Justin Scott-Wesley, Georgia’s other wideouts aim to step up in honor of Marlon Brown
Justin Scott-Wesley went 43 yards on this reception against Florida Atlantic, the only catch of his career to date. (UGA photo by Evan Stichler)
By Ryan Black
For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ATHENS — Justin Scott-Wesley knew he wasn’t ready when he arrived at Georgia.
Stepping foot on campus last year with plenty of speed but minimal football acumen, the wide receiver was happy to take a redshirt in 2011 and use the time to refine his skills. The Camilla native had a standout showing at the annual G-Day game last spring, hauling in three receptions for 46 yards.
That spring success has yet to translate this fall, however. Scott-Wesley has only one catch for 43 yards. He also hasn’t appeared in a game since Georgia’s 48-3 win over Vanderbilt on Sept 22.
But after Marlon Brown suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury last weekend, Scott-Wesley believes his time to shine is finally at hand.
“I would hope so,” he said following Monday’s practice. “I’m just going out and working like I’ve always been working. (Wide receivers) Coach (Tony) Ball tells us all the time, ‘You’re one play away from being a starter. You’re one play away from being on the field.’ It’s the same focus I’ve taken since Day 1.”
Even going into games when he knew he was unlikely to play, Scott-Wesley said he watched film and made sure he was prepared. If he had been asked to do the same last season, he admits he would have been in over his head. While he has track-star speed, he had none of the complementary techniques necessary for a Division I receiver. After a year of preparation, Scott-Wesley felt this fall held big things.
That’s been far from the case, though.
“To me, it’s just been a challenge,” he said. “Sometimes it gets frustrating when you feel like you can contribute, but that’s football. It’s a game of life and sometimes things don’t go your way. You just have to wait, pray to God to keep you grounded and just let things pan out.”
Fellow receiver Rantavious Wooten vouched for Scott-Wesley, giving the redshirt freshman a seal of approval. Wooten has seen him catch deep balls, take hits over the middle in practice and doing anything else asked of him, including blocking.
Now he just has to prove it on Saturdays.
“I feel like he can do everything,” Wooten said. “That’s what we practice for each and every day, so when stuff like this happens, somebody is ready. He doesn’t have a lot of experience, but his time is now.”
Receiver Taylor Bradberry finds himself in a similar situation. Rarely on the field this season, the fifth-year senior has bounced between the travel squad and the scout team while battling a nagging right thumb injury. He took part in his first game of the year last Saturday, but did not collect a catch.
Despite his lack of playing time, Bradberry said he would be ready if called upon.
“You’re put in certain situations at certain times,” he said. “When people rely on you, you just have to do your best and get the job done.”
As for Brown, Wooten said he is doing well considering the circumstances. Wooten said “you wouldn’t know” his roommate tore his ACL if it hadn’t been widely reported.
“He hasn’t changed anything,” Wooten said. “He’s the same Marlon. You would never know the difference.”
Malcolm Mitchell could only marvel at how well Brown has dealt with the news his career at Georgia was over.
“When I walked in his room and saw the smile on his face I was like, ‘He must not know something is wrong with him,’” Mitchell said.
Now, Mitchell said, Bulldogs’ receivers have to honor Brown with their play the remainder of the season.
“(Injured teammates) wouldn’t want us to go out there and not focus on what we need to do and mess up because we’ve got them on the back of our minds, thinking of them being hurt, missing them out there on the field,” Mitchell said. “You’ve got to play for them and with them in mind.”
Etc.
Starting right guard Chris Burnette sat out Monday’s practice with a left shoulder injury suffered during the second quarter of Saturday’s Ole Miss game. A left shoulder injury also prevented outside linebacker Chase Vasser from taking part in practice. … Mitchell said the coaching staff hasn’t mentioned anything to him about returning to play defense. “I wouldn’t be surprised,” he said. “But I really don’t know.” … Quarterback Aaron Murray was named SEC co-offensive player of the week after his performance Saturday, when the junior completed 21 of 28 attempts for 384 yards and four touchdowns.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
85 comments Add your comment
BAMA=home of the T-bag special
November 6th, 2012
1:13 pm
@GB’s Hamburgers and your last HC job was where exactly? We need to focus on Auburn like we did Ole Miss last week ! GATA!
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 6th, 2012
1:16 pm
WHO on the team can Step-Up? Any of the players can but WHO will? Most don’t have the experience to be in a Big game………………COACHING………………
Put in Timeout by Ken Suguira,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
November 6th, 2012
1:17 pm
I heard BOBO was being consider for the job at Greater Atlanta Christian…………..he knows how to cut grass right?
Seriously?
November 6th, 2012
1:19 pm
Dog Insider, I doubt very much that you are.
Chuck Oliver said a few weeks ago that a staff member at UGA told him that Smith had disappointed
greatly. Not a big deal, he’s a good kid, hopefully get his degree and do well in life. Just overrated out
of high school. Not the first, won’t be the last.
