Georgia Tech quarterback TaQuon Marshall scores a touchdown during the first half of Saturday's win against Miami in Atlanta.ATLANTA - Georgia Tech's timeshare at quarterback may be a thing of the past.
TaQuon Marshall is back in full-time control of the Yellow Jackets' offense.
Marshall ran for 92 yards with two touchdowns and threw for a score as Tech scored 13 points off Miami's three lost fumbles to beat the struggling Hurricanes 27-21 Saturday night in Atlantic Coast Conference action.
Marshall had shared the position with freshman backup Tobias Oliver since sustaining an undisclosed injury against Duke on Oct. 13. But the senior played almost the full game against Miami - Oliver made only a brief appearance but wasn't even on the field for a full series.
"It felt good to be out there," said Marshall, who also threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Brad Stewart in the third quarter. " I think I knocked a little bit of the rust off."
Tech (6-4, 4-3) has won three straight games and five of six to become bowl eligible after failing to qualify for a bowl in two of the past three seasons.
"I'm happy for the kids," Jackets coach Paul Johnson said. "I told them after the game that we've still got a lot to play for in these next two games."
A once-promising season for Miami (5-5, 2-4) continued a downward spiral with its fourth straight loss.
"We've having a bad season right now, but we can change this momentum," Hurricanes cornerback Michael Jackson said. "We can't listen to nobody, because they're going to say you're no good. We've just got to stay together."
It was Mark Richt's first loss in 10 games as a head coach at Bobby Dodd Stadium, including his 15 years with Tech rival Georgia.
Travis Homer's 2-yard scoring run midway through the final quarter cut Tech's lead to six points, capping a 95-yard drive. Freshman quarterback N'Kosi Perry also led a 75-yard touchdown drive in the first quarter.
"It shows what we can do once we've got everything clicking," Perry said. " We just hurt ourselves with the turnovers."
Marshall had touchdown runs of 28 and 8 yards on Tech's first two possessions. The second scoring run followed a lost fumble on a kickoff return by DeeJay Dallas.
Perry's fumbled snap was recovered by Tech's Charlie Thomas at the Miami 39, setting up Wesley Wells' 38-yard field goal for a 17-7 lead.
Miami's third lost fumble came early in the third quarter. Jeff Thomas called for a fair catch on a punt before fumbling the ball in front of the Hurricanes' end zone. Juanyeh Thomas recovered for Tech at the 10, leading to Wells' second field goal of the game, a 23-yarder.
The Hurricanes couldn't overcome an avalanche of mistakes, including the two lost fumbles on returns and seven penalties for 49 yards. After the impressive opening drive, they consistently stopped themselves until the short touchdown drive set up by Tech's only turnover.
The Jackets' top-ranked running attack gained 231 yards against Miami's defense, second in the nation in total yards allowed. The Jackets held the ball the final 6:43, denying Miami a chance for a go-ahead touchdown.
Richt stuck with Perry as senior Malik Rosier watched from the sideline. Perry completed 14 of 23 passes for 165 yards and had six carries for 38 yards.
"I thought the kid did a really nice job," Richt said. "I was glad to see that. I thought he threw the ball with confidence."
The forced turnovers were the continuation of a trend for Georgia Tech's defense. Entering the night, the Jackets had forced 20, tied for the eighth-highest total in the nation.
Miami freshman Cam'ron Davis scored his first college touchdown on a 22-yard run with 50 seconds remaining in the first half. Davis led Miami with six carries for 48 yards after entering the game with only six carries for 27 yards for the season. Richt said Davis had more practice snaps this past week because Homer was limited by an injury.
"He got his moment and proved he belongs in that backfield, and I'm proud he did," Richt said.