Georgia Tech fans will never forget Sept. 4. The Yellow Jackets opened the season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium against then-No. 25 Tennessee with their first new quarterback in three years.
His name was TaQuon Marshall and all he did in his first game leading the offense was set multiple Tech records. He captivated on-lookers as he rushed for 249 yards and five touchdowns on 44 carries -- all records for a Jackets quarterback.
Replacing Justin Thomas, who was one of the better option quarterbacks in coach Paul Johnson’s 10-year tenure, was a tough task coming into this season. But one game in, Johnson had found his new guy.
Ten games later, the junior’s inaugural season didn’t end quite the way he or the rest of the team wanted it to go. Following a 38-7 loss Saturday to No. 7 Georgia at Bobby Dodd Stadium, the Jackets’ season likely is over, with the team now sitting at 5-6. However, for the former A-back, this season is one Marshall won’t ever forget.
“It has been one heck of a journey for my first season,” he said. “It has been fun, but I hate the feeling in the way we went out. It sucks to send the seniors out on a game like this, but I am not going to lie to you and say I didn’t enjoy the journey with them. It’s been incredible.
“(I) improved a lot. Learned something new every week, every game,” Marshall added. “(I) just really tried to be a better leader and bring the guys around me, with me.”
Marshall finished this season as Tech’s single-season leader in rushing yards by a quarterback, passing his predecessor with a run in the second quarter of Saturday’s game. To go along with 1,146 rushing yards this season, his 17 rushing touchdowns are the third-most by a quarterback in Tech history.
About the Author
