April 11, 2003
As the Georgia Tech football team concludes spring practice with Saturday’s spring game, Tech head coach Chan Gailey will be looking for the players who step up in game-type situations.
The spring game is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field. Admission is free.
“Tomorrow will be a different type of test for us, being a little more in the spotlight, and we want to see how guys react,” said Gailey after Friday’s practice. “Some guys play better, others don’t play as well. We need to find out who can play better when there’s a little bit more at stake, and that’s what tomorrow’s all about.”
With a limited number of players due to injuries, Tech will be unable to divide the squad into two teams, so the scrimmage will pit the offense, wearing white jerseys, against the defense, wearing gold. In order to keep score, the defense will earn points as follows: six points for a defensive touchdown, three points for an interception or fumble recovery, two points for forcing the offense to go three-and-out, and one point for holding the offense without a score on any series.
Gates will open at 10 a.m., and fans must enter Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field through Gate 1 on the West side and Gate 9 in the Southeast corner. Due to construction, all other gates are unavailable. Seating will be available in the lower bowl in the West, South and East stands, with handicapped seating on the West side only.
Parking is available in Peters Parking Deck. Concessions will be available on both sides of the stadium, and the Georgia Tech Bookstore will be selling merchandise on the East side.
Tech players and coaches will be available for autographs following the game.
Sophomore quarterback Damarius Bilbo will continue to receive the majority of the snaps with the first team offense, but Gailey maintains that the starting job will remain competitive until next fall, with Bilbo vying with last year’s starter, senior A.J. Suggs. Senior Brian Camp and true freshman Al Pena will also get repetitions in the scrimmage.
“I’m not ready to say that anybody is the frontrunner,” said Gailey. “We just need to see what D-Bo [Bilbo] can do. He’s getting the most snaps, but that just means we need more evaluation of him. Obviously everybody can see D-Bo is getting the most snaps, but we’re trying to do to see if he can handle the load.
“He’s been inconsistent, but he’s gotten a little bit better every practice. I really believe he’s made strides every practice.
“Tomorrow will be a real test to see how far he’s come, and that will give us a great idea of where we stand with him for the fall. I think tomorrow will be big for him. The job is open no matter what, but D-Bo can make a big step for himself tomorrow.”
Overall, Gailey has been pleased with the spring.
“We’ve made progress in spots,” he said. “We’ve had so many injuries and so many guys in and out, that it’s been hard to do anything consistently, but I think we’ve gotten better.
“Some guys have really made a jump. I think that [right guard] Brad Honeycutt, [right tackle] Kyle Wallace and [center] Hugh Reilly playing together the whole spring has really made a big difference for them. The defensive line playing together the whole spring has really helped us.”
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