College football’s talented freshmen are stepping up
This much is true: Freshmen, from Waco to Tuscaloosa, have made an immediate impact this college football season.
The nation gets a first look at one of the leading first-year players in Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin, the Big 12 offensive player of the week, when the Bears (2-1) meet Connecticut (3-0) in East Hartford today. Griffin ran for a school-record 217 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries in the Bears’ victory against Washington State last week.
“He’s exceptionally athletic and exceptionally mature for his age,” Baylor coach Art Briles said.
With so many freshmen enrolling a semester early (105 this past spring in teams from the top six conferences), first-year players are ready to contribute more quickly — whether a team is rebuilding (Michigan), reloading (Southern California) or rebounding (Florida State, with 22 true freshmen playing in the opener).
usatoday.com
9/19/08
Magnolia Tribune
