March 27, 2004
Sophomore quarterback Reggie Ball completed 11 of 19 passes for 89 yards and one touchdown, and junior tailback Chris Woods had a 77-yard touchdown run in Georgia Tech’s first controlled scrimmage of the spring, held Saturday morning at Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field.
Ball, the reigning Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year, also rushed seven times for 41 yards. All-ACC tailback P.J. Daniels saw limited action in the scrimmage, but his backup, the Morris Brown transfer Woods, gained 99 yards on just five carries. Redshirt freshman Rashaun Grant added 50 yards on 10 attempts.
“Chris Woods has got some ability, and I thought Rashaun Grant ran the ball well today,” said Tech head coach Chan Gailey. “We didn’t give P.J. too many opportunities today because we’re trying to look at those other guys as much as we can.”
Still, Gailey would like to see more consistent play from his offensive unit, which returns seven starters from a year ago but graduated four former all-ACC players in center Hugh Reilly, tackle Nat Dorsey, wide receiver Jonathan Smith and tight end John Paul Foschi.
“I thought the offense did some good things early, but the consistency is not there,” said Gailey. “I think we dropped two touchdown passes, and that hurt us.”
True freshman quarterback Taylor Bennett, who enrolled at Tech in January, has shown promise in the early going, although he was just 3-for-9 for 32 yards today. The lefthander has a strong arm and shows poise and presence on the field. Senior Mark Logan, who moved from wide receiver to quarterback this spring, passed for 45 yards and rushed for 35.
Sophomore wide receiver Chris Dunlap caught three passes for 44 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown catch.
Tech continues spring practice next week with workouts scheduled for Tuesday, Thursday and Friday followed by another scrimmage next Saturday. Spring practice concludes with the April 17 spring scrimmage.
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