Barion Brown Dazzles Late For Kentucky in 16-6 Georgia Loss
It was another poor offensive showing from Kentucky in its 16-6 loss to No. 1 Georgia on Saturday, but there was quite the bright spot over at wide receiver.
True freshman Barion Brown took over the Wildcat offense in the fourth quarter, catching eight passes, including a pair that went for over 40 yards. He would also find the end zone, eventually finishing the game with 10 catches for 145 yards.
"He's a stud," offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello said of the WR. "He's gonna be a special football player. "He's got the competitive greatness, he's wired the right way, love him to death, quite honestly, as a person and a player."
Brown also hauled in the first big play of the day for Kentucky, proving to be a problem for the Georgia secondary all afternoon:
It was quite the rebound performance for the Nashville native, as he caught just one pass last week in the shocking 24-21 home loss to Vanderbilt.
UK head coach Mark Stoops preached staying the course and bouncing back all week. While his team didn't get the win, he saw some of what he was looking for from Brown:
"That's impressive, and, again, I thought he really responded well. Youngsters that talented you're going to have some moments, games where it's like this and some games where it's tough, and you have to respond either way," Stoops said. "You know, just some the competitive catches down the field were really good to see, and stuff to build on."
Through his first 11 games as a Wildcat, he has 41 catches, totaling 560 yards. His 10 receptions on Saturday are most by a UK freshman since Chad Scott had 10 vs. South Carolina in 2000. He now has the UK single-season reception record for a freshman, previously held by Derek Abney.
Brown's relationship with quarterback Will Levis has continued to develop over the course of the season, but the connection officially blossomed against the Bulldogs.
The Wildcat QB knows how important his top WR is to the success of the offense, even if he can't get him a high amount of targets week-in and week-out:
“It’s been important to me for sure that I get him to keep his head up and keep his confidence up. And for him to know that he is a really special player and that we are going to target him. And his big plays are going to come," Levis said. "I’m just glad that he has been able to keep that right mindset throughout the last few weeks. And trust in us and trust in the calls and my throws to get him down the field like that. And it was really cool to see him make a few of those plays today.”
Saturday night felt like a nationwide coming out party for Brown, as his sparkling performance came on quite the big stage against the No. 1 team in the land.
For Big Blue Nation and the Cats, however, they've known ever since week one just how special a talent they have on their hands:
"Some of the great receivers you run across, they don't have to practice things a lot to get it right," Scangarello said. "His mental and football IQ is very high, he retains things well, he's a football player at heart. He's gonna be a real special player for a long time."
If Brown stays the course in Lexington, he could rewrite the wide receiver history books over the next couple of years.
More words on the loss here.
Takeaways from the loss can be found here.
Watch: Stoops, Scangarello, White and Levis Speak following the loss
Game Notes from the loss can be found here.
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