ATHENS — Most freshmen had an idea in the first couple of games how much — if any — they’re going to play in their first season. Chris Conley thought he had a pretty good idea, too.
But after not playing in Georgia’s first three games, he has played in the past three, and increasingly more in each.
“I definitely thought that redshirting was a possibility for me,l and it wasn’t something I was opposed to,” said Conley, a freshman wide receiver out of North Paulding High School.
“I knew the cost and the benefits to redshirting. I was just ready to take things in stride and get better so that when my opportunity came I could contribute to the team.”
That was a smart tactic to take because, by Game 3, the Bulldogs suddenly found themselves without three members of the wide receiver rotation. Marlon Brown (ankle), Israel Troupe (knee bruise) and Rantavious Wooten (concussion) all were sidelined with injuries. Troupe and Brown have since come back, but leading receiver Malcolm Mitchell went down in the Tennessee game with a hamstring injury.
Conley was eased in to the rotation for the Ole Miss game, playing just a few snaps. He played more against Mississippi State, finishing with one catch for eight yards, and more still against Tennessee. He had big 17-yard catch for a critical first down late against the Volunteers.
“When my number was called and I was able to go on the field, I had been practicing in such a way that it wasn’t really like I had to get caught up or anything,” said Conley, who was an early enrollee at UGA and an AJC Super 11 selection in high school. “I had been practicing with the offense and I had been running everything. So it was just like, ‘OK, now you’re traveling. You get your opportunity.’ It was a pretty seamless transition.”
Goals for Crowell
At the season’s midpoint, freshman tailback Isaiah Crowell is averaging 95.5 yards per game and is on pace to finish with 1,156 yards and eight touchdowns. He was asked Wednesday to assess his play.
“I think it’s going good,” he said. “My main goal was to be a freshman all-American. I don’t know how close I am to being that, but I’m hoping to reach that goal. Other than that I just want to help my team win.”
One of the keys for Crowell will be staying healthy. Georgia has grown increasingly reliant on his abilities. After averaging just over 15 carries in the first games, he has averaged nearly 24 rushes in the past three. Twenty to 25 is about where Georgia would like to keep it.
“Any given game it could be more, or any given game it could be less,” coach Mark Richt said. “I think if you’re averaging over 30 carries a game that’s too many for our league. For the health of your back, I think you need to spread it out a little more.
Crowell currently is battling ankle and wrist sprains, but said he won’t miss any playing time this week. But he’s likely to be hurting somewhere from here on.
“That’s part of playing running back,” offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. “You’re going to have wear and tear. You’re going to have to play with most injuries and learn how to fight through it and he’s learning how to do that.”
Etc.
Richt said inside linebacker Alec Ogletree has recovered well enough from a broken bone in his foot that he could play against Vanderbilt on Saturday — but he won’t. “He really, really wanted to play,” Richt said. “But Ron [Courson], in his wisdom, said let’s wait one more week.” ... Georgia continues to struggle on offense in the fourth quarter. It’s the only quarter in which the Bulldogs have been outscored this season, 37-32. Last season the Bulldogs were outscored 92-68 cumulatively in the fourth quarter.
