Odum to be a key for UCA Saturday

CONWAY -- There were four minutes left in Central Arkansas 56-13 season-opening victory over Houston Baptist when George Odum's colors came through, again.

With the game clearly in hand, UCA punted from midfield, and defensive coordinator Greg Stewart noticed something out of the corner of his eye. There was Odum, a junior linebacker-safety, running full tilt to stop a potential return. Houston Baptist had to settle for a fair catch, 87 yards away from UCA's end zone. It was exactly what Stewart has come to expect.

George Odum

Height 6-2

Weight 192

Class Junior

Hometown Millington, Tenn.

High school Millington Central

UCA statistics

Year;TT;UT;TFL;INT

2016;49;32;5.0;1

2015;69;43;6.5;0

2014;77;47;8.0;1

TOT;195;122;19.5;2

"I was on the sideline, and we're up by six touchdowns, and he's playing as hard as he can," Stewart said. "That's him. That's the only way he knows. He loves the game. You can tell when guys really love the game, and that's him."

"He plays every play," Campbell said. "He's been doing that now for three years. To him, they're all the same. He plays them all like they're the first play of the game."

Odum agreed that it is the only way he has ever played.

"If you ease up for a minute, it lets the other team think they have a chance," Odum said. "No matter what down and distance it is, no matter what play it is, no matter the score, you always have to play hard."

Odum was recruited to UCA by former head coach Clint Conque and signed before the 2013 season. He redshirted as a freshman so was in place with four years of eligibility when Campbell was hired as Conque's replacement before spring drills in 2014.

Campbell and Stewart said Odum stood out almost immediately.

"Right off the bat, I could tell he had a real passion for the game," Campbell said. "He really has a nose for the football, but it took that first spring training to find out that he's extremely hard working, that he can run, and that he really has a high motor. We knew that first spring that the kid was really good player."

"Back then, you could tell he was still a little bit raw in just knowing the game, but he's over that," Stewart said. "I don't really have to coach him now. He can be on the field one play, and I'll ask him, 'What do we got, George? What do we need to do?' He'll tell me, and I'll say, 'OK, George, that's what we're doing.' ''

Stewart recently said Odum was among the three best defensive players he has coached in his 28 seasons. Campbell said he had never had a player put up the sort of consistently high numbers Odum has since his first season in 2014.

Through seven games this season, Odum leads UCA with 49 total tackles and 32 unassisted. Though he usually plays what Stewart calls a hybrid or rover position between linebacker and safety, he has had five tackles for lost yards and two and a half sacks.

"George is a great defensive player," Campbell said. "He has had a tremendous year through seven games. He's been one of the most productive players that I've ever had."

Stewart said Odum is ideally suited to stop the option offense run by Southeastern Louisiana, UCA's opponent in Hammond, La., Saturday.

Defending the option typically requires at least three assignments. One defensive player will key on a running back sent up the middle, another on the quarterback as he runs toward the corner, and a third on the potential recipient of a pitch. Odum has a knack for covering at least the latter two.

"I've seen him do it numerous times, where he makes the quarterback pitch, and then he goes and runs down the pitch," Stewart said. "That's spectacular. There aren't too many who can do that."

Both Campbell and Stewart said they think Odum might get an opportunity to play professional football, but Odum said he is not counting on it. He does, however, expect success in whatever he does after next season.

"I'm just real competitive," he said. "Anything I do, I always like to win."

Sports on 10/28/2016

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