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Georgia Tech Football: Lucas Johnson, Tobias Oliver give Jackets strong options at backup quarterback

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

CHAPEL HILL, NC - NOVEMBER 05: Head coach Paul Johnson of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets huddles with his team during the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Stadium on November 5, 2016 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - NOVEMBER 05: Head coach Paul Johnson of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets huddles with his team during the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Stadium on November 5, 2016 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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During Friday night’s annual spring game, Georgia Tech quarterbacks Lucas Johnson and Tobias Oliver showed that the Jackets have two quality options at quarterback if TaQuon Marshall would happen to go down.

This past off season, the Georgia Tech football team lost two quarterbacks in Matthew Jordan and Jay Jones. For some that left the Yellow Jackets with a major question at back up quarterback, after all Matthew Jordan had the most experience and with him gone where would they turn if needed.

On Friday night, quarterback Lucas Johnson and Tobias Oliver showed that the Jackets have two quality options at backup quarterback come this fall.While neither quarterback had pretty passing numbers, they both showed flashes of what they could do as the signal caller.

Lucas Johnson:

Johnson, a redshirt sophomore ended up completing 5 of 17 passing attempts on Friday night for the Blue team for 143-yards and one touchdown. His favorite target was senior Brad Stewart completing three passes for 100-yards. He also hit Clinton Lynch in the game for a nice 33-yard reception.

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On the ground, Johnson showed he could move around but fell victim to poor offensive line play which was abundant throughout the game with a few key offensive lineman out with injuries. That being said Johnson ended up picking up 37 yards and a touchdown on the ground with a long of 14-yards. He would end with a net of six yards however after getting wrapped up in the backfield numerous times.

Tobias Oliver:

Oliver like Johnson didn’t put up the prettiest of passing numbers which isn’t uncommon in the Yellow Jackets option offense. Oliver only attempted nine passing attempts on the night and completed three of his passes for 43-yards. Where Oliver did most of his impressive work was on the ground where he showed flashes of the speed, agility, and elusiveness that made him a desirable quarterback in the system.

The redshirt freshman ended up rushing for 66-yards on Friday night and a net yardage of 52. His 66-yards were the most of any Yellow Jacket on Friday night.

Going Forward:

Going forward, the starting quarterback will obviously be TaQuon Marshall barring any injury or unforeseen circumstances. The backup quarterback situation going forward will only get more intense as four-star recruit James Graham will be enrolling on campus come June.

Starting in the summer, Johnson and Oliver will most likely battle it out for the second spot on the depth chart unless Graham really impresses the coaching staff early on. Last season, the Jackets starting quarterback situation wasn’t truly settled until a few games into the season when Marshall become the legitimate number one quarterback.

One possibility come the fall is Johnson and Oliver are both listed on the depth chart as the backup quarterback with the “OR” designation giving the coaching staff an additional week or two to figure out the battle, if it lasts that long.

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Now, neither quarterback will most likely play up to the standard of TaQuon Marshall, at least right away but both quarterbacks do appear to be capable at giving the Jackets at the least a chance to win from an offensive perspective.