March 26, 2003
Georgia Tech’s offense showed improvement as the Yellow Jackets dodged thunderstorms to complete Wednesday’s practice, Tech’s sixth of the spring.
“I thought the number one offense did a few more things today,” said Tech head coach Chan Gailey. “P.J. Daniels did another good job today and really ran hard. And Damarius [Bilbo] made a few more plays. Overall, I thought the offense made a lot more progress.”
Tech made one personnel move as redshirt freshman Michael Matthews moved from defensive end to fullback. In his first day on offense, the 6-4, 275-pounder showed positive signs, catching two passes out of the backfield in the scrimmage session that ended practice.
“Michael made a few plays out there today, which was a pleasant surprise,” said Gailey. “He was a very productive offensive player in high school as a tight end.
“With Jimmy Dixon out and Johnathan Jackson out, we looked at the depth on the defensive line and the depth at fullback and said, ‘This is a guy who’s got an opportunity to help us on the offensive side,’ so we made the move to look at him at least the rest of the spring.
“He’s a big man who can run and catch. It’s kind of nice to have that.”
Tech’s quarterback position continues to be a work in progress, with Bilbo, the sophomore from Moss Point, Miss., getting the bulk of the work with the first offense, ahead of seniors A.J. Suggs and Brian Camp and true freshman Al Pena.
“We’ve given Damarius most of the reps up to this point, just because we know the least about him, other than Al Pena,” said Gailey. “We kind of know where A.J. is and we know where Brian Camp is. We don’t where Damarius is and can be, without reps, so we’re giving more reps right now. We’re letting Al Pena get his feet, so he’s getting some snaps and learning on the go.
“We evaluate every scrimmage and look at the thought processes as if it were a game because it’s as close to a game as we can come right now.
“Damarius has improved in some aspects, but he’s still very inconsistent in some aspects,” Gailey continued. “What we’re looking for right now from any of our quarterbacks is the consistency factor. They don’t have to be perfect, just consistent.”
Georgia Tech continues spring drills with workouts scheduled for Friday at 4 p.m. at Rose Bowl Field and Saturday at 10 a.m. at Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field.
Please Note: Due to on-going construction at Bobby Dodd Stadium, fans and high school coaches attending Saturday’s scrimmage must enter the stadium through Gate 8 on Techwood Drive and sit in the East Stands. The West stands, West gates and service drive on Bobby Dodd Way will not be available.
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