After serving a two-game suspension for violating team rules, Georgia Tech offensive tackle Phil Smith is ready to play. He'll make his season debut Saturday at home against Kansas.
"On a scale of 1 to 10, I'm 100 right now," Smith said. "It kind of felt like I was in camp for seven, eight weeks. I can't even describe the elation I feel."
Smith has done extra conditioning work to keep in shape. He is competing with Tyler Kidney, who earned the starting right tackle job in the preseason, and Ray Beno, who started in place of Smith at left tackle, for one of the two starting positions. Co-offensive line coach Mike Sewak said the two players who are most productive in practice this week will start. Smith started eight games last year at right tackle.
"He just brings a whole 'nother energy to our o-line," guard Omoregie Uzzi said. "We're glad to have him back wherever he can fit in."
As part of the suspension, Smith could not be with the team for the games. He watched both broadcasts at home with his roommate, former football player Geoff Greco.
"That was very odd," he said.
Smith said he felt like he let down his teammates by breaking team rules, which he declined to identify but said was not a legal matter.
"It's one of those things, I can't describe how bad I felt," Smith said.
Not meeting muster
Coach Paul Johnson expressed his displeasure Tuesday with his reserves in last Saturday's 49-21 win over Middle Tennessee State for failing to execute their assignments. The Yellow Jackets allowed two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The offensive reserves scored two touchdowns but also had a turnover.
"Off the top of my head, I can't think of anybody who went in and, I thought, executed at the level that we're looking for with everything involved," Johnson said. "There were guys who played hard but didn't always do everything the right way."
Lineup matters
B-back David Sims has held onto his starting job. Sims, who moved from fourth string to first in preseason camp after converting from quarterback in the spring, has played better than backups Preston Lyons, Charles Perkins and Richard Watson, Johnson said. Sims has 21 rushes for 135 yards with one touchdown.
Johnson credited punter/kicker Chandler Anderson with some nice kickoffs in the MTSU game after he replaced Justin Moore, and said, "He's the kickoff guy until they beat him out." Moore, also the placekicker, struggled with kickoffs in the first two games.
Quotable
Kansas coach Turner Gill on preparing for Tech's spread-option offense: "They're so good in what they do. They're going to stick to it and, if you have any little breakdown, if you don't tackle well, particularly in this game, it will definitely hurt you. Tackling's going to be very, very important to us."
Johnson on his memory of last year's 28-25 loss to Kansas: "The end of the game, with them taking a knee in victory formation."
Etc.
Guard J.C. Lanier, who has been out since early August with a stress fracture, practiced but was held out of contact drills. A-back Marcus Wright, who has missed the first two games, did not practice. … Tech has sold about 500 three-game ticket packages since putting them on sale last Thursday. The package allows fans to purchase tickets to any three remaining home games excluding the Georgia game for $99. The package is available at 1-888-832-4849 or ramblinwreck.com/tickets. … About 40,000 tickets have been sold for Saturday's game.
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