April 19, 2002
Georgia Tech head coach Chan Gailey says his most important priority for Saturday’s Springfest spring game is to observe how his Yellow Jackets perform in game-type conditions.
Springfest begins at 11 a.m. at the Marist School in suburban Atlanta. Gates open at 10 a.m. and admission is free for Springfest, which is being held at Marist due to the expansion of Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field. Parking is available on the Marist campus for $3 per car. Concessions will be provided by the Varsity.
Gailey and his staff will divide the squad into two teams who will play four 15-minute quarters with a running clock. He said that the game-type format was appropriate for his first spring.
“It will be game situations in most respects,” said Gailey. “It’s for us to see guys play under game-like situations. The more you can do that, I think, the better. We scrimmaged probably more this spring than we will in other springs for that reason, especially for the quarterbacks. You need to do it for the new defense as well.
“There are plenty of reasons to do this. I’m not sure it will happen this way every time, but it was right this year.”
Gailey said that while Saturday’s play will have an impact on the quarterback battle between junior A.J. Suggs (Powder Springs, Ga.) and redshirt freshman Damarius Bilbo (Moss Point, Miss.), he might not actually name a starter until August.
“They’re both going to play next year,” said Gailey. “We’ll evaluate the game tomorrow, and after that, I don’t know if we’ll say one’s ahead or not. We’ll probably wait until the first game next year and at least keep Vanderbilt guessing.”
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