Aug. 11, 2007
ATLANTA – If today’s two-hour scrimmage at Bobby Dodd Stadium is any indication, a talented group of true freshmen are going to give Georgia Tech depth at the skill positions.
True freshman Jonathan Dwyer ran nine times for 40 yards, including an impressive 24-yard touchdown run. Rookie quarterback Josh Nesbitt led all rushers with 52 yards on five carries and he completed 2-of-4 passes. True freshman receiver D.J. Donley had receptions of 22 and 20 yards and fellow rookie receiver Willie White had three catches for 24 yards and one touchdown.
“We were evaluating everyone today to see what these young players looked like after just a week of practice,” head coach Chan Gailey said. “We are more deep at running back than we have ever been, which is very good for our offense. We are also very deep at receiver, we just don’t have as much experience at that position.”
Dwyer joins seniors Tashard Choice and Rashaun Grant and sophomore Jamaal Evans to give the Yellow Jackets added depth at running back. Donley and White will team with junior James Johnson, sophomore Greg Smith and redshirt freshmen Demaryius Thomas and Correy Earls in what could be a deep and talented receiving corps.
The day didn’t belong entirely to the young guns. Junior quarterback Taylor Bennett completed 13-of-19 passes for 163 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Back-up quarterback, junior Calvin Booker, was 6-of-14 passing for 35 yards with most of his action coming against the first-team defense.
“Taylor did some good things today,” Gailey said. “He’s still got that clock in his head at times that he needs to deal with, but for the most part he did some nice things. Taylor threw where the defense gave us opportunities to throw it, and he is very good about doing that.”
Choice, the ACC’s leading rusher last season, carried just four times for 19 yards. Grant carried three times for nine yards and also had a pair of receptions out of the backfield.
Smith, a sophomore, led all receivers with five catches for 71 yards and two touchdowns.
Receivers Johnson and Thomas, junior tackles Andrew Gardner and A.J. Smith, and sophomore tight end Colin Peek were among the offensive players sitting out today with injuries.
Other highlights from today’s scrimmage:
— Senior cornerback Avery Roberson picked off a Bennett pass and returned it 55 yards.
— Senior linebackers Philip Wheeler and Darrell Robertson had three sacks each.
— Senior linebacker Gary Guyton led the team with seven total tackles.
— Senior All-American candidate Durant Brooks punted four times for an average of 51.5 yards, including one bomb of 66 yards.
— Senior placekicker Travis Bell was 2-of-2 on field goal attempts including one from 45 yards.
The Yellow Jackets have Sunday off and will resume drills on Monday.
Rushing Leaders
Josh Nesbitt – 5 carries, 52 yards
Jonathan Dwyer – 9 carries, 40 yards, 1 TD
Tashard Choice – 4 carries, 19 yards
Receiving Leaders
Greg Smith – 5 catches, 71 yards, 2 TD
Miles King – 4 catches, 23 yards
Willie White – 3 catches, 24 yards, 1 TD
Passing Leaders
Taylor Bennett – 13-of-19, 163 yards, 2TD, 1 INT
Calvin Booker – 6-of-14, 35 yards
Josh Nesbitt – 2-of-4, 12 yards
INGRAM TO TRANSFER
Georgia Tech redshirt freshman quarterback Byron Ingram will transfer to another school, Yellow Jacket head coach Chan Gailey announced today.
Ingram has not announced another school that he will transfer to. The 6-5, 195-pound quarterback redshirted the 2006 season.
MORE QUOTES FROM Chan Gailey
On Josh Nesbitt:
“We knew he was a great running quarterback coming in, but we want to see what he would do with a package like the one that the University of Florida has used. He showed today that he has great running ability and made a lot of plays. He’s well on his way to being a productive player this year.”
On D.J. Donley:
“He’s very impressive. He’s a big target that looked good today. He’s got a lot to learn about running routes and a lot to learn about assignments, but he has a chance to be a very good player.”
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