt Stafford. Actually, Cox had a brief moment of glory against Colorado in 2006. With the Georgia offense doing nothing with Stafford at the helm, Cox came into the game down 13 points in the fourth quarter and led Georgia on two touchdown drives to win the game. It was one of those moments that was really exciting until you realize that it took a miracle just to beat a bad Colorado team.

When Cox became the starter in 2009, Georgia was still a relevant player in the SEC. By the end of the season, Georgia offered more questions than answers and the entire Bulldog Nation was committed to seeing Willy Martinez get out of Athens. Georgia lost on the road at Oklahoma State to start the season. Georgia also came up short against LSU with the infamous AJ Green penalty for celebrating what we thought was a game winning touchdown. Georgia was not competitive in losing in Knoxville and Jacksonville, but the real disappointment was a home loss to feeble Kentucky in late November. By the end of the season, Georgia had lost five games, and all they had to hang their hat on was a victory over an overrated Tech team.

So with those two examples in mind, we turn back to the 2014 Bulldogs and attempt to figure out which path this team will take.

You might argue that Mason doesn’t have to do that much, when you consider that Todd Gurley is ready to run the ball all over the SEC this season. But if we learned anything from last year it has to be that you can never take Gurley, or any player, for granted because football is a game of injuries. If Gurley stays healthy, then yes Georgia will have a good season. If Georgia’s defense is middle of the road in the SEC (and I think it is going to be a little better than that), and Todd Gurley starts all 12 games, I think you can mark Georgia down for 8 victories.

However, those other four games, against Clemson, South Carolina, Florida, and Auburn , the best teams on Georgia’s schedule, to win those games Hutson Mason is going to have to be effective at the quarterback position.

People use the term game manager as in a derogatory way, but that is exactly what Georgia needs from Mason. There are great backs that the offense can rely on, and there is great talent at tight end and wide receiver. What we are going to need this year is the experience that comes with playing in this offense for the last four years. Mason isn’t going to have to win games by himself like Aaron Murray did at times in his Georgia career, but he is going to have to make a big throw in the fourth quarter to pick up a first down. He is going to have to audible and get Georgia in the right play in critical moments. He is also going to have to be effective throwing the ball down the field so the running backs don’t have to face nine-man fronts all season.

This is going to be a pivotal season for Georgia. One way or another there will be a new, inexperienced quarterback at the helm for the Dawgs next season. Todd Gurley will be gone, and Keith Marshall might be right behind him. Jeremy Pruitt will be sought after once this season comes to a close, so Georgia might be entering a second straight season with a new defensive coordinator.

This is the time for Georgia to win and win big before they have to go into rebuilding mode. Hutson Mason has been waiting for this season for the last four years. He will never approach Aaron Murray’s records. His name will not appear in the scrolls of all time SEC quarterbacks. The only way he will be remembered is if he leads this team to a magical season.

I think we will find out very quickly if Hutson is up to the job, and if he isn’t, then I think this coaching staff will have to decide how much rope to give him before handing the offense over to one of the young quarterbacks that are waiting in the wings. Georgia can’t afford to have another four or five loss season and head into next year with a first time starter. That was the mistake of 2009, and I don’t think Mark Richt would survive making the same mistake again.

Nine days and counting.

Go Dawgs!