You probably remember the 2019 LSU Tigers as the greatest collection of offensive talent ever assembled. Joe Burrow was a wizard, Justin Jefferson was the slot king, and Ja’Marr Chase was physically bullying grown men every Saturday. But honestly, it’s easy to forget that Terrace Marshall Jr. was a massive part of that machine. Sometimes people look back and treat him like a footnote, but his production was actually insane.
He wasn't just a "third option." He was a touchdown magnet.
The Terrace Marshall college stats tell a story of a guy who stayed productive despite being surrounded by future NFL All-Pros. He ended his LSU career with 106 receptions for 1,594 yards and 23 touchdowns. That touchdown number is the one that really jumps out. To catch 23 scores in a career where you're sharing the field with Chase and Jefferson is basically impossible, yet he did it.
Why the 2019 Season Was More Than Just Two Guys
In 2019, LSU basically broke college football. Most of the hype goes to Jefferson and Chase, and for good reason—they both went over 1,500 yards. But check out Marshall’s efficiency. He missed three games that year with a foot injury, yet he still hauled in 13 touchdowns.
Think about that.
He played in 12 games and scored 13 times. Before that season, 13 touchdowns would have actually been the LSU school record for a single year. He was out there breaking records while being the "third" guy on the depth chart.
The 2019 Stat Breakdown:
- Games: 12
- Receptions: 46
- Yards: 671
- Touchdowns: 13
- Yards Per Catch: 14.6
He had this weird knack for showing up in the biggest moments. In the CFP National Semifinal against Oklahoma, he caught two touchdowns. Then, in the National Championship game against Clemson, he grabbed a 24-yard score in the fourth quarter to basically ice the game.
The 2020 Breakout That People Forgot
When Chase opted out of the 2020 season to prep for the draft and Jefferson headed to the Vikings, it was finally Marshall’s turn to be "The Man." This is where the Terrace Marshall college stats get really interesting. He only played seven games before opting out himself, but those seven games were absolute fire.
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He was basically on pace to break every record in the book.
In just seven appearances, he caught 48 passes for 731 yards and 10 touchdowns. If you do the math, he was averaging 104.4 yards per game. He was no longer just a red zone threat; he was a volume monster.
That Wild Missouri Game
If you want to see what Marshall could do as a WR1, just watch the 2020 Missouri tape. It was ridiculous. He caught 11 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns. He had a 75-yard score in that game where he just looked faster and stronger than everyone else on the field.
It’s sorta sad we didn’t get to see a full 12-game season from him that year. If he had stayed, he likely would have finished with something like 80 catches and 17 touchdowns. Instead, he decided to protect his health and head to the NFL, leaving us with a "what if" regarding his final season totals.
What the Stats Don’t Tell You: The Context
Stats are great, but they don't always show the transition he made. In 2019, he was mostly an outside threat. In 2020, LSU moved him into the slot to take over the role Justin Jefferson perfected.
He was 6'3" and 200 pounds playing the slot.
That’s a nightmare for college nickels. He was too big for them to jam and too fast for them to trail. His Terrace Marshall college stats improved in terms of receptions per game because he was running more of those "undercut" and "slant" routes that Jefferson made famous.
Comparisons at LSU
It’s fun to look at how he stacked up against his legendary teammates during their time in Baton Rouge.
- Touchdowns: Marshall finished his career with 23. For comparison, Ja'Marr Chase also had 23 (in fewer games, granted).
- Big Games: Marshall had four career 100-yard games and eight games where he scored at least twice.
- Reliability: He caught at least one pass in 27 of the 32 games he played in.
He wasn't as explosive as Chase or as "slippery" as Jefferson, but he was a technician in the red zone. If Burrow needed a jump ball or a quick fade, Marshall was usually the target.
The Reality of the "Dropsies"
Look, we have to be honest here. If you look at the advanced scouting data from 2020, Marshall did have a bit of a drop problem. He had a 12.7% drop rate in his final season, which was among the worst in the SEC.
Some scouts thought it was a concentration issue. Others thought it was because he was trying to do too much as the only established vet in that 2020 receiving corps. Regardless, it’s a detail that doesn't show up in the basic box score but mattered a lot for his NFL evaluation.
Despite the drops, he still managed to lead the Tigers in receptions, yards, and touchdowns that year. He was basically the entire offense once Myles Brennan went down and they started rotating freshman quarterbacks.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you're looking back at Marshall’s time at LSU to understand why he was a second-round pick, keep these points in mind:
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- Red Zone Efficiency: His TD-to-catch ratio was one of the best in LSU history. Every 4.6 catches resulted in a score.
- Positional Versatility: He proved he could play both "X" receiver on the boundary and "Big Slot" inside.
- The "Joe Burrow" Effect: Like everyone at LSU in 2019, his stats were boosted by elite QB play, but his 2020 production with backup QBs proved he could produce independently.
To truly understand his impact, you have to look past the total career yardage. He was a role player on the best team ever, and then a superstar on a struggling team. Both versions of him were highly effective.
If you're analyzing a receiver's potential, don't just look at the raw numbers; look at the touchdown production relative to their teammates. Marshall held his own against two of the best to ever do it. That alone says more than any spreadsheet ever could.