Malaki Starks backpedaled up the numbers and found his man.

He locked up with Oregon receiver Dont'e Thornton and continued running up the sideline. Oregon quarterback Bo Nix uncorked a high pass toward Starks.

The true freshman from Jefferson dove backward, reaching for the ball as it sailed over his head. The ball found his hands, and Starks secured it as he rolled over onto Thornton.

With that insanely acrobatic catch, Starks announced his presence to the college football world.

"He's an incredible athlete, has good speed," Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said after the game. "He's got a lot to learn, and I thought he played with great composure today, and he could be a really talented player."

Starks has been the buzz of fall camp.

"Well, he's been probably our most productive defensive back all camp, which means he get lots of hands on balls, Smart said. "Batted balls; he knocked down balls; he had picks. He's a good football player."

Starks made the biggest splash of the team's freshmen on Saturday afternoon, but another one of his classmates actually earned a start in his first collegiate game.

Defensive lineman Mykel Williams lined up with the Bulldogs on the first snap of the game. He finished his debut with one tackle.

"He's just a great person off the field, and like I said, he comes in every day ready to work," senior safety Christopher Smith said. "Extremely talented, just like a lot of guys we have."

But Starks is the one who truly stole the show.

He entered the game on Georgia's second defensive possession. That drive ended with his diving interception of Nix.

"Malaki Starks, like I've been talking about him all fall camp, he's a great player," Smith said. "I've seen him do that a bunch of times, so definitely one of the greatest interceptions I've ever seen. He laid out for that one. I was just excited. I couldn't believe he made the play."

If the season opener is any indication, both players will be relied upon heavily throughout the 2022 campaign. They have both been on campus since January, going through spring practice, fall camp, and a pair of preseason scrimmages.

On Saturday, they got their first taste of the real thing. The flavor suited the two highly-touted freshmen.

"Obviously being a young guy, you're going to be nervous, but you've got to use those nerves to help you," safety Dan Jackson said. "Like you said, scrimmage-wise, it's not the same thing, but when you're playing against our offense and we have two scrimmages in the summer, those guys are prepared, and they showed it today."