2002 Statistics

written by James Johnson

Nothing takes the pressure off a quarterback like a strong running game. Bad news has come about in Atlanta. After leading the nation in rushing through the first four games last season (649 yards on 92 carries, 11 TD's), Hollings tore up his knee. However, Tony Hollings has now been dismissed for academic reasons, creating once again, an opening at the TB spot. In summation, Georgia Tech will be without its top two rushers from 2002. That load now looks to be shouldered by Ace Eziemefe and Phillip Daniels.

A veteran and talented line will again anchor Georgia Tech's offense. Juniors LT Nat Dorsey (6'6", 330 lbs.) and LG Leon Robinson (6'4", 315 lbs.) could be the most powerful blocking tandem in the ACC. Dorsey struggled with shoulder problems and carried extra weight last year, but will bounce back to help Robinson anchor the Jackets' line from their left side. Other returning starters C Hugh Reilly (6'4'. 285 lbs.) and RT Kyle Wallace (6'6", 280 lbs.) make this a formidable group.

One of the most glaring deficiencies, as in 2002, is inconsistency at quarterback. The two men who shared the position are back to compete again this season. Senior A. J. Suggs received the lion's share of playing time, while sophomore Damarius Bilbo came off the bench eight times. Offensive Coordinator Bill O'Brien's most important task will be improving QB productivity.

Suggs, a two-year Tennessee transfer, hurt his own cause by hurling only 12 TDs compared to 15 INTs last campaign. His coaches are comfortable with the way he manages a game, but he struggles with quick decisions, which means he struggles against blitzes and with broken plays. Suggs has neither the mobility (to buy time against a pass rush), nor the arm strength to make some of the more difficult throws. The Georgia Tech staff hopes an additional year of experience will help him reduce the costly mistakes.

Bilbo is one of the better pure athletes on the team. He possesses the arm strength and mobility that Suggs lacks, but struggles in grasping the offense. Bilbo completed only 43% of his passes, with two TD's and six interceptions. In his most extensive playing time, he completed 7 of 20 passes with 4 INTs in the Silicon Valley Bowl. If he continues to struggle, a position change will soon follow. Any drastic developments, as well as the naming of the starter, will be updated here.

Senior receiver Jonathan Smith needs to develop into a deep threat and the main receiving playmaker to give either quarterback a chance of improving. His top catch was for 34 yards, a simple statistic that says it all. Smith's drop off to 36 receptions displays their need for a go-to possession receiver. And if he is the one-dimensional, main focus of the receiving corps, most defensive coordinators will have easy success in scheming against this offense

OT Nat Dorsey

written by James Johnson

Georgia Tech has a respectable defense that will be even better than the previous season. They kept the Yellow Jackets in most 2002 games until the 51-7 meltdown at Georgia. Defensive Coordinator Jon Tenuta will enter his second year at Tech with a group of talented veterans with which to work. Can they improve on allowing 20.5 PPG?

The quality starts up front. A young (but experienced) defensive line will return intact this season. They will be led by ends Eric Henderson (sophomore, 6'3", 260 lbs.) who had 13 tackles for a loss last season, and 2003 superstar Greg Gathers. The tackles will be sophomore Travis Parker (6'5", 260 lbs.) and Alfred Malone, a 6'4" 290 pound junior. They all play hard, but are somewhat undersized. After earning second-team All-America nods (from Football News and Sporting News), Gathers valiantly tried to play in 2002 despite a serious kidney ailment. The disease sapped too much of Gathers' strength and stamina, however, and he sat down for the season following the third game. Gathers was a senior last season, but will still have another year to complete his college stint. He did not attend school in the spring while adjusting to a powerful new medication. Gathers holds the school's staggering record with a total of 31 career sacks. His presence would give Tech a very imposing line. Bank on his presence, but wait to see his intensity in spring ball before sizing up the defense. He will make that much of a difference.

The linebackers are led by the return of leading-tackler Daryl Smith. But his elbow injury meant he did not quite make the impact expected. His hungry, unfulfilled destiny should motivate higher play. The team's third leading tackler, senior Keyaron Fox, returns to give Tech a pair of effective and experienced linebackers.

Georgia Tech's secondary will be the potential weak link of the defense, featuring only one returning starter, senior CB Jonathan Cox (5'10" 185 lbs.). Cox is not a big-play defensive back, but he is considered a steady technician who will not give up long gains. He teams with Reuben Houston .

The starting safeties figure to be juniors Nathan Burton and James Butler. Both have excelled on special teams but have little experience in the defensive backfield. They are likely to be the targets of opposing offenses early. Teams that stack 3 and 4 receivers, as well as have a QB that 'reads' coverages well, will exploit these two for their deficiencies.

The other concern is not the front-seven's determination, but their size. If they face a larger team with as much athleticism and speed, it is a forgone conclusion that their smaller linemen will wear down, and opponents will rack up double-digit scoring totals in many fourth quarters. Home games on turf will help this crew utilize their speed. But the LBs do not make up for their size by supplying spirited coverage. Gathers' return to his former stellar level will either motivate those around him, or make him stand out like a sore thumb (on a seven-fingered defensive hand.)

Coach Tenuta would probably like to see his defense make big plays more often. They were only able to come up with 20 takeaways last season, and gave up over 200 yards rushing three times. All of these weaknesses mean opposing offensive coordinators are already chomping at their bits. Team-play will be the requirement for Tech to have any overall defensive success.

LB Daryl Smith