The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tech backups get long look in 87-play scrimmage,
Johnson doesn’t foresee set order for who will play behind Thomas.
Georgia Tech completed its preseason camp Saturday morning with a scrimmage at Bobby Dodd Stadium, an 87-play session conducted with the intent of taking a closer look at backups.
Two were backup quarterbacks TaQuon Marshall and Matthew Jordan, vying to be the No. 2 to starter Justin Thomas. Following the scrimmage, coach Paul Johnson said there probably won’t be a set order.
“It would depend on the situation who I send in, the type of the game, the way it was going, what we were doing,” Johnson said.
Jordan played in four games last year as Thomas’ backup, including extensive action in the Miami game when Thomas left with an upper-body injury. Johnson has previously said Jordan needed to develop into a short-yardage sub for Thomas, much as Tim Byerly did in 2014. Marshall played quarterback in high school, but played A-back last season as a freshman. He was switched to quarterback in the spring and made an impression with his ability to make plays with his feet.
“I think everyone knows TaQuon’s probably a little shiftier and quicker than me,” Jordan said earlier this week. “I’m a little bigger and stronger than him. We just kind of bring two different playing styles, I guess you could say.”
Several starters were held out to give more playing time to the backups, including Thomas. With so many regulars out, ball security was not up to Johnson’s standards, nor were Jordan and Marshall.
“They missed some (decisions) that should be easy,” Johnson said. “But they have played a lot. So that’s why you do it. That’s why you practice.”
Coaches will form scout teams for Monday’s practice as the Yellow Jackets begin preparing for Boston College in the season opener Sept. 3 in Dublin, Ireland.
Liking what he saw: At the end of his ninth preseason camp at Tech, the 38th overall in his coaching career, Johnson deemed the Jackets’ efforts worthy.
“I think we had a good camp overall,” said Johnson, who turned 59 on Saturday and was serenaded by his team after the scrimmage. “We got after it pretty good this camp. We’ve had a lot of contact, a lot of scrimmaging.”
Johnson’s praise is hardly hollow. In 2015, as the Jackets rode the crest of their 11-win season in 2014, Johnson was often irritated with how his team was practicing in camp, at one point chiding media that they had “anointed this team as national champs. You ought to watch them practice.”
For a variety of reasons, Tech stumbled through a 3-9 season, its worst since 1994. His comments on the day Tech broke camp last year draw a contrast with his evaluation Saturday.
“I can be a Pollyanna and (say), ‘We’re going to be great,’ and, ‘We’re going to win every game,’ but that’s not me,” he said. “I’m going to call it like I see it. I’m not saying we’re going to lose every game, either, but we can play better than we’re playing.”
Johnson largely has been complimentary of the way his team, picked to finish sixth in the ACC Coastal Division in a preseason media poll, has practiced.
“My big concern now moving forward, next week, is to focus in on Boston College and get the guys fresh for the first game,” he said. “That’s my big thing about all the first games, I want them to have their legs and be ready to go.”