Backup QB starts fast, then struggles

ATLANTA - Taylor Bennett's Georgia Tech career had a storybook beginning.

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He might want to rewrite the rest of the first chapter.

Promoted to starting quarterback Saturday morning when veteran Reggie Ball fell ill, Bennett played like it was his first collegiate game Saturday in the 28-13 win against Connecticut.

The redshirt freshman completed 11 of 30 passes for 142 yards. He did not throw an interception in his debut.

His first pass went for a touchdown. He hit Calvin Johnson on a quick out pattern, and Johnson turned it into a 42-yard scoring catch.

Bennett missed on five of his next six passes, however, and never found a rhythm.

Bennett, out of St. Louis' Lafayette High School, backed up Ball a year ago but never took a snap in a game. He challenged Ball for the starting job in the spring and preseason practice.

HARD TO FIND: Georgia Tech played Connecticut on national television Saturday night.

Sort of.

If you couldn't find the Yellow Jackets among your local cable offerings, you weren't alone. ESPNU aired the game, and the six-month-old network is offered by few cable outlets.

Comcast cable, which serves Savannah, Augusta and Jacksonville, Fla., among others, does not carry the channel. Those with Adelphia cable or DirecTV could see the game. But ESPNU is not part of the basic package on DirecTV, meaning those who saw the game among their four million customers paid for it as part of a sports channel package.

TECH BITS: The Yellow Jackets intercepted Connecticut quarterback Matt Bonislawski three times, giving them 10 interceptions in three games this season. That equals their 2004 total.

Long snapper Gavin Tarquinio injured his leg in last week's game and was scheduled to snap only for extra points and field goals - plays where he's not required to run.

Tarquinio ended up snapping for punts as well, after his replacement, Bret White, snapped a ball over punter Ben Arndt's head in the first quarter. The play set up a Connecticut touchdown.

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