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Auburn quarterback Jeremy Johnson runs for a touchdown against San Jose State at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2014. (Mark Almond/malmond@al.com)

-- Auburn had detailed plans for

Jeremy Johnson

in 2013.

The coaches didn't necessarily want the then-freshman quarterback to come in for a play or two here and there, but that's how it transpired, especially in road games last season.

A year later, coaches feel more comfortable about keeping Johnson on the field when and if needed. The Tigers also feel confident about putting him on the field in front of a hostile crowd at No. 20 Kansas State Thursday if needed.

"He can run our complete offense," Auburn coach

Gus Malzahn

said. "Last year it was completely different than this year. There would be certain times we'd put him in there to play specific things, but he can run our entire offense. We have a lot of confidence in him to be called upon."

Whether Johnson plays Thursday (6:30 p.m., ESPN) is up for debate. Starter

Nick Marshall

's passing stats have not yet improved since last season, but coaches have continued to point out that

.

Marshall has completed only 56 percent of his passes so far, but he ran and passed for 100-plus yards against San Jose State. His dual-threat presence changes how defenses attack Auburn, opening the middle of the field for running backs

Cameron Artis-Payne

and

Corey Grant

in the zone-read attack, which averages 330 yards per game on the ground.

Johnson is ready if needed, however.

. He completed his first eight passes and finished 12-of-16 passing for 243 yards and two touchdowns -- all in the first half -- in his first SEC start. He was then replaced by Marshall, who was suspended in the first half.

Johnson played in six games last season, including SEC road games at Texas A&M, Arkansas and Tennessee. He was 1-for-3 passing for 15 yards with his lone completion picking up a first down against Arkansas.

Auburn coaches prepared Johnson all week for a potential start on the road at Texas A&M, but the then-injured Marshall appeared ready to go late in the week and got the start. Johnson was inserted in the game,but his presence ultimately led to a hiccup in the offense as he finished 0-of-2 passing.

"Last year there were a couple of times, it wasn't intentional to necessarily to play him one play, and so there's always that fine line that you don't want to jerk a guy around, you don't want to take Nick out of a rhythm if he's playing well, you don't want to put Jeremy in and take him out and ask him to do things that put him in a tough spot," Auburn offensive coordinator

Rhett Lashlee

said. "A lot of those things are things that sound good until you actually have to manage 18-to-22-year-old kids' emotions and their ability to be successful."

Auburn's travel party will be limited, but coaches will take four quarterbacks to Kansas State: Marshall, Johnson, freshman

Sean White

and junior

Jonathan Wallace

.

Will Johnson play Thursday? Coaches are not tipping their hand, but they are more comfortable with the idea of putting the Montgomery native on the field if needed.

"We've got plenty of confidence in Jeremy to do it all," Lashlee said.