High school teammates on opposite sides as Georgia Tech meets Georgia in Athens

Dwight Jones had an interesting challenge last Saturday when Georgia Tech was facing Virginia on one channel and Georgia was hosting UMass on another.

The current Russell County (Ala.) High School football coach was trying to keep a close eye on two of his former players, Jackets quarterback TaQuon Marshall and Bulldogs linebacker Tae Crowder, whom he coached for two years at Harris County High.

“I told TaQuon last week that I had to flip it back and forth,” Jones said. “When he was on offense, I was watching him, and when Tae was on defense, I had to flip it back to him. This week, I won’t have that problem.”

Georgia Tech travels to Athens, Ga., on Saturday to take on No. 5 Georgia in a contest that could have College Football Playoff implications if the visitors have anything to say about it. A month ago, the Jackets were left for dead. Now, at 7-4 and on a four-game winning streak, they’ll march up Ga. 316 with a legitimate chance to knock off the prohibitive favorites like they did two seasons ago.

A lot of that has to do with Marshall, a senior quarterback who has led Georgia Tech under center for the past two seasons. While his senior season hasn’t exactly been a storybook ending to his college career, it might be the year that Jones has been most impressed with.

Marshall has battled injuries and questions about his starting job when redshirt freshman Tobias Oliver pushed for snaps and actually got the lion’s share over a two-week period.

“That’s what I was most proud of,” Jones said. “The way he reacted when the other guy was playing. He stayed involved, encouraged him, worked with him. He knew that to go back in he had to keep earning his spot, and I think he’s done that.”

Two weeks ago, after a win against North Carolina, it appeared that Oliver may have done enough to earn the starting job. Questions surrounded the position for the week leading up to Georgia Tech’s showdown with Miami, but Marshall silenced them with two strong performances.

He completed 3 of 4 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 91 yards and two more scores against the Hurricanes. Last week, he rushed for 107 yards and completed one pass, a 37-yarder to senior wide receiver Brad Stewart that may have been the biggest play of the game.

It’s a long way to come for the undersized three-star recruit, who Georgia Tech wasn’t exactly sure how to use when he came to campus in 2015. He played A-Back first before being moved to quarterback out of necessity. Twenty-one starts later, he is one of the unquestioned leaders on Georgia Tech’s roster.

“I think he probably overachieved in some ways because of that work ethic,” Jones said of his former quarterback, who led Harris County to two of its best seasons ever in his junior and senior seasons.

On Saturday, Marshall will get to square off against Crowder, a redshirt junior who has become a mainstay in Georgia’s linebacker corps this season. Like Marshall, Crowder has experienced a metamorphosis of sorts at the college level. Also, like Marshall, he has made the most out of his opportunities.

Crowder was recruited as, and begin his career as, a running back for Georgia, signing as a three-star recruit after earning a last-minute offer near signing day. With Crowder buried on the depth chart behind the likes of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, not to mention the highly touted backs coming through the pipeline, head coach Kirby Smart flipped him to linebacker.

After limited opportunities at the position in 2017, Crowder has put together a strong resume with 36 tackles, one sack and two interceptions this year. Marshall has been watching his former high school teammate this year and has been impressed.

“It’s exciting,” he said. “Just being able to see him live out his dream and be on the big stage making big plays.”

Crowder’s biggest play of his college career may have come near halftime of last season’s Rose Bowl, when he pounced on an onside kick and gave Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship just enough time to knock in a 55-yard field goal and get the Bulldogs back in the game, which they eventually won.

“I think that play stood out to me the most,” Jones said of his former high school running back. “That carried over to this year, and he’s playing more and he’s doing great. I’m just tickled to death for him. For both of them, and for what’s to come.”

What’s to come, of course, is the showdown on Saturday. It’ll be Marshall’s last regular season game in college. Crowder will have another season with the Bulldogs. Marshall said he’s talked with Crowder this week, discussed Thanksgiving plans and whether or not that could get together. With a major showdown looming, they’re still focused on a friendship that’s lasted since high school.

“I know he’s making everyone back home proud,” Marshall said. “He makes my parents proud, so it’s fun being able to see him do good things.”

David Mitchell is a writer for the White and Gold.

This story was originally published November 21, 2018 at 3:15 PM.