ATHENS, Ga. --- Just two months before his debut as a starting quarterback in the Southeastern Conference, Aaron Murray flew into Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport and made his way through the terminal without drawing a second glance from his fellow passengers.

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The Georgia redshirt freshman and his brother, walk-on safety Josh Murray, were returning to Athens after spending the July 4 holiday at home in Tampa, Fla., and didn't create so much as a stir among the thousands of other travelers making their way to and from their destinations -- some of whom were certainly Bulldogs fans who will tune into today's game and pay close attention to the play of their new quarterback.

"I haven't really played a game yet, so nobody knows me," Murray said. "I'm not a superstar."

That's all about to change, starting around noon today when the Bulldogs kick off Murray's debut season against Louisiana-Lafayette.

Even if he plays poorly, everyone will know Murray's face soon enough. And if he lives up to his billing as one of last year's top quarterback prospects in the nation, it will be hard to avoid Murray and all the media attention he will invariably receive.

Such is life when you're the starting quarterback at one of the elite programs in the football-crazed South.

With the endearing combination of energy, enthusiasm and a degree of naivete that accompanies a young player's first start, Murray says he's comfortable with no longer being simply a face in the crowd.

He hopes to greet that scrutiny with a performance that is at least adequate, if not better.

"I guess if I get recognized for playing good, I won't be too upset about it because I guess we're doing pretty good on the field. But I don't guess there's any way to prepare for it," he said.

"It's gonna happen and you just hope it's for positive things and not people yelling at you when you're walking down the street."

That will probably come in time, as well. Not even the best high-profile athletes can avoid criticism when things aren't going as swimmingly as they might like.

Murray would rather not think too much about how he's soon to become a subject of constant observation for at least the next few years. Living in a fishbowl can mess with your psyche if you pay an inordinate amount of attention to who's watching from the outside.

"You just want to go through your daily life and hope no one tries to beat you up for doing something stupid on the field," Murray said.