ATHENS, Ga. — Rennie Curran looked around the Georgia locker room early this season and saw older, more seasoned players like Dannell Ellerbe and Marcus Washington and wasn't sure how he might fit in at linebacker.

"They've all got experience," Curran said. "I'm just a little freshman. What impact can I make? It just seemed like at first there was no way I could possibly get into that lineup."

The freshman found his way and showed the impact he could have on the No. 4 (by Associated Press) Bulldogs defense wouldn't be held back by his stature or his class status. Now, the weakside linebacker could be a fixture in the Bulldogs lineup for the next several years.

"Ever since the Florida game, he's been like 'OK, it's my turn,'" senior safety Kelin Johnson said.

Curran racked up a team-high 35 tackles in the final five games of the season providing a sparkplug with his tackling as the Bulldogs closed the season with six straight wins.

"He's helped us a lot in that six-game winning streak because he's a guy that can run and make a lot of plays," defensive coordinator Willie Martinez said. "He makes up for some of his mistakes mentally by his talent. He's been a tremendous asset to us this year."

Curran was a presence at Georgia long before he reported with the incoming freshmen last summer. While he was still a senior at Brookwood High School in Snellville, Ga., Curran made the drive to Athens every chance he got to soak up the Bulldogs program.

"Sometimes I'd even sit in the film room with them watching film, learning a little bit before I even got here," said Curran, fourth on Georgia in tackles with 46 despite making only four starts.

Curran, whose parents Josie and Rennie are natives of Liberia, is generously listed at 5 feet 11, 220 pounds.

"When he came in, we told him he wasn't but 5-8," Washington said. "He swears he's 5-10 1/2 or 5-11."

Said Curran: "I'm about 5-10. I don't even care. It doesn't matter to me. I'm going to keep on doing what I do."

What he's done is bring a get-after-the-ball explosion to the linebacker position.

Those skills should come in handy in the Sugar Bowl against Hawai'i, which averages more than 72 offensive plays per game.

That's more than every SEC team except LSU and Kentucky, the team that passed more times than any other team in the SEC and the opponent in which Curran rang up 13 tackles against.

"Rennie Curran has really given us a boost with his ability to play with a lot of instinct and speed, and he's a direct hitter," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "You're always looking for a guy that can hit somebody square and knock them back and he's been able to do that."

Curran's 13 tackles against Kentucky were the most for a Georgia first-year freshman linebacker since Randall Godfrey racked up 15 against Florida in 1992.

Curran actually played running back growing up until he got to high school when he was moved to linebacker.

"I hated defense," Curran said. "I always wanted to be the one that scored touchdowns and to juke somebody and to keep running."

Now he's running down ball carriers. Curran remembers making 24 tackles as a high school freshman, a number he thinks he could reach at Georgia. "I think I can definitely," Curran said.

Don't laugh. Curran, who admires NFL stars Ray Lewis and Tedy Bruschi, had 150 tackles as a senior in high school. As a junior, he had a staggering 197.

"The stats and numbers don't lie," Curran said. "That shut up the questions."

Until he got to Georgia.

"I got over here and the height factor was there," Curran said. "Once again, I'm still shutting people up."

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