Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
1/20Inside-5 share
1 of the team's 20 inside-the-5 carries (5.0%).
Marcus Jones
Last confirmed: Northern Illinois, 2019. No 2026 box-score games on record.
5′8″ · 190 lb · Chicago, IL · Brother Rice
Marcus Jones: RB · Northern Illinois · #21.
Players he’s like
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Marcus Jones
Does a little of everything without one standout trait. Marcus Jones has played for two head coaches in four seasons at Northern Illinois. He has been named Paul Hornung two seasons running, most recently in 2021. On tape: 42 rushing yards and 1 reception against Western Michigan, Week 14, 2019.
How he plays
How he plays
Play style
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
News and fans
No outlet on our list has written about him by name this season.
Northern Illinois in the news
Where to follow him
Career stats
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Northern Illinois | 23 | 84 | 3.7 | 1 |
| 2018 | Northern Illinois | 94 | 525 | 5.6 | 4 |
| 2017 | Northern Illinois | 83 | 350 | 4.2 | 3 |
| 2015 | Northern Illinois | 8 | 109 | 13.6 | 1 |
| Career | 208 | 1,068 | 5.1 | 9 |
| Season | Team | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Northern Illinois | 15 | 134 | 8.9 | 0 |
| 2018 | Northern Illinois | 13 | 52 | 4.0 | 0 |
| 2017 | Northern Illinois | 12 | 78 | 6.5 | 0 |
| 2015 | Northern Illinois | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 40 | 264 | 6.6 | 0 |
Game log
Game log · Week-by-week
2019 season · 12 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 24-10vs Illinois State | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Wk 2 | L 17-35@ No. 13 Utah | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | L 8-44@ Nebraska | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Wk 5 | L 18-24@ Vanderbilt | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 1 | 2 | |
| Wk 6 | L 20-27vs Ball State | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Wk 7 | W 39-36@ Ohio | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Wk 8 | L 24-27@ Miami (OH) | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Wk 9 | W 49-0vs Akron | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | L 10-48@ Central Michigan | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 2 | |
| Wk 12 | W 31-28@ Toledo | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Wk 13 | L 17-45vs Eastern Michigan | 4 | 28 | 7.0 | 0 | 19 | |
| Wk 14 | W 17-14vs Western Michigan | 9 | 42 | 4.7 | 0 | 20 | Season-high 42 yds |
| Total | 23 | 84 | 3.7 | 1 | 20 |
Signature game
Week 5 · 2019
L 18-24
at Vanderbilt
3 rec · 34 yds · 3 rush yds (2 car) · 1 TD
With R. Bowers — 280 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 44.0 · M. Ference — 37.9 yards per punt · 7 punts · 44 long
Signature plays
The plays that mattered most
- Week 9 · Akron · 3rd and 6 · Q2 · EPA −3.29Marcus Jones run for 1 yd to the Akron 14 Marcus Jones fumbled, recovered by Akron DeMarkus Glover , return for a loss of 1 yard to the Akron 14 DeMarkus Glover fumbled, recovered by Akron Alvin Davis AKRON Penalty, personal foul (15 Yards) to the Akron 14
- Week 13 · Eastern Michigan · 3rd and 10 · Q4 · EPA +2.76Marcus Jones run for 19 yds to the NoIll 44 for a
- Week 10 · Central Michigan · 2nd and 8 · Q3 · EPA +1.78Ross Bowers pass complete to Marcus Jones for 10 yds to the NoIll 48 for a
- Week 14 · Western Michigan · 1st and 10 · Q2 · EPA −1.75Marcus Jones run for a loss of 4 yards to the NoIll 35
- Week 12 · Toledo · 2nd and 4 · Q3 · EPA +1.67Ross Bowers pass complete to Marcus Jones for 23 yds to the Toled 1 for a
- Week 3 · Nebraska · 3rd and 23 · Q3 · EPA +1.52Ross Bowers pass complete to Marcus Jones for 14 yds to the Neb 9
4 more plays
- Week 13 · Eastern Michigan · 3rd and 3 · Q4 · EPA +1.47Marcus Jones run for 5 yds to the EMich 42 for a
- Week 7 · Ohio · 3rd and 23 · Q2 · EPA +1.44Ross Bowers pass complete to Marcus Jones for 17 yds to the Ohio 41
- Week 5 · Vanderbilt · 2nd and 15 · Q2 · EPA +1.33Ross Bowers pass complete to Marcus Jones for 11 yds to the Vandy 47
- Week 14 · Western Michigan · 2nd and 8 · Q1 · EPA −1.31Marcus Jones run for a loss of 1 yard to the WMich 45
Teams and coaches
2015Northern Illinois8-6HC: Rod Carey · Run-heavy
2017Northern Illinois8-5HC: Rod Carey · Run-leaning
2018Northern Illinois8-6HC: Rod Carey · Run-leaning
2019Northern Illinois5-7HC: Thomas Hammock · Run-leaning
Our ratings
Splits
Home and road splits, scheme and staff
Splits · Per-game
2019 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 15.2 | 3.3 | 0.0 |
| Road7g | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.1 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 1.7 | 1.9 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 12.3 | 2.8 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Thomas Hammock
Pass share
45.7%
370 pass / 440 run
Plays / game
67.5
12 games
Team sack rate
5.2%
400 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Awards
Player standing · 2020
All-American
Named to an All-America team by a recognized selector.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Selector Grid · 2020
AP—
FWAA1st
AFCA—
WCFF—
SN—
SI—
Five seasons at Northern Illinois
- 2019 Northern Illinois HammockYear 5 · 12 games
- 2018 Northern Illinois CareyYear 4 · 14 games
- 2017 Northern Illinois CareyYear 3 · 12 games
- 2016 Northern Illinois CareyYear 2 · on the roster, no stat line
- 2015 Northern Illinois CareyYear 1 · 4 games
- Before collegeSigned with Northern Illinois in 2015 as a 3-star recruit, No. 2,142 in the country.
His moves
- Signed with Northern Illinois in the 2015 class, a 3-star recruit.
How it ended
Four seasons at Northern Illinois, 1,068 rushing yards, an All-American season (2020) — his college career is complete.
His career
He barely played early on. Then he did not come off the field.
2015 4 games
- Signed with Northern Illinois3-star out of Brother Rice
2020
- All-Americafirst · 2 selectors
- All-AACfirst
2021
- All-Americafirst · 7 selectors
- Paul Hornungwinner
- All-AACfirst
- AAC Special Teams Player of the Yearwinner
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-AMERICA
Named All-American (2020)
2 selectors honored him
ALL-AAC · 1ST TEAM
All-AAC 1st team (2020)
Weekly recognition
1 weekly honor (2020)
AAC Specialist Player of the Week
Coaching lineage · 2015–2019
2 coaches2015–2018
Northern Illinois
Coaching transition mid-career: Rod Carey → Thomas Hammock. Worth noting in scheme + development context.