ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia's smallest player has been coming up big.
Carlton Thomas scored the first two touchdowns of his college career last Saturday during the 43-0 defeat of Vanderbilt. The 5-foot-7, 176-pound redshirt sophomore from Frostproof, Fla., began this season buried behind the tailback tandem of Washaun Ealey and Caleb King, but Ealey and King have been sidetracked by fumbles and arrests.
"I knew what my role was on the team, and I feel like I've gotten more than the coaches expected me to get," Thomas said. "They have given me a lot and have put me in a lot of situations. Unfortunate incidents put me in those situations, but I think I've made the most of them."
Thomas has played in every game but one, missing the win over Tennessee with a hamstring injury. He led the Bulldogs with 61 yards on 13 carries against Louisiana-Lafayette, earned his first career start at Colorado and had 40 yards on four carries last week.
With King suspended for a second straight game, Thomas is scheduled to back up Ealey this week when the Bulldogs visit Kentucky.
"It's tough when a back only gets one or two opportunities to make something happen, but he's been patient and has worked hard," offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. "I think he has the talent. With him it's sometimes confidence, because you want to hit a home run when you're in there."
Ealey and King are each 5-11, so 6-1 quarterback Aaron Murray has to be aware when Thomas is in the game. If he isn't, a disastrous exchange could be a play away.
"I've got to get it down a little lower," Murray said. "You never want to hit him in the chest. If you hit a running back in the shoulder pads, it's not a good thing."
Said Bobo: "We've had some issues in practice because we're rolling the tailbacks in. Sometimes on play fakes, we'll fake it over his head."
Thomas rushed for 2,386 yards and 25 touchdowns as a Frostproof High senior and was rated the No. 15 running back nationally by Scout.com. He had scholarship offers from the likes of Auburn, Georgia and Notre Dame, but the Florida schools elected to stay away.
Though he hears himself described as a "change-of-pace" back, Thomas is glad coaches don't feel that way.
"He's not a situational back," head coach Mark Richt said. "We don't say, 'Hey, he's in there third-and-medium, third-and-long.' He's in there on first, second and third down."
So where does Thomas go from here? After all, the only other Bulldogs with two-touchdown games this season are Murray and star receiver A.J. Green.
"It was very exciting and a big adrenaline rush," Thomas said. "It's motivation for me to not let that be the last time I get into the end zone. This has pushed me harder to make it a habit."