On Matthew Jordan’s first touchdown run in Saturday’s 30-20 win over Virginia Tech, B-back Marcus Marshall got through the hole first and dove at linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. Marshall didn’t get through the block, as he has been taught, but he got enough of Edmunds’ shins and feet that Jordan was able to scoot by for the 53-yard score.
On Jordan’s second touchdown run, Marshall did square up his man, hitting him right in the chest as Jordan cut inside for the 3-yard score.
Though Marshall ran for a season-high 143 yards that included a 56-yard touchdown run, he said he was particularly proud of those blocks because he knew it was something he needed to do with Jordan starting in place of the injured Justin Thomas.
And not consistently making those kind of plays may be why Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson chose Dedrick Mills as the starter at the beginning of the season.
“Marcus has always been good at running the ball,” Johnson said. “He struggles sometimes with the other stuff. At times he’s gotten better at that.”
Marshall will get another chance to show improvement in all areas when the Yellow Jackets (6-4, 3-4 ACC) host Virginia (2-8, 1-5) at 12:30 p.m. Saturday on Senior Day.
“I want to send the seniors out in a good way,” he said.
The team’s leading rusher as a freshman last season, Marshall was beaten by Mills for the starting job this season.
Marshall’s father, Warren, said that as with any young player who goes through adversity, his son had second thoughts about his future at Tech. But Warren and Marcus agree that he is happy and enjoying school. Through it all, Warren said he has advised his son to always respect the process and his role. Johnson said he never saw Marshall act negatively about losing the starting job because “he’s a good kid.”
“It was motivating,” Marshall said. “I felt like everyone wants to be a starter, so that was disappointing. My mindset was to get better for every game and try to prove I could be the starter and help the team any way I could.”
Marshall reclaimed the starting spot following Mills’ first suspension this season, which caused him to sit out the Mercer game. Marshall had 10 carries for 51 yards and a touchdown against the Bears. Marshall started again the next week against Vanderbilt and gained 8 yards on three carries, but did catch an 81-yard touchdown pass on the game’s first play. Mills then moved back into the starting role.
Following Mills’ second suspension, which started last week against the Hokies and continues Saturday, Marshall posted the best rushing performance by a Tech running back this season.
Warren Marshall was in the crowd, cheering and appreciating his son’s performance and the fact that he helped the Yellow Jackets clinch their sixth win to become bowl-eligible.
“It’s always gratifying when your kids are doing well,” he said. “For Marcus, for the kind of year that he’s having and the team is having, to get a win over a ranked team …”
Again, running isn’t the issue. Marshall has 282 yards on 36 carries in the past three games to bring his season total to 523 yards. He needs 132 yards to surpass his total of 654 from last season.
“When he’s got the ball he’s always been explosive and a threat for big plays,” Johnson said.
What B-backs coach Bryan Cook appreciated about Marshall’s performance against Virginia Tech was his vision with the ball, how he protected it and how he fought for extra yards after being hit, which he said hasn’t always happened.
Marshall had two fumbles, losing one, last season, but ball security is something typically mentioned as something coaches want to see from Marshall. He has lost two fumbles this season, one against Mercer and another against Duke. Marshall said he doesn’t think he has a fumbling problem, but said even one is too many.
Cook said he wants to see Marshall accelerate and finish through blocks more consistently, just like on those two touchdown runs by Jordan.
“His production is getting to where it needs to be,” Cook said.
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