Florida native Thomas eager for shot at hometown favorites
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One might think that the most memorable game in the thus-far brief career of redshirt freshman Carlton Thomas would have been Georgia's 41-37 victory over South Carolina on Sept. 12 at Sanford Stadium.
Playing in just his second collegiate game, Thomas recovered a fourth-quarter fumble by quarterback Joe Cox that eventually led to a Blair Walsh field goal and also was a key part of perhaps the most electrifying Bulldog play of 2009, a 61-yard touchdown run by Branden Smith on a reverse in the second quarter.
Yet the 5-foot-7, 178-pound tailback sees things a little differently. He insists his best game came in Nashville when the Bulldogs pounded Vanderbilt 34-10 to snap a two-game losing streak.
"I would have to say I was happiest with the way I played in the Vanderbilt game," said Thomas, who rushed six times for 27 yards. "I got a lot more touches and was involved a little more and feel like I did better all around."
A native of Frostproof, Fla. (some 45 minutes south of Orlando in the central sector of the state), Thomas is one of a dozen Bulldogs players who call the Sunshine State home. Suffice to say, he'll be up against a whole lot of local sentiment Saturday when Georgia faces No. 1 Florida in Jacksonville.
"This is a real big game, man," said Thomas, who has played in five games this season with 18 yards on 19 rushing attempts. "Every time I go home, that's all I have to hear. People say they're cheering for me, but when we play Florida, they hope we lose. I'm here to prove a point. If they like Florida, I want to upset their party.
"Everywhere I go, all I see is Gator flags, so I would say the majority of (Frostproof residents) are Gator fans. Oh, man, I got a whole bunch of grief (after last year's game, a 49-10 Florida victory). I g
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