Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
7/123rd/4th & short
8/21Inside-5 share
7 of 12 on 3rd/4th-and-2-or-less (58.3%). 8 of the team's 21 inside-the-5 carries (38.1%).
Markell Jones
Last confirmed: Purdue, 2018. No 2026 box-score games on record.
5′11″ · 210 lb · Columbus, IN · Columbus East
Markell Jones: RB · Purdue · #8.
Players he’s like
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Markell Jones
Does a little of everything without one standout trait. Four seasons at Purdue, three different head coaches: Darrell Hazell, Gerad Parker and Jeff Brohm. On tape: 109 rushing yards and 7 receiving yards against Eastern Michigan, Week 2, 2018.
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.
Purdue in the news
Where to follow him
Career stats
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log
Game log · Week-by-week
2018 season · 13 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 27-31vs Northwestern | 7 | 27 | 3.9 | 0 | 14 | |
| Wk 2 | L 19-20vs Eastern Michigan | 12 | 109 | 9.1 | 0 | 32 | Season-high 109 yds |
| Wk 3 | L 37-40vs Missouri | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 0 | 4 | |
| Wk 4 | W 30-13vs No. 23 Boston College | 8 | 40 | 5.0 | 0 | 16 | |
| Wk 5 | W 42-28@ Nebraska | 14 | 59 | 4.2 | 1 | 14 | |
| Wk 7 | W 46-7@ Illinois | 7 | 56 | 8.0 | 1 | 23 | |
| Wk 8 | W 49-20vs No. 2 Ohio State | 5 | 12 | 2.4 | 0 | 16 | |
| Wk 9 | L 13-23@ Michigan State | 2 | -2 | -1.0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | W 38-36vs No. 19 Iowa | 14 | 40 | 2.9 | 1 | 12 | |
| Wk 11 | L 10-41@ Minnesota | 6 | 32 | 5.3 | 0 | 9 | |
| Wk 12 | L 44-47vs Wisconsin | 10 | 29 | 2.9 | 1 | 12 | |
| Wk 13 | W 28-21@ Indiana | 11 | 95 | 8.6 | 1 | 32 | |
 Bowl | L 14-63@ Auburn | 10 | 35 | 3.5 | 0 | 9 | |
| Total | 108 | 537 | 5.0 | 5 | 32 |
Signature game
Week 13 · 2018
W 28-21
at Indiana
95 rush yds (11 car) · 1 TD · 2 rec · 25 yds
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 7 on the road.
With D. Blough — 310 yds · 3 TD · 1 INT · J. Schopper — 42.6 yards per punt · 5 punts · 2 inside the 20
Signature plays
The plays that mattered most
- Week 13 · Indiana · 1st and 10 · Q4 · EPA +2.87Markell Jones run for 32 yds for a TD (Spencer Evans KICK)
- Week 2 · Eastern Michigan · 2nd and 5 · Q4 · EPA −2.83Markell Jones run for 13 yds to the EMich 37 Markell Jones fumbled, forced by Justin Moody, recovered by EMich Ikie Calderon , return to the 50 yard line PURDUE Penalty, illegal formation ( Yards) declined
- Week 12 · Wisconsin · 1st and 10 · Q2 · EPA −2.69Markell Jones run for 2 yds to the Prdue 46 PURDUE Penalty, Offensive holding (-10 Yards) to the Prdue 44
- Week 2 · Eastern Michigan · 1st and 10 · Q1 · EPA +2.60Markell Jones run for 32 yds to the EMich 38 for a
- Week 12 · Wisconsin · 1st and 10 · Q3 · EPA +2.53Markell Jones run for 12 yds for a TD, (Spencer Evans KICK)
- Week 5 · Nebraska · 3rd and 1 · Q4 · EPA +2.50Markell Jones run for 6 yds for a TD (Spencer Evans KICK)
4 more plays
- Week 7 · Illinois · 3rd and 1 · Q2 · EPA +2.45Markell Jones run for 1 yd for a TD (Spencer Evans PAT BLOCKED)
- Week 13 · Indiana · 3rd and 1 · Q2 · EPA +2.20Markell Jones run for 4 yds to the Prdue 29 for a INDIANA Penalty, face mask (15 yards) (Jerome Johnson) to the Prdue 44 for a
- Week 2 · Eastern Michigan · 1st and 7 · Q2 · EPA +2.20Elijah Sindelar pass complete to Markell Jones for 7 yds for a TD (Spencer Evans PAT MISSED)
- Week 7 · Illinois · 1st and 10 · Q2 · EPA +2.03Markell Jones run for 23 yds to the Prdue 46 for a
Rushing profile
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
108 of 108 carries matched to play-by-play
Success rate
47%98 carriesFumble rate
1.9%2 of 108 carries · 1 lostStuffed
0 or fewer yds18%of carries
19 carries
Grind
1–3 yds35%of carries
38 carries
Chunk
4–9 yds32%of carries
35 carries
Explosive
10+ yds15%of carries
16 carries
7 of 12 (58%) converted on 3rd/4th & short (≤2 to go) · 2 of 8 (25%) scored from inside the 5-yard line
5.0 yds/carry on 108 carries · 15% explosive (10+ yds) · 47% success rate.
Situational
Situational · Carry shape (PBP, full season)
Yardage DNA
18%
Stuffed (≤0)
35%
Grind (1–3)
32%
Chunk (4–9)
15%
Explosive (10+)
Teams and coaches
2015Purdue2-10HC: Darrell Hazell · Balanced, fast tempo
2016Purdue3-9HC: Gerad Parker · Pass-leaning, fast tempo
2017Purdue7-6HC: Jeff Brohm · Balanced
2018Purdue6-7HC: Jeff Brohm · Pass-leaning
Our ratings
Splits
Home and road splits, scheme and staff
Splits · Per-game
2018 season · 13 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 37.4 | 4.1 | 0.3 |
| Road5g | 48.0 | 5.0 | 0.6 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 47.3 | 5.2 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 34.3 | 3.5 | 0.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jeff Brohm
Pass share
56.1%
509 pass / 399 run
Plays / game
69.8
13 games
Team sack rate
5.2%
556 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-leaning.
Awards
Player standing · 2018
Starter
108 carries and 17 catches in 13 games, about as many touches a game as a typical FBS running back who plays every week.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Four seasons at Purdue
- 2018 Purdue BrohmYear 4 · 13 games
- 2017 Purdue BrohmYear 3 · 10 games
- 2016 Purdue HazellYear 2 · 11 games
- 2015 Purdue HazellYear 1 · 12 games
- Before collegeSigned with Purdue in 2015 as a 3-star recruit, No. 1,306 in the country.
His moves
- Signed with Purdue in the 2015 class, a 3-star recruit.
How it ended
Four seasons at Purdue, 2,594 rushing yards — his college career is complete.
His career
He has a stat line in 46 games over 4 seasons.
2015 12 games
- Signed with Purdue3-star out of Columbus East
Coaching lineage · 2015–2018
3 coaches2015
Purdue
Played under 3 different head coaches: Darrell Hazell, Gerad Parker, and Jeff Brohm. Multi-era developmental context.