Georgia wide receiver Michael Erdman (6) jumps into the arms of cornerback Damian Swann (5) as they celebrate after their 44-41 win over LSU in an NCAA football game against the LSU, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013, in Athens, Ga.ATHENS, Ga. - Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger never got to finish their quarterback competition when the two were University of Georgia teammates.
They more than made up for it Saturday at Sanford Stadium.
Murray threw for 298 yards and four touchdowns to lead the ninth-ranked Bulldogs to a riveting 44-41 Southeastern Conference win over the No. 6 Tigers. His 25-yard touchdown pass to Justin Scott-Wesley with 1:47 remaining could not be answered by Mettenberger, who threw for 372 yards and three scores but had a fourth-and-10 pass sail incomplete near midfield with 52 seconds left.
"It was awesome," Murray said in the locker room amid a sea of reporters. "This is a game we'll talk about 20 or 30 years down the road, when we're all old and you guys are really, really old."
Murray and Mettenberger signed with Georgia in 2009 and were roommates, but Mettenberger was dismissed in the spring of 2010.
The two spoke briefly before the game but did not visit afterward.
In the latest marquee matchup of SEC teams that had scoring in the 40s, the Bulldogs piled up 494 yards to LSU's 449. Backup tailback Keith Marshall had 96 yards for the Bulldogs after replacing Todd Gurley, who had 73 first-half yards before spraining his left ankle.
"I'm about to pass out," Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. "What a game."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.