Auburn vs. Texas A&M: Nick Marshall starting for Tigers

Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall, who missed the Tigers' 62-3 Homecoming win over Western Carolina with a hurt knee, will start against Texas A&M, head coach Gus Malzahn announced Tuesday. True freshman Jeremy Johnson made his first career start in Marshall's place against the Catamounts.

When Johnson was announced as the starter for last Saturday's game, many wondered if Marshall's knee injury, suffered during the Tigers' 30-22 win over Ole Miss two weeks ago, was worse than initially thought. Johnson lost his redshirt by playing against the Catamounts, and many believed he only played then because he might be needed to start for the foreseeable future. That, apparently, isn't the case.

Johnson was solid in his debut, completing 17-of-21 passes for 201 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. In fact, he played so well that some fans immediately identified a quarterback controversy on the Plains. However, after the game Malzahn said that while Johnson may have some plays designed for him, Marshall is "100 percent our starter."

In five games, Marshall has completed 59.2 percent of his passes for 902 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions, and he's rushed 55 times for another 288 yards and two scores.

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