NEW ORLEANS – You don’t see many turkeys walking around downtown Los Angeles.

That was just one of the humorous anecdotes offered by freshman running back Nate Frazier when talking about life in Athens after making the cross-country trip from his hometown of Compton, California, to play football for Georgia in the SEC.

A laid-back, Southern lifestyle seems to suit him just fine. The local wildlife is pretty cool, too.

“I’m enjoying the woods, enjoying nature, stuff like that,” Frazier said. “There’s more trees out here than there is in California. There’s more wildlife. You don’t really see a deer going across the street, or a turkey. I’m just enjoying the views. In Los Angeles, you don’t see that. You might see a dog or a squirrel. You’re not going to see a big 150-pound deer just running out of nowhere.”

Bulldog opponents are starting to learn that Frazier is a bit of a different animal, too.

In just his first season, Frazier displayed electric energy as a first-year back and proved to be the ideal complement to starter Trevor Etienne.

With 634 yards and eight touchdowns, his statistics speak loudly.

“Honestly, sir, it’s really not (a surprise),” Frazier said. “It’s just thanks to my offensive linemen, really, though. Without them, stuff that I have on the field wouldn't be possible. It’s just really a team game. I’m just humbled. I thank God every day because it’s all in His favor.”

There’s been some maturing to do along the way.

In Georgia’s win over arch-rival Florida, Frazier drew the ire of some when a post-touchdown celebration against the Gators was followed up by the running back simulating a “Gator Chomp” culminating with a throat slash. The play resulted in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty that was enforced on the ensuing kickoff.

“You know, he's still – he's still learning things. He still messes up," Smart said. “But he's electric. He's different when the ball hits his hands. He bursts into the hole. He is probably sometimes too fast. He doesn't – he's not patient sometimes. But you talk about a kid that runs hard, works hard, and loves it. And those linemen love playing with him.”

Frazier did not have much time to become accustomed to the college game.

With Etienne suspended for the opener against Clemson, Frazier was thrust into action as the main ball carrier for the Bulldogs in Game One.

He responded by rushing 11 times for 83 yards and a touchdown to help spark Georgia to the easy win.

“Honestly, that game gave me, it just got me a chance to get comfortable with how fast the pace of the game is going and stuff like that,” Frazier said. “It helped me a lot.”

Frazier credits Etienne for helping him as well.

“Trevor, man, he's a great leader,” Frazier said. “It's really like my brother's blood couldn't make us any closer. Yeah, like he said, he has been helping me let the game slow down and stuff like that because he's a vet. He's been in the SEC for his third year, so he knows the little things and stuff like that. Being able to learn from him; it's a great step for me. It's a great push for me to lead a forward and stuff like that.”

That includes getting used to life in the South.

“I've never been in the weather this cold over here in Georgia. The heat…” Frazier said. “It's not like one day it just feels good. It's either it's really hot one day or one day it's just really cold. So that's really the big adjustment, just trying to find myself out here a little bit more like other things besides football.”