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Injury brings premature end to Hutson Mason’s Georgia career

Published: Dec 31, 2014 · 9:15 AM EST

You have to feel bad for Hutson Mason.

The fifth-year senior and first-year starting quarterback was possibly on track for a career night in the first half of Tuesday’s Belk Bowl — something he needed after a tumultuous 2014 season. Prior to exiting the game, Mason was 10-for-15 for 149 yards and one touchdown.

But a shot he took late in the second quarter forced his head to absorb a big hit on the ground, and soon Mason was out of the game for what Georgia later described as “vision problems.”

“When I got to the sideline, I was very just unaware of everything that was going on,” Mason said to the media after the game. “It just spun 1,000 times around and around and I didn’t even open my eyes.”

After the initial hit, Mason stayed on the field to finish the drive which culminated in a Nick Chubb rushing touchdown (what else?). But during the next defensive series, Mason was forced to make the tough call — end his collegiate career a half early.

“I went to the locker room and my vision was all jacked up,” Mason added. “I was super dizzy, and I sat there for like 30 minutes and a lot of it went away. So me and my family were in there with the trainers trying to make a decision if I should go back in there or not. It was super tough just because this is a terrible way to go out.”

Mason’s injury gave way to likely the future starting QB for the ‘Dawgs — Brice Ramsey.

However, the way Mason’s career at Georgia end simply isn’t fair and it’s just one of the unfortunate aspects of sports sometimes.

The 2014 season was Mason’s one shot to prove his value and to set his legacy at Georgia, whereas most quarterbacks get at least a few seasons to do that.

But Mason took on the challenge, perhaps a little aggressively at first.

“I think Hutson’s deal this year was knowing he only had one shot at it and wanting to be perfect, wanting to not make a mistake, wanting to make the most of it,” Richt said back in November. “I think it kept him from being free to cut the ball loose like he had done all along in all the practices we watched.”

The slow start to the season, which included multiple interceptions against Tennessee and a costly intentional grounding in a loss to South Carolina, didn’t generate much good will towards Mason from UGA fans. And in an offense that relies heavily on the run game, often patience can quickly wear thin with the quarterback.

But Mason pressed on, despite rumors of a quarterback controversy between himself and Ramsey. And the fifth-year senior came into his own midway through the season. In a six-game stretch from Oct. 11 to Nov. 22, Mason recorded a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 12:0.

While the passing yards never reached astronomical heights, Mason was efficient and very effective. His 20:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio wasn’t matched by anyone in the SEC and his 68.87 completion percentage broke a Georgia school record.

Mason’s legacy at Georgia nearly had a storybook ending in the Bulldogs’ final home game of the 2014 season. He hit Malcolm Mitchell for a go-ahead TD with around 20 seconds left on the clock against in-state rival Georgia Tech. For a while, it looked like Mason would leave Sanford Stadium as the hero.

But coaching miscues and poor defense led to GT tying up the game on a field-goal as time expired. And then in overtime, Mason’s fortune pulled a complete 180 as he threw an interception to clinch the loss to the Yellow Jackets.

On Tuesday, Mason never got a real opportunity to make amends for that final home game, and just like that, his career at Georgia came to a premature end with one hit.

“It’s a terrible way to go out, obviously,” Mason said. “Everything I’ve had to preserve through I would have liked to finish it off in a better way. But that’s the path that the good Lord has chosen me to walk … if it has been a leg or an arm or an injury like that, there’s no doubt I would have been out there.”

Sometimes life — and sports — just isn’t fair. For Mason, his Georgia career ended unfairly and he never got the chance he deserved to go out on top.

Drew Laing

Drew Laing will be providing analysis and insight on Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina.