Tag: Jo’quavious Marks

USC running back Jo’Quavious Marks named 2025 NFL draft sleeper

Woody Marks is already gaining 2025 NFL draft buzz.

Jo’Quavious “Woody” Marks is the projected USC starting running back this season. He will be one of the top running backs in the Big Ten this year. Now he’s getting love from NFL draft gurus this offseason. In his four seasons with Mississippi State, Marks ran for 1,883 yards and 22 touchdowns before transferring to USC this spring.

Matt Miller of ESPN is a huge fan of the incoming USC transfer.

Miller wrote on Marks: “The 5-10, 210-pound Marks transferred from Mississippi State to USC and should get more chances to show his value as a runner. He didn’t have marquee rushing production in four seasons with the Bulldogs — he never had more than 121 rushes or more than 582 yards in a season — but he flashed the ability to easily run past defenders when given a lane.”

Perhaps most importantly, Marks is a huge asset in the passing game. He combined for 214 receptions over the past four seasons and is a smooth, easy-hands catcher with great routes out of the backfield.

His speed and elusiveness in space are ideal for early NFL usage as a third-down back.

“When you do your workout warrior lists, Marks should be on it,” an AFC scouting director said. “He might be the fastest running back in college.”

Marks was one of one 14 NFL draft sleepers included in Miller’s story.

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Know your 2024 USC football roster: Running Backs

USC football is Running Back U, and when Lincoln Riley’s offense is hitting on all cylinders it incorporates an consistent run game into the flow of play. Riley’s teams in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 at Oklahoma averaged more than 200 yards per …

USC football is Running Back U, and when Lincoln Riley’s offense is hitting on all cylinders it incorporates an consistent run game into the flow of play. Riley’s teams in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 at Oklahoma averaged more than 200 yards per game with guys like Kennedy Brooks, Rodney Anderson, Joe Mixon, and Samaje Perine.

This year’s running back room is full of talent and each back brings something special to the team, but it is an inexperienced group with only one back having more than 20 rushing attempts in a career. Anthony Jones Jr. is the new Trojan running backs coach. He is known for developing NFL talent in the backfield, so it will be interesting to see who will make their mark and emerge from this group in the fall.

Here is a brief look at each of the 2024 Trojan scholarship running backs with the projected pre-spring camp depth chart at the end.

Jo’Quavious Marks brings soft hands, blocking, and veteran leadership to USC running back room

The well-rounded nature of Woody Marks could be his most impressive feature as a USC running back.

There are three things you can count on in life: death, taxes and Lincoln Riley bringing in a a tough, veteran running back who can break tackles, catch the ball out of the backfield, and pass block at USC. Jo’Quavious Marks is the latest in this line of succession for the Trojans.

Lincoln Riley’s annual tradition of using the transfer portal to acquire experienced running backs continues for the third year in a row. Following veteran Oregon running back Travis Dye and Stanford’s Austin Jones in 2022, Riley welcomed MarShawn Lloyd from South Carolina as the Trojans’ RB1 last year. This season, the Trojans have brought in Jo’Quavious “Woody” Marks, a 5-foot-10, 210-pound running back from Mississippi State.

Marks is from Atlanta. He played for Mississippi State the past four seasons, starting eight games as a true freshman. He made history last year when he surpassed Fred Ross on the Bulldogs’ all-time receptions list with 214. This remarkable achievement places him eighth among the SEC’s all-time reception leaders, just 48 catches shy of the record set by Vanderbilt’s Jordan Matthews in 2010.

USC’s running back room took a huge hit in the offseason with Jones leaving for the NFL draft, plus Darwin Barlow and Raleek Brown transferring out.

Marks is an explosive runner who is powerful in the hole and can get upfield quickly. He is a solid pass blocker, something whose value can’t be emphasized enough with a number of new faces and position switches along the offensive line in 2024.

USC’s recruitment efforts in high school have been focused heavily on the state of Texas, especially for running backs. All of USC’s scholarship running backs recruited by Riley are from Texas, including Quinten Joyner and A’Marion Peterson, both of whom joined the team in 2023, as well as Bryan Jackson, who signed in 2024.

Competition will be fierce in the spring, but Marks’ hands out of the backfield and his blocking skills are proven commodities for Riley.  The new running back coach, Anthony Jones Jr., will get his first look at the running backs when spring camp opens up on Tuesday, March 19, and the pads start popping.

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Mississippi State running back Jo’Quavious Marks is set to transfer to USC

USC brings experience to its running back room.

Jo’Quavious “Woody” Marks is reportedly set to transfer to USC next season.

The former Mississippi State running back entered the transfer portal on December 10 after four seasons in Starkville. Now, according to a report from On3Sports’ Matt Zenitz, Marks is going to transfer to USC to play under head coach Lincoln Riley in the Big Ten.

https://t.co/FSWExLJ3Flpic.twitter.com/QQyd3EGxaI

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 20, 2023

In four years with Mississippi State, Marks tallied 1,882 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns and had 1,225 receiving yards.

Jo’Quavious “Woody” Marks will help a very young and inexperienced running back room next season, led by Quinten Joyner, A’Marion Peterson, and incoming four-star true freshman Bryan Jackson.

Marks is the latest SEC running back to transfer to USC. Last year, MarShawn Lloyd transferred from South Carolina to Southern California. The Trojans will be happy if Marks matches Lloyd’s production. Lloyd was one of the better players on the 2023 USC offense, and a transfer who clearly lived up to the advance billing for the Men of Troy.

