Two weeks before Auburn opens its 2013 season against Washington State, Tigers coach Gus Malzahn named Nick Marshall as the starting quarterback Saturday.
Marshall (6-foot-1, 210 pounds) is a junior college transfer from Garden City (Kan.) Community College, where he passed for more than 3,000 yards last year and rushed for more than 1,000. The dual-threat quarterback also threw 20 interceptions, however, and ball security was a point of emphasis for Marshall in Auburn's fall camp.
"Nick Marshall has emerged and earned the right to be our starting quarterback," Malzahn said in a statement. "As I've said, we wanted to go with the guy that gives us the best opportunity to win football games and Nick is that guy."
Jeremy Johnson and Jonathan Wallace were the other primary candidates for the quarterback job. Marshall played defensive back for Georgia in 2011, but was dismissed from the team the following February for a violation of team rules. Reportedly, Marshall and two teammates were involved in a theft.
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