Sept. 23, 2004
ATLANTA–Georgia Tech cornerback Dennis Davis has undergone surgery on his right shoulder and will be out for the remainder of the season, head coach Chan Gailey announced Thursday.
A senior from Atco, N.J., Davis was a starter in the secondary who had six tackles in Tech’s first three games. Last season, he had 23 tackles and two interceptions.
He also had surgery on his left shoulder in the offseason.
Davis has not previously been redshirted. Tech’s medical personnel plan to apply for a medical hardship in hopes of gaining eligibility for him next season.
Davis’ loss means that sophomore Kenny Scott, with whom Davis had shared the starting berth, will have to play full-time. Gailey also said that true freshman Jamal Lewis is likely to see more action.
Tech is off this week before hosting fourth-ranked Miami Oct. 2 at 3:30 p.m. at Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field in a regionally-televised game on ABC-TV.
Gailey said that the three areas that he has singled out for emphasis this week are cutting down on turnovers, stopping the run on defense, and improving kickoff coverage.
Of working to eliminate turnovers, Gailey said, “You just keep harping on it and harping on it in practice. We try to put them in situations and say, Don’t take a chance here . . . See this coverage . . . Don’t take a chance here. You keep harping on those kind of things. But in the same voice, I don’t want to take away from Reggie’s ability to take a shot down the field to a great receiver.”
Gailey said that senior Mark Logan will take over the punt return duties.
“Mark is solid and he will catch the ball,” said Gailey. “We’re looking for something positive and no negatives.”
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