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Several true freshmen around the SEC made contributions to their teams during the second week of the college football season. Here’s a look at some of the biggest contributions.
Alabama: Running back Damien Harris had some nice moments playing in front of the Bryant-Denny Stadium crowd for the first time in the Crimson Tide’s 37-10 win over Middle Tennessee State. He carried eight times for 55 yards, including a 41-yard scamper. Receiver Calvin Ridley had four catches for 37 yards and defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick had two tackles and broke up a pass.
Arkansas: After a solid debut last week, running back Rawleigh Williams was almost nonexistent, carrying once for four yards and making one catch for 10 yards in the Razorbacks upset loss to Toledo.
Auburn: Locked in a surprisingly tough overtime battle with Jacksonville State, the Tigers didn’t play as many freshmen this week. Jeff Holland had two tackles, including one for a loss while cornerback Jeremiah Dinson had a tackle.
Florida: The Gators slipped past East Carolina, 31-24 with first-year running backs Jordan Scarlett and Jordan Conkrite making a difference. Conkrite rushed nine times for 47 yards and Scarlett four times for 27 yards.
Georgia: The Bulldogs picked up their first SEC win, beating Vanderbilt 31-14, with touted linebacker D’Andre Walker recording four tackles and a quarterback hurry. Wide receiver Terry Godwin had a catch for 10 yards and defensive back Rico McGraw had two tackles.
Kentucky: The Wildcats freshmen got their first experience winning an SEC game, hanging on to beat South Carolina, 26-22. Freshman defensive back Chris Westry had a big game, making two tackles, including a sack and picking off a pass. Right tackle Georgia Asafo-Adjei and tight end C.J. Conrad also earned their second-career starts.
LSU: Defensive end Arden Key helped the Tigers set the tone in what turned out to be their season opener. Key had 2.5 tackles, including a sack that dropped Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott for a nine-yard loss. Defensive back Kevin Toliver the second also got a start in his debut and finished with 6.5 tackles and broke up a pass.
Mississippi State: Wide receiver Justin Johnson had one catch for nine yards in the Bulldogs 21-19 loss to LSU.
Ole Miss: Javon Patterson once again started on the offensive line in the Rebels’ 73-21 win against Fresno State.
Missouri: Backup quarterback Drew Lock once again saw playing time behind Maty Mauk, but his only pass attempt was intercepted. Punter Corey Fatony booted six times for an average of 49.8 yards. Defensive tackle Terry Beckner Jr. batted down a pass while defensive end Nate Howard had one tackle in the Tigers’ 27-20 win at Arkansas State.
South Carolina: Walk-on tight end Hayden Hurst played, but didn’t have a catch in the loss to Kentucky.
Tennessee: The young Vols had some freshman on the field in the 31-24 overtime loss to Oklahoma. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings had one catch for five yards. Linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. had two tackles.
Texas A&M: Wide receiver Christian Kirk had another great performance in the second game of his college career, making four catches for 49 yards and a touchdown as the Aggies rested many of their starters most of the game during a 56-23 thrashing of Ball State. Quarterback Kyler Murray saw playing time again behind Kyle Allen, completing 9 of 14 passes for 64 yards and a touchdown. Defensive tackle Daylon Mack had two tackles, one for a loss.
Vanderbilt: The Commodores didn’t have a significant contribution from true freshmen in the loss to Georgia.
Shane Mettlen is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Texas A&M, Missouri and Alabama.