OC Coordinator
November 6th, 2012
1:35 pm
Why have we not implemented both Marshall and Gurley on either side of Murray in shotgun????????
There are sooo many plays that can be run out of that set. A fake handoff to gurley with Marshall jetting wide for a pass, fake to Marshall and put the ball in the gut of Gurley, play action to one and the other routing behind the LB’s, set screen to one of them………Both backs are great athletes. Get them on the field together and be creative!!!!! BOBO!!!!
CasualObserver
November 6th, 2012
2:02 pm
Buckeye, you can “honor” the living, for the dead it would be “in memoriam”. Judges are “your honor”, and few of them are dead. You probably said “honor” somewhere in your wedding vows, and unless you are in a Tim Burton movie I assume you did not marry a corpse.
Bahits dot com
November 6th, 2012
2:05 pm
@OC Coordinator, coach Turtle really needs to come out of his shell and get both Marshall and Gurley on the field at the same time.
DILLIGAF
November 6th, 2012
2:10 pm
I just read on NBC’s College Football Talk that Mark Richt announced on his radio show last night, that Abry Jones was done for the year (and at UGA) because of his ankle injury.
Why hasn’t anything been written in the AJC about this or did I miss it?
GATA!
UGA85′
OoltewahDawg
November 6th, 2012
2:17 pm
UGA Insider: “Let me put the Auburn game into perspective…. CMR and CMB very much dislike Brian VanGordor. Actually they can’t stand him or his caterpillar that lives above his lip. They feel like he bolted on them after he swore he would stay…. which resulted in the hiring of Sweet Willie Martinez that cost the Dawgs a MNC.”
Insider, which I doubt you really are, Of all the silly stuff you have posted, this outdoes them all. It is highly unlikely that Richt has as much dislike of VanGorder as you say. Things happen in relationships, and mature people like Richt move on. VanGorder even credits Richt for giving him his start in big-time college football. I think their view of each other is one of mutual respect. Get a life and quit trying to stir the pot.
DILLIGAF
November 6th, 2012
2:22 pm
Hey OoltewahDawg!
I lived in Ooltewah and graduated from Chattanoonooga Central, played football and wrestled for the Purple Pounders! Man, thoses were some fun times.
I worked at the Captain D’s on 58 Highway, do you know if it’s still there?
GATA!
UGA85′
North Georgia Dawg
November 6th, 2012
2:32 pm
I have confidence in Chris Conley. I think he’s underrated. But the other guys, I am not so sure. We will see how they play.
Mr. Hankey (Pankey)
November 6th, 2012
2:59 pm
JSW has looked good when given a chance. I thinks he’ll surprise a lot of folks. Been wondering why heasn’t played? Well, there was Marlon Brown ahead of him. Now it’s his turn.
Northside Dawg
November 6th, 2012
3:05 pm
@DawgFaithful: Thanks for the Ga Southern info. Any guesses on the starting time of the Tech game?
No. 1 Braves Fan
November 6th, 2012
3:06 pm
Insider: The content of your most of your post indicate you are more of an outsider.
On the plains
November 6th, 2012
3:27 pm
Awbarn 24, Dwags 17
Roll Tide with Pride!!!
November 6th, 2012
3:31 pm
Kid has serious speed – UGA has 3 games to get it squared away.
Losing 2 WR, Arby Jones, and a mediocre OL – man, it is going to be frustrating to UGA fans in the Dome against BAMA!!!!!
With that said – would love to see UGA trounce AU this Saturday – good luck DAWGS!
Coraline's Ex-Husband
November 6th, 2012
3:40 pm
@ joe jenkins
Why must you….use so many….periods…..? Have you….never heard….of proper…punctuation….?
DawgFaithful
November 6th, 2012
3:40 pm
@DawgFaithful: Thanks for the Ga Southern info. Any guesses on the starting time of the Tech game?
Hasn’t been announced yet.
Same ole same ole at The Cesspool
November 6th, 2012
3:41 pm
The fact that only 16% of UGA football players had the SAT scores to be admitted with their brains only should bother most people, but apparently it doesn’t bother UGA homers at all. It proves that nothing has really changed in the thirty years since our lady Saint Jan tried to clean up the mess in Athens.
Fortunately most schools have much higher standards than UGA.
Coraline's Ex-Husband
November 6th, 2012
3:52 pm
Same ole same ole at The Cesspool
November 6th, 2012
3:41 pm
STFU.
This is a football blog not one of academia. Should you want to banter about grades please direct yourself to the Cornell blog. Moron.
And, FYI, should you like to do a little research in your spare time you’ll find that outside of Vanderbilt all SEC schools all have nearly identical admissions requirements for their student athletes.
Now please go away.
G-Dawg
November 6th, 2012
3:56 pm
OC…be nice to see both Gurley and Marshall lined up at same time. Havent seen that formation since Brown and Ware in their freshman season. Either both pass blocked..or they slipped out in the flats to dump the ball for big gains. Exploited those LB match up!!
