Lucas Johnson Season 2021

Final Bio

HONORS
* 2020 Mountain West Scholar-Athlete
* Two-time Mountain West Fall All-Academic Team (2020-21)

Athletic quarterback who came from the ACC at Georgia Tech ... Local product out of Mt. Carmel High ... Entered the 2020 season second on the depth chart but battled a leg injury for most of the season ... Started nine times as a senior and played in 13 of the 14 games overall.

SENIOR SEASON (2021)
Played in 13 games on the season, starting nine times (SDSU was 8-1 in his starts) ... Was 138-for-223 (61.9 pct.) for 1,424 yards and 12 touchdowns against four interceptions for a 129.7 pass efficiency rating, while running 53 times for 173 yards (3.3 avg.)  and a touchdown with a long run of 54 yards ... Ranked fifth in the Mountain West in completion percentage (61.88, 63rd in FBS), seventh in pass efficiency rating (129.69) and passing touchdowns (12), eighth in passing yards per game (109.50), yards per completion (10.32) and yards per attempt (6.39), and ninth in passing yards (1,424) ... If you take away the 13 times he was sacked (for 99 yards) last year, he rushed 40 times for 272 yards (6.8 avg.) with a touchdown ... Came on for the last series of the game against New Mexico State on Sept. 4, handing off three times to Chance Bell in a 28-10 Aztec win ... Played the entire fourth quarter at Arizona on Sept. 11, going 0-for-1, while rushing twice for 18 yards (9.0 avg.) with a long of 13 yards ... Played in 17 snaps overall ... Earned his second start at San Diego State and fourth of his career on Sept. 18 against Utah with Jordon Brookshire unable to practice during the week because of a leg injury ... Was 10-for-19 for 44 yards and a touchdown without turning the ball over ... Also ran eight times for a career-high 87 yards (10.9 avg.) ... The 87 rushing yards are the most by an Aztec quarterback since Ryan Katz had 89 at Fresno State on Sept. 29, 2021 and the fourth most in a game since at least 1996 ... Including in the 87 rushing yards was a career-long 54-yard rush, which was the longest by an Aztec quarterback since Katz had a 67-yarder at Fresno State on Sept. 29, 2012 and third longest since at least 1996 ... Also caught what ended up being the game-winning 2-point conversion from wide receiver Jesse Matthews ... Was 16-for-25 for 149 yards and a touchdown with one interception in a second straight start against Towson on Sept. 25 ... Threw an interception in the first quarter, the first of his Aztec career ... His interception came on his 48th attempt as an Aztec ... Threw a completion to nine different receivers ... Threw a 3-yard pass and ran once for six yards in eight offensive snaps late vs. New Mexico ... Came on late in the fourth quarter at San José State on Oct. 15, going 2-for-3 for 38 yards and a then career-high two touchdowns ... Both touchdown passes came in each overtime session to Jesse Matthews, including a game-winning, walk-off 24-yard TD pass in the second overtime ... Became just the 13th FBS quarterback since 1996 to only throw touchdown passes for his completions (min. 2 completions) ... Was 11-for-13 for 72 yards in the start at Air Force on Oct. 23 ... Also gained a rushing yard on three attempts ... Posted a 84.6 completion percentage, the highest mark of his career (min. 12 attempts) ... Was 14-for-31 for 220 yards and a touchdown against Fresno State on Oct. 30, while throwing two interceptions ... Also rushed eight times for 60 yards (7.5 avg.) with a long of 14 yards ...  Set a then career high for passing yards, breaking 200 for the first time of his career ... Threw just his second and third interceptions of his Aztec career ... Completed 12 of 16 passes for 99 yards at Hawai’i on Nov. 6 without throwing a touchdown or interception ... Completed his first six passes of the game ... Also rushed nine times for 29 yards (3.2 avg.) ... If you take away his two sacks (for 14 yards), he ran seven times for 43 yards (6.1 avg.) ... Passed for 176 yards and a touchdown against Nevada on Nov. 13, completing 21 of 34 passees ... Both the 21 completions and 34 attempts were career hihgs ... Did not throw an interception ... Also ran six times for 14 yards (2.3 avg.) ... Became the first Aztec quarterback to lead a game-winning drive since Ryan Agnew against Wyoming on Oct. 12, 2019  ... Was named one of the team’s offensive players of the game ... Had another good game in a win at UNLV on Nov. 19, completing 18 of 24 passes for 192 yards and a career-high three touchdowns, with just one interception ... Ended up with his highest pass efficiency rating (175.12) of his career (min. 12 att.) ... The three touchdown passes were the most by an Aztec since Ryan Agnew threw for three against Central Michigan in the 2019 New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 21) ... Started against Boise State on Nov. 26, completing nine of 20 passes for 98 yards before exiting with an injury in the second quarter ... Traveled to Carson for the Mountain West Championship game against Utah State on Dec. 4 but was unable to play because of an injury ... Ended his Aztec career in style with a career game against No. 24/25 UTSA in the Tropical Smoothie Frisco Bowl on Dec. 21, going 24-for-36 for a career-high 333 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing five times for 15 yards and another score ... Set a career high with 222 passing yards in the first half and finished with 333 overall ... Became the first Aztec with a 300-yard passing game since Ryan Agnew threw for 323 against Fresno State on Nov. 15, 2019 ... The 333 passing yards were the most by a SDSU player since Quinn Kaehler threw for 341 at North Carolina on Sept. 6, 2014 ... Matched his career high with three touchdown passes ... Threw multiple touchdown passes for the third time this season ... Now has 12 touchdown passes for the season, 13 for his Aztec career and 14 overall ... The rushing touchdown was his first of the season and second of his career ... Became just the third Aztec since at least 1996 to throw for at least 325 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 66.7 completion percentage, joining Jack Hawley (Sept. 25, 1999 vs. Kansas) and Ryan Lindley (Oct. 24, 2009 at Colorado State and Nov. 27, 2010 vs. UNLV) ... Became the first Aztec to account for four touchdowns in a game since Rashaad Penny ran for four scores vs. Army West Point in the 2017 Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 23).

