Sept. 25, 2002
As Georgia Tech (3-1, 0-1 ACC) continues its preparations for Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference road test at North Carolina (1-2, 0-0 ACC), the Yellow Jackets are getting more comfortable with true freshmen backs Ajenavi “Ace” Eziemefe and Michael Sampson.
The Tech-North Carolina game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C., and will be regionally televised on ABC, including Atlanta affiliate WSB Channel 2. Radio coverage on the Georgia Tech-ISP Radio network is available in the Atlanta area on flagship station 790 the Zone (WQXI-AM) as well as South 107.1 (WSTH-FM) and Magic 98.1 (WMGP-FM).
“They did some better things today,” said Gailey Wednesday of his two rookie backs who will carry the load following the season-ending knee injury to Tony Hollings. “They had a lot more confidence out there today, and it looked a lot cleaner.”
Eziemefe, a 6-1, 225-pounder from New Orleans, La., saw his first action last Saturday against Brigham Young, carrying the ball nine times for 25 yards, including a one-yard touchdown run. Sampson, 6-1 and 190 pounds from Lewisville, Texas, will play for the first time this week.
“They’re quality backs,” continued Gailey. “How much each of them plays – we’re going to get a feel for that as the game goes on. I would not say definitively that they’re going to play fifty-fifty or sixty-forty or anything like that. We’re going to get a feel for that during the game.”
Tech is seeking its fifth consecutive victory over North Carolina, whom the Jackets defeated last year, 28-21 in Atlanta.
“They’re a good football team, and they’ve got some great individuals,” Gailey said of the Tar Heels. Offensively, they’ve got a great receiver (Sam Aiken) and they’ve got a quarterback that makes things happen (Darian Durant).
“Defensively, they’ve got some players who are really active and make a lot of things happen on the field. We anticipate them coming after us because they got good cover corners.”
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