Mississippi State running back Jo’quavious Marks has been nothing but productive since stepping on a college football field in 2020.
Playing in the Air Raid offense under the late Mike Leach, the rising senior has proved to be one of the best all purpose running backs in college football over the last three seasons. He’s rushed for 1,310 career yards on 4.5 yards per carry, including 582 yards on 5.2 yards per attempt last fall, but what separates him from the pack is what he’s contributed in the passing game.
In 36 games, Marks is second in Mississippi State history with 191 receptions, just eight behind Dak Prescott’s favorite target Fred Ross. He’s only the second running back in school history with over 1,000 career receiving yards, though 1984 Dolphins supplemental first rounder Danny Knight did spend two seasons out wide, and he’s the only player in Mississippi State history to break the 1,000 yard mark in both receiving and rushing.
Marks has made a living as Will Rogers’ checkdown target while also being a bowling ball in short yardage situations, but his role is expected to grow this season. With Zach Arnett leading the way and former Appalachian State offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay calling the plays, things are changing in Mississippi State’s offense.
Going from an offense that passed more than anyone in college football to Barbay’s offense which ran more than 50% of the time in 2022, the 5’10”, 210-pound tailback is going to see his workload increase.
“I think it's going to grow tremendously because we're doing a lot of formations out of running sets and we're still having a lot of passing sets,’ Marks said at SEC Media Days on Tuesday. “With Coach Barbay, he's big on giving his best player the ball.”
While shifting from the Air Raid offense will be a new adventure for the Atlanta native and his teammates, Marks sees the vision that Barbay has planned for the Bulldogs, and thinks the offense is coming along well.
“I think it’s gonna be pretty good. From watching him at App State I think he’s gonna be pretty good,” Marks said. “Watching us in the spring, I think everything’s coming along good. We’re still not there yet, but everything’s coming along good. The O-Line is coming along with picking up blocks and blitzes and stuff, so I think it's gonna be pretty good.”
While Marks is capable of handling the backfield duties, he’s going to have some help alongside of him.
The Bulldogs brought in Penn State transfer Keyvone Lee, a physical runner who racked up over 1,000 yards during his time in Happy Valley, along with Hinds C.C. transfer Jeffrey Pittman and Katy, Texas product Seth Davis. MSU also brings back Simeon Price, who had over 100 yards receiving as a redshirt freshman last year.
“Going into this year, we have a lot of new faces. We've got three new faces in our running back room. We've got one from last year, Simeon Price. Our running back room is pretty good. We're pretty stacked right now,” Marks said. “I think all of them really have the same attributes. We’ve got the most powerful group on the offense right now. We’ve got some good talent in our running back room right now, and I think that’s gonna make me even better.”
That power and physicality is something that stems from the head coach.
Zach Arnett was a fierce linebacker who racked up over 200 tackles at New Mexico from 2005-2008. His fire on the football field is something that’s stuck with him as he’s become a coach, and even as a defensive guy, that passion has resonated in the running back room.
“It's very fun playing with Coach Arnett because he’s got the same mindset as me. I want to win. I want to attack opponents. I get very fiery when it comes to football. I want to learn new stuff,” Marks said. “And that's what type of person he is. He's very kind. He's very fiery on the field. He was a defensive coordinator. So defense, they’re always tough, hard-nosed, and I feel like Mississippi State is hard-nosed. So that's why we picked him as the head coach.
