<p>The beard is back. With that, Travis Bell hopes the inconsistencies of his 2005 season will disappear.</p><p>Smiling and relaxed after Georgia Tech's practice Wednesday, Bell appeared convinced he had moved past his kicking woes from last season.</p><p>"I haven't felt this good in years," Bell said.</p><p>Georgia Tech will settle for Bell kicking as well as two years ago.</p><p>In 2004, Bell missed his first field goal attempt and then set a Tech record by making 15 consecutive attempts before missing a 48-yarder in the Champs Sports Bowl.</p><p>With the strong freshman season as a walk-on from Roswell, Bell earned a scholarship and was considered an all-star candidate entering last season.</p><p>But Bell couldn't duplicate the magic of his freshman year.</p><p>Bell began the 2005 season by making his first five field goals before missing six straight, again making five in a row and then missing four of his last five.</p><p>Overall, he finished the year only 11 for 21 on field-goal attempts after making 15 of 17 as a freshman.</p><p>"Last year I wasn't 100 percent healthy," Bell said. "This year feels 10 times better.</p><p>"At the beginning of last summer I had a hernia I had to get operated on. I was out all last summer. I wasn't healthy until a week before camp started."</p><p>By comparison, a healthy Bell kicked through this summer and has had a busy preseason camp with new special teams coach Charles Kelly.</p><p>Coach Chan Gailey says Bell has returned to top form.</p><p>"To me, he's totally back in the groove of his freshman year," Gailey said.</p><p>Gailey said Bell's strong preseason camp is a carryover from an impressive spring practice.</p><p>"Yeah, I saw enough in the spring," Gailey said Wednesday when asked when he stopped worrying about Bell.</p><p>Bell first revealed one of his superstitions when, as a freshman, he didn't shave between games.</p><p>Also, for good luck he keeps an old pair of green Roswell High shoes hanging in his locker.</p><p>"There's always going to be a few superstitions, like the whole shaving deal," Bell said. "It's superstitions, yeah, but it's also the fact that I hate shaving."</p><p>Besides, Bell added, "I like the old veteran look anyway."</p><p>Kelly said Bell is kicking like a veteran.</p><p>"He's had a really good camp," Kelly said. "I think it started last spring."</p><p>Kelly said he doesn't become involved in any of the kicker's superstitions, but he's quick to say Bell's strong camp has nothing to do with not shaving.</p><p>"The biggest thing is Travis has worked really hard," Kelly said. "That brings more confidence."</p><p>But even as he has renewed confidence, Bell says he hasn't forgotten the lessons learned last season.</p><p>"It was frustrating because my first year I never experienced any of that," Bell said. "I've always gone through life being successful. It kind of brings you down, knowing you're going to have some bad times in your life."</p><p>Added Bell: "This year is my redemption year. This will prove that I can do again what I did my freshman year."</p><p>Note: Tech's injury problems on the offensive line grew to the crisis stage Wednesday when right guard Trey Dunmon, who had been working with the first team due to injuries to other linemen, was carted off the field with an apparent leg injury. Tech had two first-team linemen _ Nate McManus and Matt Rhodes _ suffer injuries in Tuesday night's scrimmage after losing another starter, Mansfield Wrotto, in the first scrimmage.</p><p>Wrotto rode an exercise cycle during practice Wednesday, and his injury is not thought to be serious. McManus and Rhodes were being examined Wednesday, and now Gailey also must await the report on Dunmon.</p><p>"Wow," Gailey said. "Right now it's a little tenuous. That's probably being positive. We've got a bunch of guys down and I don't know how bad some of them are. We just have to wait and see what the diagnosis is on all of them."</p><p>Left tackle Andrew Gardner and center Kevin Tuminello were the only healthy linemen remaining of the projected starting five.</p><p>"Hopefully those guys will be back, but if not we have to stick together with who we have," Tuminello said before noting the Sept. 2 season opener against Notre Dame "is just a couple weeks away. We really need to start buckling down."</p><p>Gailey said the rash of injuries is unusually high. "I think this is the most we've ever had," he said.</p><p>Tech also was without several injured defensive players Wednesday, including safety Djay Jones and ends Adamm Oliver and Darrell Robertson. "They're not long-term," Gailey said of the defensive players. "I don't see them being out past the middle of next week."</p>
