Georgia Tech will be without B-back Dedrick Mills, the Yellow Jackets’ leading rusher and scorer, for Saturday’s game against Duke.
Mills was listed as out with an upper body injury on the injury report, released Thursday following the team’s final practice of the week. He suffered the injury during practice this week.
Mills leads the Jackets with 446 rushing yards on 95 carries, a 4.7 yards-per-carry average. He averages 74.3 rushing yards per game, which ranks seventh in the ACC and leads all freshmen. His 10 touchdowns, nine on the ground, lead all freshmen in FBS. He has been an integral piece in Tech’s offense this season with his pile-moving strength.
Mills figures to be replaced by B-back Marcus Marshall, who was the Jackets’ leading rusher last season as a freshman. On Tuesday, Johnson praised Marshall’s productivity in limited playing time and said that “we’ve got to give Marcus a little more playing time and let him play a little more.”
It’s the second game that Mills will miss. He was held out of the Mercer game for violating team rules. Marshall started in that game, gaining 51 rushing yards and scoring a touchdown on 10 carries.
Tech also will be without linebacker P.J. Davis, who is out for the second game in a row after suffering a hamstring injury against Pittsburgh. Davis was the Jackets’ leading tackler in 2014 and 2015 and was tied for the team lead until sitting out the Georgia Southern game. He was replaced by Chase Alford against Georgia Southern, a role Alford likely will fill again against the Blue Devils.
Freshman defensive end Jordan Woods, who is out for the season after a preseason shoulder injury, is the only other player on the injury report, meaning Tech’s offensive line will be at full strength. Tech has been without at least one member of the line since offensive tackle Trey Klock suffered an ankle injury against Mercer in the second game of the season. Tackle Andrew Marshall and guard Shamire Devine have also missed time with injuries.
