TE Orson Charles looks like major contributor for Bulldogs
Georgia took a total of 12 true freshmen to Stillwater but only half actually got into the game and none really had anything in the way of a major impact.
Branden Smith was the No. 2-ranked cornerback in the country when he signed with the Bulldogs out of Booker T. Washington High last February and certainly made the biggest splash with his first plays coming on the offensive side of the ball. It had been hinted since National Signing Day that he could possibly play on offense and in the kicking game. In the end, however, you’d have to say his “impact” was minimal has he accounted for 42 total yards six touches (three rushes, 2 kickoff returns and one reception) and his contributions on defense were minimal. Clearly, though, the Bulldogs are expecting big things out of this speedy DB from Atlanta.
Probably the most significant impact from the standpoint of participation came from tight end Orson Charles. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound prep All-American out of Tampa’s Plant High played a significant portion of the game. He finished with a modest 46 yards on two catches but most notably was the target on one of the Bulldogs’ most critical passes late in the game. Also notably, Charles was unable to handle the Joe Cox’s hard throw on a quick slant on that play. The pass was just a touch high and behind Charles but otherwise should have been handled. But Charles’ unusual speed and good hands were well-illustrated with 25- and 21-yard catches.
Also getting PT on Saturday were TE Arthur Lynch (6-5, 255, Dartmouth, Mass.), LB Michael Gilliard (6-2, 200, Valdosta), DE Montez Robinson (6-5, 245, Avon, Ind) and DT Abry Jones (6-3. 273, Warner Robins. Only Jones, with one tackle, managed to show up in the box score.
As notable as the true freshmen that did play were those that did not. Marlon Brown, the much-ballyhooed wide receiver out of Memphis, did not take an offensive snap. Neither did fellow wideout Rontavious Wooten, who drew so much praise in preseason camp. Neither did AJC Super 11 tailback Washaun Ealey.
Coach Mark Richt indicated Tuesday that Brown and Wooten will likely play this week.
“The game (last Saturday) was tight,” Richt said.. “You have a young guy in there that you don’t feel like understands it as well as a veteran guy. You kind of look at your veterans and see if they have enough juice in them to keep going. We decided not to play those guys, but we cannot go the season with just four receivers. There’ss no way, so we have to play those guys. I told the freshman that you have to make sure in practice that you are sharp. The sharper you are in practice, that breeds confidence in your coach to give you opportunities. We know we need to play them, but they also need to continue to get to the point where they are studying and practicing to where it gives them confidence and the staff confidence.”
Meanwhile, there were some fairly significant impacts made by freshmen around the SEC. Some of the more noteworthy ones:
- Auburn RB Ontario McCalebb was named SEC Freshman of the Week Tuesday after rushing for 148 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown in the Tigers win over Louisiana Tech;
- Bryce Brown, rated the No. 1 back in America coming out of high school, had 104 yards on 11 carries (9 ypc) and TD.
- Vanderbilt’s Zac Stacy was 20 for 133 yards rushing with a touchdown for Vanderbilt.
Do you like what you saw of Georgia’s freshmen or do you want to see more?
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74 comments Add your comment
cwm
September 8th, 2009
3:17 pm
first wow…… so what
Saint Simons
September 8th, 2009
3:19 pm
24 – 10 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahahahahahahahhahahaha
Dawgs Drool!
September 8th, 2009
3:22 pm
In addition to Bryce Brown running for over 100 yards, David Oku scored 2 TD’s and Marsalis Teague outperformed any of the players mentioned in the article about Reid and Smith! Just exactly where was Marlon (Grandma’s baby boy) Brown this past Saturday???
Re: I missed the shot at Marlon Brown Reply (Lane Kiffin’s comment today on media days at UT)
——————————————————————————–
he said that recruits look at former top players to see if they are sitting on the bench the whole game with no receptions or if they are the teams leading receiver.
Stanfield
September 8th, 2009
3:23 pm
I definetly like what I saw. Even though we lost the game, There were some good play . I liked the way our defense played. Much improved from last year . I agree that O. Charles will be a beast in time. R. Samuel’s play was better than I thought. Basically I am not in a panic because I think we will get things started this weekend.
GeoffDawg
September 8th, 2009
3:24 pm
I wasn’t sold on Bryce Brown at first. I mean, how much high school talent really comes out of Kansas after all? But he may be the real deal. Need more than one game to determine that definitively of course.
Dawgs Drool!
September 8th, 2009
3:29 pm
Hey GeoffDawg,
Ever hear of Gayle Sayers?
Loran, Whatayagot?
September 8th, 2009
3:30 pm
Final Score: Saint: Zero Simons: Bigger Zero. The more he blogs the bigger his zero. Keep it coming, SS, your zero keeps getting bigger!
Dawgs Drool!
September 8th, 2009
3:32 pm
Guess you pups will really be excited when Cox gets sacked more than he gets pass completions. With that LT gone for the year, Chris Walker, Ben Martin and whoever else lines up at DE will have a field day!
GeoffDawg
September 8th, 2009
3:35 pm
That’s what you call an aberration, not a trend. What kind of girly name is Gayle anyway?
