Georgia Football: What Does the Justin Scott Wesley Loss Mean For the Dawgs
Justin Scott-Wesley is likely gone for the Georgia football season and the remaining receivers are left with increased responsibilities and opportunities.
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Georgia football wide receiver Justin Scott-Wesley is on the shelf, his career likely over.
Updating: Richt says it's doubtful that WR Justin Scott-Wesley plays this season. Knee injury.
— Marc Weiszer (@marcweiszer) September 2, 2015
Without Scott-Wesley, Georgia has one less veteran wide receiver catching passes and one less play maker.
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What does this means for the Georgia wide receiver corps?
Malcolm Mitchell was already the focus of the Georgia passing attack. His health now becomes crucial to the Bulldogs success.
Mitchell has yet to play a season not shortened by injury. Mitchell is the Bulldogs primary deep threat, possession receiver, and playmaker. If Mitchell goes down, he could very well take the season with him.
Reggie Davis moves up a rung in the wide receiver rotation to starter. Davis speed and pass catching skills have never been questioned. His in-play adjustments and route running, however, have limited his role in the past. The junior must put it all together this season. The Bulldogs desperately need a seasoned wide receiver with not only skill, but also savvy.
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If Davis is not dependable, the offense becomes vulnerable to the inconsistency of youth from mid-October to the end of the season.
Isaiah McKenzie now has an opportunity to become an every down wide receiver. McKenzie’s play making skills are already legendary, as a freshman tying the school record for most punt returns for a TD (2) and the most TD returns in a season (3).
McKenzie is a hard worker, receiving the Coffee County Hustle Award at the end of spring practice. But while McKenzie is a terror with the ball in his hands, whether the diminutive sophomore can shoulder the heavy lifting of a first, second and third down wide receiver is an open question.
For the Georgia offense to carry the Dawgs to the Georgia Dome and perhaps beyond, McKenzie must be an every down wide receiver.
Freshman Terry Godwin is drawing rave practice reviews as a pass catching athlete. But, it’s practice.
Godwin is a playmaker with the ability to replace Scott-Wesley’s playmaking. With Scott-Wesley out, the freshman must learn the intricacies of the Georgia offense and be physically prepared to make plays in the fourth quarter. Either would be tall order for any freshman. Godwin, however, appears to be quite a football player and can meet this double challenge.
As a slot receiver, Godwin can be the difference maker in this Georgia season, but he must work his way on to the field by learning the ins and outs of playing wide receiver at Georgia.
Michael Chigbu is only in his fourth season of football. His progress this summer and fall was a luxury until Scott-Wesley was injured.
A big strong receiver with big strong hands, Chigbu is a quick study and his new found wits and his stature as an outside receiver could give Georgia the fifth receiver necessary for an adequate rotation.
If Georgia is going to have a passing game to complement its running game, Chigbu must consistently perform in the second and third quarters. Another tall order.
For the Georgia passing game to excel, there must be a sixth wide receiver. Jayson Stanley must step up and perform. Stanley is talented, but his potential to contribute in 2015 may be limited due to a knee injury a year ago. While Stanley feels great, it is difficult enough for a freshman to contribute immediately, much less coming off an injury.
The Bulldog’s have few options at the sixth wide receiver spot. Stanley must step it up in practice and crank it up between the hedges.
And what of Justin Scott-Wesley himself?
“There’s no point in medical DQ’ing him and he’s graduating this semester I think,” Richt told Jason Butt of macon.com. “So, somewhere along the way if he feels good or if somewhere along the way if we get some injuries, and he’s like I gotta go in and help my team, we just want to make that available to him.”
What this means for Scott-Wesley is an early entry into the coaching profession. So far, Coach Richt is impressed. “I’ve seen him up in the office looking at film and doing the extra things a young coach would do. He’s very active out there. He’s helping the younger players. It’s been good, I’ve been impressed with him.”
With the winning catch against both South Carolina and LSU during the dramatic 2013 season, Scott-Wesley will remain in the hearts of the Bulldog faithful. With the preparation needed by Georgia’s young receivers this year, he still can impact the 2015 season, but as a coach.