Georgia Tech running back Marcus Marshall (34) runs past Georgia Southern cornerback Darius Jones Jr. (5) in the first half at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday, October 15, 2016. HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM
By Juliakate E Culpepper
Oct 26, 2016
Though the Yellow Jackets’ leading rusher in 2015, B-back Marcus Marshall has received limited snaps in his sophomore season, but coach Paul Johnson thinks that should change.
Johnson revealed in Tuesday’s news conference that he was encouraged by Marshall’s improvement this season, especially in ball security — something Marshall focused on during the spring after three fumbles in his freshman season.
“He’s always been explosive,” Johnson said. “He’s very talented. He’s got good feet. He’s got good speed. He’s taking advantage of his limited reps so far this year and created a lot of plays. You have to believe what you see, and we need to give Marcus a little more playing time.”
Marshall rushed for 654 yards and four rushing touchdowns in his freshman season, starting three games at B-back over then senior B-back Patrick Skov. Skov totaled for 380 rushing yards and tied a team-high of six rushing touchdowns with quarterback Justin Thomas.
Marshall attributes his sophomore season improvement that Johnson sees to the passage of time.
“I definitely think (more time and experience) is a positive,” Marshall said. “I’ve just been practicing hard and playing hard when I get in there.”
Similar to Marshall’s early success, Dedrick Mills has earned the majority of the Jackets’ reps at B-back in his freshman season. In six games, Mills leads the Jackets’ with 446 rushing yards on 95 carries and nine rushing touchdowns. Mills’ highest rushing game as a Yellow Jacket was against Miami, when he racked up 99 yards and three touchdowns.
Not chosen as Tech’s B-back starter this season after averaging 7.6 yards per carry as a freshman, could be disheartening, but Marshall insists he’s a team player regardless of where he falls in the depth chart.
“It’s an adjustment, but you just kind of go with the flow,” Marshall said. “Just work hard and try to make plays when I get in there.”
Marshall had two games with over 100 yards rushing in his freshman season. The first was against Alcorn State where Marshall rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns, the most by Jacket since 2009 when Jonathan Dwyer ran 189 yards against Wake Forest. Marshall also racked up 159 rushing yards and three touchdowns against Pittsburgh, earning him ACC Rookie of the Week honors.
In his sophomore season, Marshall has rushed for 230 rushing yards on 39 attempts and two total touchdowns.