Dawgs Drool!
September 8th, 2009
3:36 pm
Saint Simons
September 8th, 2009
3:19 pm
24 – 10 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahahahahahahahhahahaha
That was the correct score wasn’t it, Loran? It’s only going to get worse for you ball lickin’ pups! You going to want to keep Richt after the “Cocks” peck Cox’s eyes out? South Carolina wins 3 to 2 over you “parvo pups”.
Dawgs Drool!
September 8th, 2009
3:37 pm
That’s what you call an aberration, not a trend. What kind of girly name is Gayle anyway?
Kind of like Geoff instead of “Jeff”!
GeoffDawg
September 8th, 2009
3:39 pm
That’s what you call uncommon, not girly. You may not be able to appreciate the distinction.
larrymunsonthe3rd
September 8th, 2009
3:40 pm
why are you so angry
Dawgs Drool!
September 8th, 2009
3:41 pm
Don’t get your “panties” in a wad Geoffrey!
GeoffDawg
September 8th, 2009
3:42 pm
Why the quotations around panties? Are you talking to yourself as you’re typing?
Dawgs Drool!
September 8th, 2009
3:43 pm
Panties are a girly item, Geoffrey!
GeoffDawg
September 8th, 2009
3:44 pm
Thanks for the clarification captain obvious.
Banker Dawg
September 8th, 2009
3:46 pm
Yes – I do think we should have seen the Freshmen play. Our wait three years before you see the field policy has not served us well. Look at the time we lost with Knowshon. Smith, Ealey, and Wooten ,and Murray should be given a chance to contribute. Heck, our best players didn’t even see the field last Saturday. Really, could we do any worse letting these guys get some reps? I don’t think so. Plus, these guys will benefit from the playing time going in to next season…look at the depth on our O-line this year.
Paddy
September 8th, 2009
3:55 pm
geoffdawg… you must have never seen Gayle Sayers play or you would never make such a comment? I lived in Chicago during his playing days. There was nothing sissy about this running back. Walter Payton was good but he was no Gayle Sayers.
Jake7
September 8th, 2009
3:59 pm
THE game was TIGHT…….CMR….WELL who programmed it THAT way?? There seems to be NO meeting of the MINDS.
Jake7
September 8th, 2009
4:06 pm
Charles……is a STUD!! We just have to TAKE advantage of our IMPACT players…..THAT SHOULD be in our GAME PLAN!!
Stop making sense. « Get The Picture
September 8th, 2009
4:07 pm
[...] From today’s AJ-C: Coach Mark Richt indicated Tuesday that Brown and Wooten will likely play this week. [...]
GeoffDawg
September 8th, 2009
4:08 pm
Geez, all these Gayle Sayers fans need to calm down. I never said that no talent ever came out of Kansas. I was suggesting that Kansas is generally not known for producing top HS talent. As such, players may be overhyped coming out of that system after producing large statistics against lower level competition.
Our school systems really need to start offering classes in logic and critical analysis.
Money
September 8th, 2009
4:20 pm
Too bad we didn’t see Aaron Murray…Joe Cox looked terrible…
jimmy
September 8th, 2009
4:28 pm
i sure hope cox was truly ill on saturday
Gdawg
September 8th, 2009
4:36 pm
I liked what I saw from Branden Smith. This guy plays all out. His fellow players should take notice. I say throw all the freshman in and allow them to play. We will not win 8 games unless Richt allows these guys to play. Cox should be holding the clipboard; Murray should be playing. How many teams allow their # 2 QB to play on special teams? Exactly none. That is because Murray is really the # 2 guy. Richt is only being nice to his older players. Stop it CMR; stop trying to make everyone happy and start focusing on winning games.
Lonesome Dove
September 8th, 2009
4:40 pm
Don’t be concerned with Dawgs Drool’s comments. He’s just angry that someone dropped a house on his mother.
Paul
September 8th, 2009
4:46 pm
I am no coach, but I would think the coordinator should have a set group of plays that fits each of these players talents, and should find times throughout the ballgame to implement these plays. They do not need to know the entire playbook. I am a Richt supporter, but I am not sure that comment was well thought out.
Dorsey Hill
September 8th, 2009
4:46 pm
Stanfield,
Can I please have a hit off what you’re smoking?
.
laxdawg33
September 8th, 2009
4:54 pm
Marlon Brown needs to play and get some touches. During fall practice, Richt said Marlon has the best hands of any freshman he has ever coached. We had dropped passes from Mike Moore, AJ Green, Orson Charles, and 2 from Aaron White. Joe Cox needs all the help he can get. Marlon is ready to make a contribution right now, Mr. Bobo. Hopefully he will turn him loose against Carolina.
Big Dawg 'N VA
September 8th, 2009
4:54 pm
All of our FROSH will play a big role in the season. It’s only the first game. I like what I saw from Orson and Branden and they will only get better. This FROSH class has the potential to be the best in years! They will do a lot of learning on the fly this year but “watch out” next year!!! Hang half-a-hundred on Spurrier!
