Bilbo doing his best to live down losing job

ATLANTA - Georgia Tech's Damarius Bilbo wants to be known for more than losing his starting quarterback job to a true freshman.

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If his breakout performance at wide receiver Saturday against North Carolina is a preview for the rest of the season, he will be.

Bilbo caught eight passes for 131 yards and a touchdown in the Yellow Jackets' 27-21 win at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

He had 103 yards at halftime, six yards shy of his career total coming into the game.

"Now I just have to be consistent," said Bilbo, whose career had previously been defined by losing the quarterback job to Reggie Ball during preseason camp two years ago. "I have to keep guys off Calvin (Johnson's) back. I have to give him an outlet."

Johnson, a preseason All-American, was a big beneficiary of Bilbo's play Saturday, finishing with 114 yards. Much like Auburn last week, North Carolina committed multiple defenders to covering Johnson.

That left Bilbo and the Yellow Jackets' third wide receiver, Patrick Clark, in single coverage or working against a soft-zone defense. Clark led Georgia Tech in receptions against Auburn, catching six passes for 36 yards.

"I don't think they can key on one guy anymore," Bilbo said. "We are complete. We're getting it done."

HALL LEADS WAY: Linebacker KaMichael Hall is quickly making coaches and teammates forget about his tumultuous preseason.

Off-the-field issues limited the junior's practice time during camp and cost him the start in last week's season opener against Auburn.

He took his starting spot back from Gary Guyton earlier in the week, though, and made 10 tackles, three for loss, on Saturday.

Hall broke a month-long media silence last Tuesday. He classified his preseason issues as both personal and academic.

He was cleared to play just four days before the Auburn game. He came off the bench to make four tackles, intercept a pass and record two quarterback hurries in Tech's 23-14 win against the Tigers.

REPLAY HELPS: Instant replay was an instant success Saturday, at least for Georgia Tech. Officials overturned an interception call on the Yellow Jackets' first possession, ruling that North Carolina cornerback Cedrick Holt trapped an under-thrown pass from Ball.

"I'm glad they got it right - even if it had gone against us." said Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey, who's been a proponent of instant replay since his NFL days. "I wanted them to get it right."

The reversed call extended Georgia Tech's drive, which culminated in a touchdown pass from Ball to tailback P.J. Daniels for a 7-0 lead.

HURRICANE RELIEF EFFORTS: Georgia Tech student-athletes flanked all entrances to Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday, collecting money for the American Red Cross in the Hurricane Katrina Relief efforts.

Tech has admitted more than 50 students from Tulane and other colleges and universities shut down by the hurricane.

Reach Adam Van Brimmer at (404) 404-589-8424 or adam.vanbrimmer@morris.com.