Justin Scott Senior Feature
11/9/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 9, 2005
Hailing from the small town of Lufkin, Texas, senior safety Justin Scott had had plenty of time to hone his football skills. Beginning at a young age, Scott first started on the offensive side of the ball before switching to defense.
"I had an older brother, and it started out just in the backyard running routes," Scott said. "In little league, I played offense and I kind of figured that I'd rather hit somebody than have somebody hit me, so I went to playing cornerback and safety."
His decision to play in the secondary paid off his freshman year. After redshirting, Scott played primarily on special teams, delivering blow after blow as he received the team Big Hit award against the Oklahoma Sooners.
"It was real good," Scott said on the hit. "We were playing at home, I was on the kick return team and I got a crack-back block, I think it was a linebacker, he was a pretty big dude. It felt real good."
Even though Scott is absent from the starting lineup, he has been a dominant force on special teams and is starting to see more time in the defensive secondary. The Texas native decided to come to Mizzou for the opportunity to be a part of a Big 12 program and to get out of his home state.
Listed at 6-0 and 220, Scott's motivation comes from his family, and no matter how his college career turns out, he doesn't regret anything he has done.
"No limits," Scott said. "I strive to make my family proud, my mom, my sister, and my brother. That's my biggest support and I strive to make them happy. I don't regret or want to change anything. It's been a good experience, a learning experience, but a good one. I learned a lot and I've been exposed to a lot of things. I've made mistakes here, and I've learned from my mistakes."
Being in the program for five years, Scott is one of the veterans on the team and has some words of wisdom for the younger players on the team. Emphasizing focus and teamwork, Scott hopes the players will learn as time passes. As for himself, he's just taking everything one day at a time.
"I would just advise them to look, listen and learn," Scott said. "You can learn a lot your first year, and the more you can learn your freshman year, the better off you'll be in the future years. There are probably about 20 different people coming in and out every year. You're going to meet people that you like and people that you don't like. You kind of have to find something in everybody that you can get along with. I pretty much get along with all my teammates."
Throughout the years, Scott has had several memorable moments. Of all those, the 41-24 victory over the No. 10 Nebraska Cornhuskers, ending a 24-game losing streak to the Huskers, stands out the most to him.
"Beating Nebraska here," Scott said, "It was crazy, it hadn't been done in so long, and then we finally do it. That was the most memorable moment I had."
The Tigers, who had high expectations last year before falling under .500, had almost none from fans and media for the 2005 season. Scott said the team does not focus on the media's outlook and rankings, but rather they have their own expectations and to fulfill them the team has to focus on playing together as a team and having a successful season. "We all come out and play for each other," Scott said. "We play for the other guys in the uniform and the people in the stands.
The expectations don't really matter, it's all about what you make of it. You can always expect big things. We always expect a lot out of ourselves, but it's all about what you go out and do with it."
-by Mustafa Mohammad