Farmer Dawg
September 8th, 2009
5:16 pm
I think that the subject of this blog is about the Georgia freshman players and their impact in the game against Oklahoma.State. It’s really amazing how pricks like Dawgs Drool, Saint Simons etc. get on a bulldog blog and show their stupidity day after day after day. Go to your Tennessee and Georgia Tech sites and share your useless crap with them. It’s pretty obvious that (gays) guys like you have been scraped off the bottom of your family’s gene pool !!! Get the hell out !!! Pricks are not wanted here! As for the impact of the freshmen that played, I think they did pretty well. Would I like to see more of them? After what I saw Saturday, with the exception of the first drive, any help from freshmen that played or didn’t play especially on the offensive side of the ball is needed now !!! GO DAWGS
g8r-h8r
September 8th, 2009
5:16 pm
Well obviously the freshman players could not be any worse than the veterans on offense. But it’s the same story the last few years with CMR and his staff, unwilling to change a game plan thats not working or accept responsibilty for the lack of production from either side of the ball. I will give the defense props for playing well though given the short field they had most of the game.
unkpr39
September 8th, 2009
5:20 pm
It would be a definite relief if saint simons domicile was known in order that a large plug could be inserted in the appropriate place to silence his juvenile hahahahahahahaha.
dawg man
September 8th, 2009
5:39 pm
just a reminder saint simons and gt scum!!!!hahahah
browndog
September 8th, 2009
5:39 pm
It hurts to lose as a fan, but think how the players feel. I am confident they played their best. CMR will get the players in the game that he feels are ready and can contribute. It is very early and a long season.
Starring Kam Fong as Chin Ho
September 8th, 2009
5:58 pm
dogsdrool, Your freshmen should have had a field day, they were lined up against a high school team. Lets hold off on the Heisman voting and the Sayers comparisons until they actually play some D1 teams. That said, UT’s frosh did look good, but ya’ll still wear that god-awful orange and your head coach is a sound bite a minute joke
fldawg
September 8th, 2009
6:39 pm
I think marlon should play. If A.J.Green did so well last year Marlon Brown should give Joe Cox another big target to hit.
Dawgs Drool!
September 8th, 2009
6:43 pm
Marlon’s grandma told CMR not to let him play because he didn’t eat all of his grits!
NebraskaDawg
September 8th, 2009
6:47 pm
Dawfs Drool Gayle Saylers came out of Omaha Central high school the year before Nebraska returned to prominence. Sayers lost to Nebraska each year.
ron_mexico
September 8th, 2009
6:52 pm
I hope we’re not returning to ray goof days.
SSI Resident
September 8th, 2009
6:59 pm
As a resident of St. Simons Island, I just can’t imagine who the goofball is that keeps responding with the same stupid comment. He/she must be doing this at work, too. Hey, we are not all that ignorant down here on SSI.
Dawgs Drool!
September 8th, 2009
7:04 pm
SSI,
Have you ever been to Pelican Point for their awesome buffet?
Dawgs Drool!
September 8th, 2009
7:04 pm
Darien is the actual closest town I think.
Farmer Dawg
September 8th, 2009
7:52 pm
Dawgs Drool you should know all there is to know all about sisters butting up to you. It’s funny that you brought up incest. Have you looked in the mirror lately? You look an awful lot like the product of an incestuous relationship to me. Anyway, GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Dawgs!!!!!
dogman
September 8th, 2009
7:55 pm
You beat jacksonville State, wow, Jacksonville state…….. even if Georgia loses every game they will beat Georgia Tech…… so eat it all up, blg all you can because when the dogs get to ATL i guess you know the gig is up.
Go Dawgs!
Starring Peter Graves as Capt. Clarence Over
September 8th, 2009
8:15 pm
Someone needs to explain to Branden Smith that when a ball is kicked 7 yards deep in the end zone that he might want to consider taking a knee. BTW, has anyone been in a Turkish prison?
St. Bernard
September 8th, 2009
8:34 pm
Glad someone brought up Smith’s rookie mistakes on special teams. Take a knee. And wasn’t that him that flipped the ball into the endzone on punt coverage?
shards1967
September 8th, 2009
8:36 pm
Regarding Trinton S, the again downed O linemen for UGA. Let us hope that he recovers well and has a decent career, one year or so.. He will get a first class education though. He can study and become a MD or exec or coach or whatever. That will sustain him through out his life, not football.
As for the rest of the dawgs ………….we are in big trouble in 2009.
What ever happened to lineman AJ Harmon? He was supposedly all world. Hell, put him in for TS or that o line kid from Lagrange…. Burdette. Let them play now. They would have to be better than the crap that we witnessed on Saturday.
UGA will be 4-8 or 5-7 this year. Gonna be very ugly gang. Changes are a coming.
UGA, class of 73
shards1967
September 8th, 2009
8:47 pm
One more hard observation ………. we played BOTH Trinton S and Clint Boling as true frosh and both made SEC frosh all star ratings. So …………why not play our youth now and allow them to grow?
Same is true of Aaron Murry or Logan Gray or whoever the QB is. Why play a slow, indecisive Joe Cox?