ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech football team will be going to class on Saturday.
“It’s not a quiz to me, it’s a final,” head coach George O’Leary quipped when asked about Saturday’s final spring scrimmage on the 14th of Tech’s allotted 15 days of springs practice. “But they’re all finals, and that’s how the kids have to look at it.
“It’s a regular practice, but we’ll have certain segments of live scrimmage, and I’m anxious to see how they produce. I’m looking for a culmination of the first 13 days, with fewers MA’s [missed assignments] and responsibility mistakes.”
Tech will conclude spring drills with one final practice on Monday, but Saturday’s session should be a good indication of the progress made by the Yellow Jackets, who are coming a 9-3 campaign and a fourth consecutive bowl berth.
“I start setting the roles for players leaving the spring as far as what I think they can do to help us win,” said O’Leary, who has compiled a 45-28 record in six seasons as the Tech head coach. “Whether it’s a starter, a special teams player or a scout team player, everybody on the football team has a role, and they should know their roles after the last day of the spring.
“I’m probably going to give most of the second-teamers a lot of reps. I’m still looking to solidy some of the second-team offensive line positions, so I’ll be taking a look at that.”
O’Leary continues to evaluate quarterbacks Andy Hall (Cheraw, S.C.) and Mark Logan (Greenwood, S.C.) as they battle for the backup position behind starter George Godsey (Tampa, Fla.).
“We’ve put a lot of pressure on the quarterbacks in the last week, and I’m anxious to see how they handle it tomorrow,” said O’Leary.
Tech’s defense continues to look strong, led by defensive ends Greg Gathers (LaPlace, La.) and Nick Rogers (East Point, Ga.) and linebacker Recardo Wimbush (Blakely, Ga.).
