A-back Searcy looks to make getting in the end zone a habit
ATLANTA -- After spending last year as a redshirt, watching a group of experienced seniors soak up all the playing time at A-back, Qua Searcy is getting a chance to show why he was such a highly regarded player coming out of high school.
Searcy, an all-state player at Lamar County High School in Barnesville, spent his time on the scout team, while veterans like Deon Hill, Tony Zenon, Charles Perkins and B.J. Bostic got all the carries. Searcy watched and learned and has been ready this year whenever called upon.
In two games this season he's shown his skills as a runner and a receiver. Searcy has seven carries for 66 yards (9.4 yards per carry), including a 31-yarder, and one touchdown. He's caught two passes for 28 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown. Both scores came in last weeks' 64-10 win over Tulane, which caused the staff to name him the team's offensive player of the week.
"It's fun playing with him, knowing you can get the ball in a guy's hands like that and he can make a play," quarterback Justin Thomas said. "We've got a few guys like that. We've got a lot of guys who can make plays in one-on-one space."
The balanced attack from the A-backs includes Broderick Snoddy (seven carries for 86 yards), Clinton Lynch (three carries, 62 yards), TaQuon Marshall (three carries, 28 yards) and Isiah Willis (two carries, 14 yards). That's a total of 22 carries for 256 yards, a 9.5 yard average.
"They've been OK," coach Paul Johnson said. "We feel like we've got some good athletes and they've done some good thing. They're going to continue to grow."
Searcy said it's easier to play with an experienced quarterback like Thomas running the offense.
"He makes me feel comfortable back there," Searcy said. "We realize in the huddle that Justin made adjustments and the offensive line did a good job blocking and we just made plays. Because we've got other guys that does their jobs, it opens up plays for me."
In addition to his quickness, Searcy brings tenaciousness to the position. Against Tulane he just missed a reception when Thomas threw it just out of his reach, but he came back to make a nice catch and turn it into a touchdown. And on his first touchdown run, Searcy made gold out of third-and-goal at the 13.
"I saw that play as 'We are getting a touchdown,'" he said.
"I was not thinking about getting caught short. The linemen did a good job of blocking up front. Justin had a good read and I got in the end zone."
Searcy is listed behind senior Snoddy on the depth chart at one A-back position. Isiah Willis is listed first at the other A-back spot, followed by Marshall and Lynch. But all five have proven to be interchangeable.
Notes: The team's other players of the week for the Tulane game were: Adam Gotsis (defense) and Jamal Golden (special teams). Gotsis had six tackles, two for loss, and one sack. Golden had a 44-yard punt return and a 34-yard kickoff return. The ACC announced that next week's game against Duke will start at noon. The game will be televised on ESPN2 or ESPNU.
This story was originally published September 15, 2015 at 10:19 PM with the headline "A-back Searcy looks to make getting in the end zone a habit ."