I am. A little.
http://www.al.com/auburnfootball/index.ssf/2013/08/juco_coach_auburns_nick_marsha.html#incart_m-rpt-2JUCO coach: Auburn's Nick Marshall 'as talented of a quarterback as Johnny Manziel'
Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall throws the football during the first day of preseason camp on Friday, Aug. 2, 2013 in Auburn, Ala. (Todd Van Emst/Auburn Media Relations)
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By Brandon Marcello | bmarcello@al.com
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on August 14, 2013 at 10:52 AM
AUBURN, Alabama -- Matt Miller jokes about his career trajectory, but there is a small amount of truth tinting the humor.
The offensive coordinator at Garden City (Kan.) Community College was promoted to head coach following the departure of Jeff Tatum in January, a mere seven months after joining the staff. He quickly caught the attention of the school's administration when his offense carved up teams thanks to his schemes and the duality of quarterback Nick Marshall, who threw for 3,142 yards and rushed for 1,095 more.
"It all had to do with Nick Marshall. I'm indebted to him," Miller said, laughing. "In all seriousness, he was a joy to work with and a tremendous team leader."
Marshall signed with Auburn in February, turning down offers from quarterback-focused schools such as Baylor and Kansas State. He finds himself in the middle of a two-man fight for Auburn's starting quarterback job.
Information on the battle has been scarce by design, but the junior has been impressive behind closed doors, throwing deep touchdown passes while using his feet to pick up more yards in three scrimmages. Freshman Jeremy Johnson has been impressive, too, and is showing maturity and accuracy despite the expectations many attach to players fresh out of high school.
Marshall, meanwhile, is already somewhat proven as a quarterback on the college level. He holds the Georgia state record for touchdown passes (103) in a career and his single season at Garden City Community College included several highlight-reel plays and come-from-behind wins.
But just how good will he be if he is named the Tigers' starter? After all, the Southeastern Conference is a much better conference than those on the junior college level.
"I think he could be as good as any quarterback in the SEC," Miller said. "Talent wise, he's as talented of a quarterback as Johnny Manziel. You might think I'm crazy for saying that, but you get him on the field, he plays at a different level. He's got some freakish talent."
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Nick Marshall makes a throw during an Auburn scrimmage on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2013 at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. (Todd Van Emst/Auburn Media Relations)
There is such a thing as trying too hard.
Marshall found out the hard way last year in junior college, where he recorded eye-popping numbers but also committed 25 turnovers to go along with his 37 touchdowns.
Ball security seemed to be an issue and it prompted questions from every major coach looking for a dual-threat quarterback on the recruiting trail in Kansas.
Is Marshall careless with the football? Why were the turnovers happening in bunches?
"Last year our defense was not up to par, to say the least," Miller said. "... There were plays where he knew better but he was trying to make a play when nothing was going right on the defensive ball. He felt we had to score a touchdown every time he touched the ball and that was basically the truth."
GCCC finished in the top five nationally in most offensive categories, and routinely won games in shootouts thanks to Marshall's rocket arm and strong legs. Baylor, Kansas State and Auburn came calling. KSU held a scholarship open for him despite receiving a commitment from four-star quarterback Jake Waters out of Iowa Western.
He chose Auburn. KSU still has that extra scholarship in their coffers.
Here's the good news for Auburn fans concerned about those turnovers and careless plays: Marshall did not throw an interception during the Tigers' first (and only) live-tackling scrimmage of preseason camp.
"Nick has done well," Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said. "I think he’s been very conscious of it."
"He's done a solid job up to this point," coach Gus Malzahn said Monday. "You know, that's our focus -- not just Nick -- but we're definitely stressing it, coach Lashlee's stressing it, and so far in fall camp he's done a solid job with it."
Turnovers have been few for both Johnson and Marshall in the Tigers' first three scrimmages of camp. Ball security drills have helped alleviate some issues. The Tigers' quarterbacks go through ball-control drills every day in practice, whether it's ball-band drills or Lashlee stressing and coaching the importance of keeping both hands on the football in the pocket.
"You’re in the pocket and when things start breaking down you have to flush and scramble," Lashlee said. "A lot of times you drop the one hand and that’s when any defensive lineman can rip it out. It takes discipline to be able to move, especially for athletic guys, and keep both hands on it at all times."
Individual praise and information on the quarterback battle has been scarce in the public realm as the coaches hone in on the practices.
One player recently referred to the two-man race as being "real close."
"They're fighting, and it's going to be a war," receiver Sammie Coates said Tuesday.
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Auburn quarterbacks Nick Marshall and Jeremy Johnson sign autographs during Auburn's fan day inside Auburn Arena on Sunday, Aug. 11, 2013 in Auburn, Ala. (Todd Van Emst/Auburn Media Relations)
Marshall's strength is in his legs. It's what fuels his ability to make something out of nothing.
He threw for 300 yards five times and rushed for 100 yards four times during the 11-game season, which finished with a Mississippi Bowl victory and 7-4 record.
Marshall's signing with Auburn excited fans, but his late arrival on the Auburn campus in June had some worried. After all, wouldn't it have been better to get here in January or even May?
Miller doesn't believe it's a problem.
"I got here three weeks before the start of the (2012) season and implemented an entire new offense," Miller said. "I didn't really get to start working with Nick until two-a-days started. In three weeks he picked up my system and put up 600 yards and 56 points in the first game. We went on from there."
Marshall's arm is strong, and those close to him say he can throw a football 80 yards. Miller says he has seen him throw 300-pound defensive linemen off his back before running in for a touchdown.
Miller has been around some good quarterbacks in his days as a coach and player. He played quarterback at KSU in 1995, when the Wildcats won 10 games put together their first top 10 team in history. He coached there for 11 years and helped coach and develop Michael Bishop, who finished second in the Heisman Trophy race in 1998.
"That's who I would compare (Marshall) to," Miller said. "He has the strength, the leadership and the arm. The one difference is that Bishop ran a 4.7 (in the 40-yard dash) and Marshall is a 4.4. Defenses can't just sit back and pin their ears down and come down to Nick Marshall. They have to be very weary of his running ability.
"He's the best quarterback I've ever been around and I've been around some good ones at Kansas State."
GCCC ran quite a bit of isolation, power, option and sprint-outs for the quarterback with Marshall in the shotgun. They had on simple play they called "89," which included go routes for the receivers. The coaches would simply look at the defense, and if the coverage was backing off the line of scrimmage, they signaled a run in to Marshall from the sidelines.
"The receivers would run down thinking they would get the football," Miller said. "He'd find a hole and run it. He'd get 25 yards every time."
Simple, yes, but also hard to defend.
"If I was an Auburn fan, I'd be extremely excited if he's the starting quarterback," Miller said.
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