Georgia Tech quarterback Reggie Ball was diagnosed with viral meningitis Sunday and is questionable for Saturday's game at Virginia Tech.
He is expected to be released from Emory Hospital today after a two-day stay to treat what the Centers for Disease Control describes as a serious but rarely fatal inflammation of the tissues that cover the brain and spinal cord.
Symptoms of viral meningitis, also known as aseptic meningitis, typically last a week to 10 days and may include "fever, severe headache, stiff neck, bright lights hurting the eyes, drowsiness or confusion and nausea and vomiting," the CDC Web site states. Ball fell ill the middle of last week, appeared to get better and then got worse Friday and Saturday, Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey said.
Treatment is bed rest, fluids, and fever and headache medication.
Ball apparently plans to play, based on what he said to quarterbacks coach Patrick Nix when Nix visited the hospital on Sunday.
"One of the first things he asked Patrick was what does Virginia Tech look like on defense," Gailey said.
The decision on whether Ball plays will be made by Ball's doctors, Gailey and Ball, Gailey said. It's possible Ball will play on a limited basis, with Taylor Bennett taking the rest of the snaps, Gailey said. Bennett quarterbacked Georgia Tech to a 28-13 victory over Connecticut on Saturday night.
Gailey spoke to Ball by phone Sunday.
"He sounded not completely 100 percent, but he sounded a lot better than before," Gailey said. In the 5- to 10-minute conversation, Gailey said he told Ball: "Don't worry about anything here. Don't worry about trying to get back too quick. Take care of yourself."
Ball had started all 27 Tech football games since he arrived on campus in 2003, and the Yellow Jackets are 16-11 when he plays. After a rugged sophomore season in which he threw 18 interceptions and was threatened with benching, Ball was off to a strong start to his junior season, with coaches and teammates praising his decision-making and steadiness in victories over Auburn and North Carolina. He threw for a career-best 320 yards against Carolina.
Georgia Tech, which moved up to 15th on Sunday in the Associated Press and USA Today polls, would love to have Ball on Saturday in what shapes up as a key game in the ACC Coastal Division. The Yellow Jackets (3-0, 1-0 ACC) and the No. 4 Hokies (3-0, 2-0) are playing for first place, and the winner also will have the head-to-head tiebreaker if the teams go on to share the title.
Virginia Tech has shut out its past two opponents and, Gailey said, appears even better defensively than it was last season, when it won the ACC championship.
With Ball's status in doubt, Gailey said, Georgia Tech will broaden its offensive game plan to include several plays tailored for Bennett, several tailored for Ball and a large number of plays that would be good for either. Gailey said former quarterback Damarius Bilbo will stay at receiver.
Bennett, a redshirt freshman making his first collegiate appearance Saturday, completed 11 of 30 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions.
"He did OK. He didn't do great, but he did OK," Gailey said. "He rushed some things, but overall he put our team in position to win. He made some throws when he had to make them."
In other Georgia Tech health news, defensive end Eric Henderson and tight end Michael Matthews are questionable, backup running back Rashaun Grant and backup wide receiver Xavier McGuire are probable, and deep snapper Gavin Tarquinio is expected to play Saturday.
http://www.ajc.com/monday/content/epaper/editions/monday/sports_34e246c6220340c800dd.html
He is expected to be released from Emory Hospital today after a two-day stay to treat what the Centers for Disease Control describes as a serious but rarely fatal inflammation of the tissues that cover the brain and spinal cord.
Symptoms of viral meningitis, also known as aseptic meningitis, typically last a week to 10 days and may include "fever, severe headache, stiff neck, bright lights hurting the eyes, drowsiness or confusion and nausea and vomiting," the CDC Web site states. Ball fell ill the middle of last week, appeared to get better and then got worse Friday and Saturday, Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey said.
Treatment is bed rest, fluids, and fever and headache medication.
Ball apparently plans to play, based on what he said to quarterbacks coach Patrick Nix when Nix visited the hospital on Sunday.
"One of the first things he asked Patrick was what does Virginia Tech look like on defense," Gailey said.
The decision on whether Ball plays will be made by Ball's doctors, Gailey and Ball, Gailey said. It's possible Ball will play on a limited basis, with Taylor Bennett taking the rest of the snaps, Gailey said. Bennett quarterbacked Georgia Tech to a 28-13 victory over Connecticut on Saturday night.
Gailey spoke to Ball by phone Sunday.
"He sounded not completely 100 percent, but he sounded a lot better than before," Gailey said. In the 5- to 10-minute conversation, Gailey said he told Ball: "Don't worry about anything here. Don't worry about trying to get back too quick. Take care of yourself."
Ball had started all 27 Tech football games since he arrived on campus in 2003, and the Yellow Jackets are 16-11 when he plays. After a rugged sophomore season in which he threw 18 interceptions and was threatened with benching, Ball was off to a strong start to his junior season, with coaches and teammates praising his decision-making and steadiness in victories over Auburn and North Carolina. He threw for a career-best 320 yards against Carolina.
Georgia Tech, which moved up to 15th on Sunday in the Associated Press and USA Today polls, would love to have Ball on Saturday in what shapes up as a key game in the ACC Coastal Division. The Yellow Jackets (3-0, 1-0 ACC) and the No. 4 Hokies (3-0, 2-0) are playing for first place, and the winner also will have the head-to-head tiebreaker if the teams go on to share the title.
Virginia Tech has shut out its past two opponents and, Gailey said, appears even better defensively than it was last season, when it won the ACC championship.
With Ball's status in doubt, Gailey said, Georgia Tech will broaden its offensive game plan to include several plays tailored for Bennett, several tailored for Ball and a large number of plays that would be good for either. Gailey said former quarterback Damarius Bilbo will stay at receiver.
Bennett, a redshirt freshman making his first collegiate appearance Saturday, completed 11 of 30 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions.
"He did OK. He didn't do great, but he did OK," Gailey said. "He rushed some things, but overall he put our team in position to win. He made some throws when he had to make them."
In other Georgia Tech health news, defensive end Eric Henderson and tight end Michael Matthews are questionable, backup running back Rashaun Grant and backup wide receiver Xavier McGuire are probable, and deep snapper Gavin Tarquinio is expected to play Saturday.
http://www.ajc.com/monday/content/epaper/editions/monday/sports_34e246c6220340c800dd.html
