For two years, Rob Johnson was the student, watching from the sidelines while Mark Brunell played quarterback.
Monday night, he showed what he learned.Making his first start in place of the injured Brunell, Johnson threw for three touchdowns and led another scoring drive in the Jacksonville Jaguars' 28-20 exhibition win over the mistake-prone San Francisco 49ers.
"You learn a lot just by watching a quarterback like Mark," Johnson said. "If you don't, you're not going to do well when you get in there."
Johnson completed nine of 11 passes, including his last nine straight, for 226 yards. He threw touchdown passes of 34 yards to Keenan McCardell, 20 yards to Jimmy Smith and 14 yards to James Stewart.
He also led a drive ending in a 2-yard scoring run by Natrone Means as the Jaguars (3-0) built a 28-6 lead before San Francisco, with reserves on the field for both teams, scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
The Jaguars will be counting on him for just that in the absence of Brunell, sidelined last week by a knee injury that will require about eight weeks of rehabilitation.
While Johnson's performance was reassuring for the Jaguars, the 49ers (1-2) were questioning themselves after turning the ball over five times and allowing several big plays.
Steve Young completed 15 of 25 passes for 179 yards, but threw two interceptions and fumbled a snap. Four of San Francisco's five turnovers occurred in the first half, when the first team was on the field.
San Francisco also got a scare when Jerry Rice was shaken up in the first quarter on a big hit from cornerback Dave Thomas. The blow, which forced an incompletion, sent Rice tumbling to the ground, but he returned to the field after missing one play and finished with three receptions for 61 yards.
"I thought it was a horrible hit, but then he popped up and I thought, `hallelujah,' " a relieved Young said.