UGADawg91
November 6th, 2012
4:10 pm
Saw a comment from an Auburn OL that “it’s not too hard” to block Jarvis Jones.
7576DAWG
November 6th, 2012
4:12 pm
CMR knows that we should beat our next three opponents at least 30 points each. If Georgia beats Alabama in the SEC Championship game, there is no way the BCS will put Georgia ahead of a undefeated Oregon, Kansas State or Notre Dame team unless we blow out all of our remaining opponents. Richt knows this and if he can score 50 points on Auburn he will do it. Georgia must prove they are worthy to get into the National Championship game with one lose and I think we finally see a focused head coach who isn’t thinking about anything but beating the opponent as bad as possible.
For those of you who continue to want Bobo , Grantham and Richt fired I see a huge change in the way they are running our team this year which bode well for Georgia’s future and we better hope at least two of the above, Bobo and Grantham, don’t leave for more money at other schools. I feel the offers will be coming after this year to both.
Mobile Dawg
November 6th, 2012
4:22 pm
The Florida win was big for Richt 7576. We played solid against Ole Miss after a slow start, the clock management before the half was indicative that our coaching is still suspect though. What Richt has to realize is that if he wishes to stay employed, his is a 24/7/365 day a year job. There is no time to relax. For me, that would be tough, but it’s the nature of his business.
NCDawg
November 6th, 2012
4:34 pm
I think lining Rome up in the slot would put the fear of god into some DC’s. Modify the formation a bit so he is closer in towards the line and in position to chip a LB on his way across the middle. Drop a body like that in the flat and watch the DB’s throw themselves at his feet trying to tackle him. Given the situation I guess we could use him the way NE and NO use their TE’s.
G-Dawg
November 6th, 2012
4:42 pm
NC Dawg…Bobo needs to watch a some NE Patriots game tape from last year and see how to utilized 2 tight end formations!! But its always the same ole routes and gameplan.
joe jenkins
November 6th, 2012
4:55 pm
Really not good at all……..coraline………..going into a wasp nest without allof our weapons….i think we get upset by auburn and i hope i’m wrong…..but auburn leads the sec in kickoff returns ….which means they will be working with a short field….they have a mobile qb and you know how we struggle those types…….i think they get the upset 27-24…..yes i am a pessimost when it comes to our football team…..I just dont have alot of confidence in our o-line and depleted wr corps…..plus look how bad we have played on the road this year…we almost got beat by kentucky…so shutup eveybody about bama….and we get past auburn….because yall know willie and bvg will be out for blood
NCDawg
November 6th, 2012
4:58 pm
They did incorporate the pistol into the game plan earlier this year so that is something different. Coach Bobo needs to talk to a pro D coordinator and ask them what would give them the biggest headaches with his personnel. I bet they would say use the backs as receivers and do more with the TE’s. Putting Rome in the slot could allow some subtle pick plays as well. Putting a body that size even for a moment in between a CB and one of our receivers would create space.
Chris Mike
November 6th, 2012
5:25 pm
@joe jenkins nope it don’t sum it up for me. I don’t care about straight line speed put him in the game. The guy showed he know how to run a deep route in the Florida Atlantic game. Do you reall think that the other wide recievers on our team was that much better than him. In the spring game he looked like he was one of the best ,so how do you go from that to not playing the guy at all. Tell me that father Joe!
Red and Black
November 6th, 2012
5:34 pm
JSW will step up and make big plays against Auburn alone with Wooten. We needs to things guys to step up bc Marlon was playing well this season.
#JSW make Camilla proud…
umyboyBLUE17
November 6th, 2012
6:10 pm
Bocking Jarvis Jones is not hard all one needs to do is get a couple of buddies to help
kingdaddy
November 6th, 2012
6:18 pm
Putting Lynch in tight and Rome out in space should cause much distress for opposing DCs. Rome is 6′5″ and creates matchup issues against smaller DBs plus Rome has good hands and can leap. This also pre-positions a blocker(Rome) on the outside edge for screen, swing passes and sweeps. Rome can be used in many ways because of his size and hands. Keeping Lynch tight also helps with blocking and a saftey valve in the middle for Murray…
Hugh
November 7th, 2012
12:44 am
With a 10.35 100 meters JSW is the fastest man ever signed by UGA. Branden Smith did a 10.5 and Marshall was very close to BS. Throw in Gurley, who actually ran track, and Mitchell, who didn’t, and we have a pretty good 4×100 relay team. Believe me, with that kind of speed they will teach JSW to block and run routes. But how are his hands? Also, hasn’t he gained weight since he ran the 10.35?
zbulldawg
November 7th, 2012
4:36 am
God bless those we loose in the heat of battle. Being seniors makes it ruff !! But they can still be Great leaders & they will. Just remember Boykin broke his leg & still made the team & started !! The thing about UGA players they are WELL coached That’s why they are so many playing in the NFL !! LET THE BIG DAWG EAT !!!! Go Bama
Our5Dawgs
November 7th, 2012
7:35 pm
I’m proud of the dawgs this year! Looking forward to next year GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!