April 5, 2003
Sophomore quarterback Damarius Bilbo completed nine of 19 passes for 66 yards, and tailbacks P.J. Daniels and Michael Sampson combined for 119 yards rushing in Georgia Tech’s spring football scrimmage Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field.
“There were some positive and negatives, just like every day,” said Tech head coach Chan Gailey after his Yellow Jackets practiced through a steady rain.
“I thought the pass rush today was good, but I thought we gave up some plays in pass defense that we can’t give up. We complete a hitch on third down down in the redzone; we can’t let that happen.
“Offensively, the one thing that we’re not doing is being consistent,” continued Gailey. “The biggest problem to me is pass protection. We’re not protecting the passer, so we can’t have any consistent type of passing game. We can run the ball, but we’re not able to pass the ball consistently.”
The Tech defense managed five sacks during the scrimmage. Tech’s offensive continuity has been hurt by the absence of two starting linemen in all-Atlantic Coast Conference left tackle Nat Dorsey and left guard Leon Robinson.
“There’s no excuses,” said Gailey. “We’re just not getting it done. When we do get it done, we can complete passes and make some things happen. Our pass protection has to improve for us to be a consistent offense.”
Sampson, a sophomore, carried 16 times for 69 yards, including scoring runs of five and two yards. Daniels added 52 yards on 14 carries, including a two-yard touchdown.
Bilbo added a four-yard touchdown pass to redshirt freshman Michael Matthews, who has been a pleasant surprise since moving from defensive end to fullback last week. Another fullback, walk-on Gavin Bourgeois, added two catches for 22 yards.
Senior Jonathan Smith led the receiving corps with four catches for 44 yards. Junior Nate Curry had three catches for 33 yards, and junior Levon Thomas added three receptions for 22 yards.
Tech’s kickers booted four field goals. Senior Dan Burnett, the likely starter, hit from 46 and 30 yards, redshirt freshman David Jordan connected on a 28-yarder, and walk-on Christian Schroeder was good from 35 yards. The only miss was a 51-yard attempt by Jordan.
The Yellow Jackets continue spring drills next week with workouts scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday before next Saturday’s spring game, April 12 at 11 a.m. at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
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