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Tale of the Tape: Auburn vs Mississippi State

The Auburn Tigers have lost four straight games in the SEC and are in danger of missing out on a bowl. How do they stack up against MSU?

The 3-4 Auburn Tigers are finally favored to win a football game this week when they host the 4-3 Mississippi State Bulldogs at Jordan-Hare Stadium this Saturday.

The Tigers are currently favored by nearly a touchdown to win this game according to BetMGM and ESPN FPI agrees with the oddsmakers, as the model gives [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s team a 62.7% chance to snap their four-game losing-skid come Saturday.

Will the tale of the tape agree that Auburn will win their first game in over a month, or does a further look into the matchup show us this game will be closer than expected?

As always, we’ll start by looking at the quarterbacks.

Mississippi State faces uncertainty at the quarterback position heading into this one. Starter Will Rogers is dealing with a shoulder injury that forced him to miss last week’s game against Arkansas. 

Head coach [autotag]Zach Arnett[/autotag] was ambiguous talking about his quarterback’s status, saying “he is progressing well” but refusing to label Rogers in or out for Saturday.

If Rogers is unable to go, the offense will be left in the hands of senior [autotag]Mike Wright[/autotag].

In limited work this year, Wright has thrown for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns. He has also added 106 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns.

As for the Auburn signal-callers, they are still struggling.

Through 7 games, starter [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] has thrown for 845 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions.

The Tigers top option is averaging just over 120 passing yards per game to go along with 0.7 touchdowns and interceptions per game.

That is not good.

Once again, Auburn loses the quarterback battle. It is much closer than it has been in previous SEC games however, and it’s almost even if [autotag]Will Rogers[/autotag] is forced to sit on the bench.

The battle of the skill positions is even closer.

Neither team boasts a top-notch playmaker that give a defensive coordinator a worse headache than a night out at Quixote’s, nor do they do anything on offense particularly well.

Mississippi State’s best player on the scoring side of the ball is probably running back [autotag]Jo’Quavious Marks[/autotag].

The senior back has been a workhorse for the Bulldogs offense. The senior from Atlanta is averaging 14 carries for 71 yards a game and has scored five total touchdowns.

Auburn’s best playmaker is also their number one running back, junior Jarquez Hunter.

After a slow start to the season for Hunter, he has come alive of late, and now leads all Auburn rushers with 309 yards and 5 rushing touchdowns. He has also added 61 receiving yards.

Neither receiving core is worth mentioning ahead of the other, although Mississippi State receiver [autotag]Lideatrick Griffin[/autotag] has the most yards out of any pass catcher in this game with 494.

The skill position battle is a wash.

Auburn does finally get an edge in the defensive department, although it is closer than you might think.

[autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag], [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag], and the Auburn Tigers defense have been great all year long.

Unfortunately for them, Mississippi State has been pretty much just as good, at least according to the numbers.

Auburn’s defense has given up 25.7 points and 397.3 yards per game this season.

Mississippi State has given up 28.8 and 393.8, respectively.

As good as Auburn linebacker [autotag]Eugene Asante[/autotag] has been, linebacker Nathaniel Watson has been even better.

Overall, these two teams are extremely similar and a 6.5-point spread only makes sense if Will Rogers can’t go. If he does, Auburn may be in some trouble come Saturday.

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LSU vs Mississippi State: Running Backs Tale of the Tape

Previewing the running backs in the LSU-Mississippi State matchup.

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When it comes to running the football, these two teams are really struggling in that area. The bright spot for the LSU Tigers is freshman runner Corey Kiner. Despite leading the team in rushing after back-to-back solid performances, head coach Ed Orgeron stated that Ty Davis-Price is still the starter but Kiner would get plenty of opportunities.

Unlike the Lincoln Riley version of the ‘Air Raid’ offense, Mike Leach prefers to sling it around. Last season in 11 games, the Mississippi Bulldogs finished dead last in rushing in the SEC. With just 43.9 yards per game, the only team under 100/yards per game. This year through three games they are slightly better at 45.3.

These two run games are below the century mark on a per game basis, LSU comes in at 85.7.

How do the running backs measure up?

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

You might want to sit down when you read these numbers.

Jo’quavious Marks Dillon Johnson vs Ty Davis-Price Corey Kiner
5-10 6-0 Ht 6-1 5-10
195 215 Wt 232 213
Sophomore Sophomore Class Junior Freshman
22 15 Att 27 23
83 79 Yards 72 130
3.8 5.3 YPA 2.7 5.7
2 1 TDs 0 2
22 16 Rec 2 0
94 116 Yards 26 0
1 0 TDs 0 0

We are going to give a slight edge to the LSU Tigers in the battle of the running backs. Both Dillon Johnson and Corey Kiner are slightly more effective based on their yards per attempt. The Tigers are a little more reliant on their run game than Mississippi State.

Runner YAC YAC/attempt Missed Tackles Forced 10+ yard runs
Marks 45 2.05 2 1
Johnson 47 3.13 0 3
Davis-Price 56 2.07 5 1
Kiner 102 4.43 13 5

It appears that the most impactful running back of the four main ones is freshman Corey Kiner. LSU needs to find more opportunities to get the ball in his hands.