QB Marshall still has work to do
TaQuon Marshall won the Georgia Tech quarterback job in spring practice and nailed it down with a strong preseason camp. But he remains an unfinished product, as was shown in the season-ending loss to Georgia.
Marshall remains one of the best running quarterbacks in the country, but his ability to throw the ball continues to be called into question. It was on display again on Saturday when Marshall ran for a team-leading 72 yards, but completed only 2 of 9 passes for 38 yards and threw a bad interception in the fourth quarter.
“I improved a lot,” Marshall said. “I learned something new every week, every game. I just tried to be a better leader and bring the guys around me with me. It’s one heck of a journey for my first season. I appreciate the seniors that made plays all year and I appreciate the guys who sacrificed and helped out.”
Marshall finished the season with 1,146 yards and set a school single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback. He eclipsed the old record of 1,086 set by Justin Thomas in 2014. He became the 13th player to top 1,100 yards, regardless of position.
Marshall must find a way to improve his arm strength and his accuracy – each has come into question during the season. He finished with 961 passing yards and 10 touchdowns, but completed only 43 of 119 passes and had five interceptions.
“It’s been fun, but I hate the way we went out,” Marshall said. “It stinks to send the seniors out on a game like this. But I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t enjoy the journey with them. It’s been incredible.”
Final day for 20 seniors
Senior Day signified the end of the career for 20 Georgia Tech players, who were honored with a pregame ceremony on the field.
“I reflected on it a lot of the times,” defensive end KeShun Freeman said. “I thought about a lot of times I played as a freshman, sophomore and junior. To play here my last time, each quarter I was like, ‘Dang, the last few quarters.’ I put it all on the line today and worked really hard. We just go from here.”
Safety Corey Griffin said, “It didn’t really hit me until I got back to the locker room, saying goodbyes and telling those guys to keep working. I know probably when I get back home and it all settles down, I’m probably going to break down. All good things come to an end and I just want to thank all the relationships and all the coaches who gave me a chance.”
Bye-bye bowl game
Georgia Tech failed to become bowl eligible by winning six games. There is a chance the Yellow Jackets could get a last-minute bid if there are a shortage of eligible teams to fill the spots. But Johnson isn’t holding his breath.
“I don’t think there’s any uncertainty about a bowl game,” he said.
Miscellaneous
Wide receiver Ricky Jeune caught two passes for 38 yards and a touchdown. He finished the regular season with career highs for receiving yards (545) and touchdowns (six) and tied his career high in receptions (25). … The loss was the first for Georgia Tech at home this season and broke an eight-game home winning streak. The Yellow Jackets’ last loss at Bobby Dodd Stadium was against Miami in 2016. … Former Georgia Tech great and longtime Atlanta Falcons linebacker Keith Brooking was the honorary captain.
This story was originally published November 25, 2017 at 6:42 PM with the headline "QB Marshall still has work to do."