March 19, 2003
After two workouts in shorts, the Georgia Tech football team held its first full-pads practice of the spring in an intermittent drizzle Wednesday afternoon at Rose Bowl Field.
Tech head coach Chan Gailey has preached developing toughness is one of the themes of spring, and to that end, Wednesday’s practice included nearly an hour of scrimmaging.
“It’s a tough game,” said Gailey, “and that’s what it takes. It was sloppy. The effort was good, but they got tired, and when they got tired, things got sloppy.”
The wet conditions also contributed to the sloppiness, and Gailey was disappointed to see the ball on the ground too many times.
“[The wet weather] is an excuse,” said Gailey. “We’ve got to work through those things.”
Gailey and his staff got their first good look at the Tech offensive line, which should be a strength with four returning starters, including all-conference honorees Nat Dorsey at left tackle and Hugh Reilly at center.
Dorsey, a rising junior from New Orleans, La., teams with junior Kyle Wallace of Lawrenceville, Ga., to give the Jackets a strong tandem at the tackle position. A two-time all-ACC selection, Dorsey is a strong candidate to earn all-America honors this time around, although the Tech coaches would like to see him drop a little weight from his massive 6-6, 330-pound frame. Wallace could be an all-conference candidate as well, and Tech also returns top backup Jeremy Phillips.
“We have two talented returning starters at tackle,” said Gailey. “We need Nat Dorsey to lose some weight and get closer to the playing weight of his freshman year, and we’re working very hard to get that done.”
Reilly, a senior from Roswell, Ga., is a two-year starter on the offensive line, moving from guard to center last fall, when he earned honorable mention all-conference recognition.
“Hugh is a very solid football player; I hope he takes the next step to be a great player and a great leader,” said Gailey. “I really expect some great things from this year.”
At guard, Tech must replace graduated starter Raymond Roberts-Blake on the right side, and sophomore Brad Honeycutt, who earned some playing time last fall at tackle, is working in that spot. Returning left guard Leon Robinson, a junior from Garden City, Ga., is expected to miss all or most of spring practice after offseason surgery on his hand.
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