Terry Godwin suited up for his first collegiate game Saturday and walked away with some solid numbers. The former Callaway standout from Hogansville ended the day with three receptions for 31 yards in Georgia’s 51-14 victory over Louisiana-Monroe.

“Terry’s been awesome since day one,” starting quarterback Greyson Lambert said. “He’s very reliable. You can throw it anywhere around him, and he’ll make a play for you. I’m excited to see what he’s able to do for us this year.”

Godwin made the first reception of the year for the Bulldogs on a third-down pass from Lambert early in the first quarter. The freshman turned the short pass into a 6-yard gain, falling a few yards short of a first down.

His biggest play was a welcomed sight for Brice Ramsey. Ramsey, who served as the backup to Lambert, found Godwin on a third-and-17 and watched as Godwin took off down the field. Godwin eventually was taken down on the Louisiana-Monroe 32-yard line, 3 yards past the first down marker.

The 18-year-old tied Malcolm Mitchell for the most receptions by a Georgia player in the game. Mitchell wasn’t shy about talking up one of his newest teammates.

“He’s elusive, man,” Mitchell said. “We tease him all the time because he doesn’t move incredibly fast, but you can’t tackle him. Every time he touched the ball, he never went down when the first guy tried to tackle him.”

Several factors limited Godwin’s production.

Georgia held a conservative approach for a significant portion of the game, opting to run 73 percent of the time. The considerable difference in the score also played a role, as the fourth quarter consisted of one run after another. Godwin also was expected to make plays as a punt returner, but Louisiana-Monroe’s special teams unit had no interest in kicking his way. The majority of the Bulldogs’ return attempts ended with a fair catch or the ball rolling to a stop.

While offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer chose to rely heavily on his strong group of running backs, the flashes Godwin produced in the passing game were noteworthy. The targets, particularly the ones early in the contest, showed Godwin isn’t a freshman looking for sporadic playing time; he’s someone the Bulldogs are counting on each time their quarterback steps back to throw.

Godwin might receive more recognition as Georgia hits the road to face Vanderbilt, which lost to Western Kentucky on Thursday night. The Commodores were excellent against the run, allowing just 37 yards in the low-scoring game. But the team’s inability to stop Western Kentucky wide receiver Tyler Higbee was critical. Higbee ended the game with 102 yards on fourth receptions in a game that served as Vanderbilt’s fifth loss in the past six games. Exploiting Vanderbilt’s problems in pass coverage should mean plenty of opportunities for Godwin to do what he does best.

The first of 12 regular-season games gave everyone a small but promising glimpse of Godwin. According to Mitchell, he’s only going to get better from here.

“I think he’s going to be a great player,” Mitchell said. “I think this game helped him get his feet wet. We’re just trying to get him prepared for some of the high-intensity games that are coming up.”