JUNIOR SEASON (2020)
Played in three games with one start ... Was 14-for-24 (58.3 pct.) for 184 yards and a touchdown, owning a 136.48 pass efficiency rating ... Also rushed eight times for 80 yards (8.0 avg.) with a 35-yard touchdown ... His 10.0 YPC average led FBS among quarterbacks (min. 8 att.) ... If you take away the two times he was sacked (for 13 yards) this year, he has rushed six times for 93 yards (15.5 avg.) ... Did not play in the opener with UNLV ... Played statless time late at Utah State without recording a stat ... Did not play against San José State ... Came on late to lead the Aztecs in the final two offensive drives of the game against Hawai’i ... Ran three times for a career-high 51 yards (17.0 avg.) with a then career-long run of 24 yards on the first drive, which used up a whopping 9 minutes, 1 second (9:01) of clock before Matt Araiza made a 36-yard field goal ... Then was on for victory formation as SDSU kneeled down to end the game ... Earned his first start as an Aztec at Nevada on Nov. 21, going 14-for-24 for 184 yards and a touchdown ... Also rushed five times for 29 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown ... The 35-yard run was the longest by an Aztec quarterback since Ryan Katz had a 67-yarder at Fresno State on Sept. 29, 2012 and the third longest by a SDSU QB since at least 1996 ... Had his first touchdown pass of the season and second of his career ... Recorded the first rushing touchdown of his career ... Did not travel for the Colorado game because of a leg injury suffered at Nevada on Nov. 21 ... Did not play against Colorado State on Dec. 5 or at No. 14/16 Brigham Young on Dec. 12, backing up Jordan Brookshire. 

AT GEORGIA TECH (2017-19)
Played in 16 games over his career with the Yellow Jackets, starting twice, completing 21 of 37 passes (56.8 pct.) for 187 yards and a touchdown ... Also carried the ball 23 times for 44 yards ... In 2019, played in six games with two starts ... Was 21-for-37 (56.8 pct.) for 187 yards and a touchdown, while rushing 23 times for 44 yards ... Played in one game (against Duke) in 2018 without recording a stat ... Logged snaps in nine games as a redshirt freshman in 2017, mainly as the holder for field goals and PATs ... Did not attempt a pass and only had one rush, a one-yarder in the season finale against Georgia ...  Redshirted his first season at Georgia Tech in 2016.

HIGH SCHOOL
Prior to Georgia Tech, was at Mt. Carmel High, where he passed for 5,474 yards and 49 touchdowns over his career, while adding 2,546 yards and 35 touchdowns on the ground ... As a senior, he totaled 3,737 yards, including 2,571 passing yards and 26 touchdowns, and 1,166 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, while earning first-team all-CIF honors ... The MCHS team finished with a 9-4 record when he was a senior and made the 2015 Division II state championship game, the school's first appearance in a title game in 30 years ... Also garnered first-team all-region accolades as a senior and was the Palomar League MVP ... A three-time first-team all-league honoree and three-time team captain ... Amassed 2,104 yards (1,456 passing, 648 rushing) and 25 touchdowns (13 passing, 12 rushing) as a junior ... Was also the starting quarterback for the North squad in the 2016 Blue-Grey All-American Bowl in Tampa, Fla. ... Also was a four-year letter winner and three-year team captain in basketball, and earned two letters in track and field, captaining one season.

PERSONAL
Lucas Donnell Johnson was born Dec. 3, 1997, in San Diego ... Parents are Lucas (“Jackie’) and Cathy Johnson ... Father, Jackie, played professional football for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ... Sister, Alix, played softball at Arizona State ... Originally picked Georgia Tech over offers from San Diego State, Air Force, Montana and UC Davis ... Is working on a master’s degree in liberal arts and sciences.

SINGLE-GAME BESTS
Completions: 24 vs. No. 24/25 UTSA (12/21/21)
Attempts: 36 vs. No. 24/25 UTSA (12/21/21)
Passing Yards: 333 vs. No. 24/25 UTSA (12/21/21)
Passing Touchdowns: 3 vs. No. 24/25 UTSA (12/21/21), at UNLV (11/19/21)
Long Pass: 39 vs. Fresno State (10/30/21)
Completion Pct. (min. 12 att.): 84.6  (11-for-13) at Air Force (10/23/21)
Efficiency Rating (min. 12 att.): 175.12 at UNLV (11/19/21)
Carries: 9 at Hawai’i (11/6/21), vs. South Florida (9/7/19)
Rushing Yards: 87 vs. Utah (9/18/21)
Rushing Touchdowns: 1  vs. No. 24/25 UTSA (12/21/21), at Nevada (11/21/20)
Long Rush: 54 vs. Utah (9/18/21)