April 3, 2004
Sophomore quarterback Reggie Ball threw three touchdown passes, and backups Taylor Bennett combined for three more scoring passes in Georgia Tech’s second scrimmage of the spring, held Saturday morning at Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field.
The Yellow Jackets are a little more than halfway through spring practice, which continues through April 17.
“I thought Reggie threw the ball better today,” said Tech head coach Chan Gailey. “We had some drops that hurt his numbers, but I thought overall that he threw the ball better. He’s making some good decisions and we’ve just got to continue to improve on some little things. There are still some small details that we’ve got to start bearing down on.”
Ball passed for 101 yards but completed just eight of 21 passes. Senior Mark Logan, who converted from wide receiver to quarterback this spring, was 5-for-9 for 61 yards and two touchdowns, while freshman Taylor Bennett also tossed a touchdown pass.
Sophomore Michael Matthews, trying to earn playing time at tight end, had three catches for 40 yards, including two touchdowns. Tech graduated all-ACC tight end John Paul Foschi, so the Jackets are seeking depth at that position, where senior Darius Williams is the frontrunner for the starting job.
“Michael Matthews did some good things at tight end, which was good,” said Gailey. “He’s a big body in the red zone, which helps us.”
Junior wide receiver Damarius Bilbo caught three passes for 64 yards, including a touchdown.
The tailback tandem of P.J. Daniels and Chris Woods led the rushing attack. Daniels, who led the ACC in rushing last fall, had 11 carries for 66 yards, while Woods rushed for 61 yards on seven carries. Redshirt freshman Rashaun Grant added 41 yards on seven attempts.
“Chris had a great day last week and he had another good day today and he’s showing some promise,” said Gailey. “P.J. ran the ball really well today, and he’s running against the number one defense, which makes a big difference.”
Another bright spot was the work of redshirt freshman placekicker Travis Bell, competing for a starting position as Tech must replace Dan Burnett. The Roswell, Ga., native connected on field goals of 36, 37, 39 and 37 yards.
“Travis Bell really stepped up today and kicked the ball well,” said Gailey. “He had four field goals on four attempts all over 35 yards, which is very impressive. He kicked the ball very well and solid the whole way. That’s been one of the biggest pluses for us all spring.”
Defensively, strong safety Dawan Landry and tackle Omar Billy recorded sacks, and redshirt freshman cornerback Finesse Usher grabbed an interception.
Overall, however, Gailey would like to see more consistency on both sides of the ball.
“We’ve just got to make more consistent plays on offense,” he said. “I thought we were just too sporadic today.
“I thought our defense really got after it early in the scrimmage and late in the scrimmage but in the middle we were sloppy defensively.”
