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Several true freshmen made contributions to their teams during the third week of the college football season. Here’s a look at some of the biggest contributions:
Alabama: The Crimson Tide didn’t get quite the contribution from its first-year players that it might have hoped for in Saturday’s loss to Ole Miss. Wide receiver Calvin Ridley continues to make a contribution, making six catches for 28 yards but has yet to become much of a deep threat. On defense, Minkah Fitzpatrick got the start as a nickelback and Ronnie Harrison started in the dime package, but neither proved effective at slowing the Rebels’ passing attack. Fitzpatrick finished with two tackles.
Arkansas: The Razorbacks continued to struggle in a loss to Texas Tech, but freshman running back Rawleigh Williams III is seeing his role increase due to injuries. Williams had eight carries for 31 yards and two catches for 20 yards.
Auburn: A bright spot in Auburn’s loss to LSU was freshman Kerryon Johnson, who got involved in the rushing, passing and return games. He finished with 129 all-purpose yards, including 98 kickoff return yards with a long of 40. On defense, Jeff Holland had a pair of tackles while Jeremiah Dinson finished with three.
Florida: Freshman running back Jordan Conkrite played in his third straight game, carrying six times for 12 yards in the victory at Kentucky. Martez Ivey also made his Gator debut.
Georgia: The Bulldogs were able to get plenty of freshmen involved during a blowout victory against South Carolina. Wide receiver Terry Godwin got another start, making two catches for 28 yards. Tight end Jackson Harris had a pair of catches for 35 yards, while Michael Chigbu had a catch for nine yards.
Kentucky: The Wildcats started three true freshmen for the third time this season. Offensive lineman Georgia Asafo-Adjei and tight end C.J. Conrad were in the lineup, though Conrad is still looking for his first career catch. Defensive back Chris Westry, who had a huge game last week against South Carolina, had just one tackle.
LSU: The Tigers played several freshmen in an easy win against Auburn. Derrius Guice had six carries for 55 yards and a tackle on special teams, while Donte Jackson had a carry for 14 yards and two tackles. Kevin Toliver II got the start on defense, making a tackle for a loss and defensive end Arden Key had two tackles.
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs let a few freshmen get in the game during a blowout of Northwestern State. Running back Aeris Williams had seven carries for 36 yards and a touchdown, while Malik Dear got one carry for 19 yards.
Ole Miss: The Rebels are redshirting most of their freshman class, but offensive tackle Javon Patterson got his third straight start as the Ole Miss offense racked up 503 yards of total offense and gave up two sacks in the upset of Alabama.
Missouri: In the 9-6 win against UConn, the Tigers continued to give playing time to backup quarterback Drew Lock, who completed 6 of 9 pass attempts for 40 yards. Corey Fatony punted six times for an average of 39.2 yards but had one for 51 yards and placed two inside the 20-yard line. Defensive lineman Terry Beckner Jr., involved in a car accident earlier in the week, played and had two tackles.
South Carolina: Tight end Hayden Hurst played in his third straight game.
Tennessee: The Vols have played a bunch of true freshmen this season. Saturday, wide receiver Preston Williams had three catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings got his second straight start and had two catches for 13 yards, while linebacker Darrin Kirkland started and had four tackles. Quarterback Quinten Dormady got into the game and completed 6 of 8 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown to Williams.
Texas A&M: Wide receiver Christian Kirk continues to star for the Aggies, who hammered Nevada. He finished with six catches for 120 yards. Kyler Murray played at quarterback, throwing for 32 yards and rushing twice for 10 yards. Defensive tackle Daylon Mack had three tackles, including two for a loss.
Vanderbilt: Justin Skule got his first career start at right tackle, and fullback Kyle Anderton played but didn’t have a carry. On defense, defensive end Dare Odeyingbo had two tackles, including one for a loss. Linebacker Josh Smith had two tackles, while Jordan Griffin and Jay Hockaday each had a tackle.
Shane Mettlen is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Texas A&M, Missouri and Alabama.
