August 1, 2008

Tech Practices In Shells; Great Jacket Encounter Is Saturday

Aug. 1, 2008

ATLANTA – Georgia Tech went through two solid hours of team and 7-on-7 drills Friday afternoon, the Yellow Jackets’ third practice of 2008 at Rose Bowl Field.

Tech donned shoulder pads for the first time this preseason but will not put on full gear until Sunday. And, until the Jackets endure a few full-pads practices, don’t expect head coach Paul Johnson to point out anyone emerging as candidates to start.

“Right now our depth chart means nothing,” Johnson said. “We haven’t even been in pads yet. I have a suspicion we will have some freshmen in there (on the depth chart), but we don’t know because we haven’t seen them practice in pads.”

The current depth chart posted on www.RamblinWreck.com is from the preseason and will not be updated until later this month. That particular depth chart does not include players who were injured in the spring or true freshmen.

Only one player – senior offensive lineman David Brown – was absent from Friday’s practice. Brown is enduring an emotional week, missing practice because of a death in the family. He also graduated from Georgia Tech on Friday, meaning he’ll play the 2008 season as a graduate student.

Notebook:

– The Yellow Jackets have gone relatively injury-free through the first three days of practice. Juniors Tyler Evans, an A-back, and Matt Kamp, a B-back, are expected to miss all of 2008 because of previous injuries.
– When asked about the NCAA ruling that shortens the play clock to 40 seconds this year, Paul Johnson said this: “It’s not going to affect us. We’ve never had a problem getting plays off. It should actually make things more consistent.”
– Tech will practice at 9:45 a.m. Saturday. The Great Jacket Encounter begins with festivities on the plaza area at 2 p.m., followed by the players signing autographs beginning at 3 p.m. There is no charge for admission.

TECH TRIVIA QUESTION (Answer below) Georgia Tech plays Mississippi State on September 20th. Other than Georgia, which the Yellow Jackets play annually, what was the last SEC team that Tech has played in the regular season?

THAT’S MUSIC TO MY EARS From Louis Armstrong to Metallica. From Journey to Tupac. That’s the range of answers we received when we asked the Yellow Jackets to name their favorite musical artist. Below are their answers:

Question: Who is your favorite musical artist?

Chiodos Clyde Yandell

Linkin Park Mohamed Yahiaoui

Ludacris, Lupe Fiasco Jahi Word-Daniels

Lil’ Boosie Willie White

Brad Paisley Bret White

Angels and Airwaves Logan Walls

Kenny Chesney Lance Walls

Kirk Franklin Josh Wallace

Lupe Fiasco Vance Walker

Lil’ Wayne Alex Walker

Bruce Springsteen Dan Voss