The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Jones will earn every yard this season
ERIE, PA. » When Marcus Jones ran left, a swarm of defenders followed.
When he went right, ditto. Up the middle too. Wherever he went, two, three, four — sometimes more — followed.
Such is the life of an All-America running back looking to go back to back on magical seasons.
The Riverside grad and his Gannon University teammates found that out in their 35-32 seasonopening loss Aug. 30 against visiting Southern Connecticut State.
On Jones’ first 13 carries of the game, he netted 40 yards. Then he reminded everyone in attendance at McConnell Family Stadium why he’s a returning AllAmerican by reeling off a 67-yard run to the opponent’s 7-yard line. Opposing defenses focusing on Riverside graduate, a preseason All-American
Jones came up gimpy on the run, and missed the rest of the first half nursing his lower leg. He came back in the second half, and looked fine. Jones actually carried it more (15) in the second half than he did in the first (14).
Gannon led, 25-20, with four minutes left in the game, thanks in part to some solid running by Jones, but the defense could hold it. Eli Parks’ 7-yard run with 55 seconds remaining, and a pick-six secured the win by the Owls.
Jones finished with 160 yards on 29 carries and a 1-yard run for the game’s first touchdown, but it was a hard 160 yards gained.
“Oh yeah, 100 percent. My coaches let me know that early,” said Jones following the loss about the attention he will get from opposing defenses in 2018. “Definitely going to see some 8-, 9-man boxes.”
The attention is deserved
because in 2017 Jones was a force in Division II. He rushed for a nation’s best 2,176 yards and had 29 touchdowns. Jones’ top single-game performances in 2017 were 354 rushing yards against Slippery Rock and six touchdowns vs. Edinboro. Both marks are Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference records. He was also named the PSAC’s Western Division Offensive Player of the Year.
He was the runner-up for the Harlon Hill Trophy, given to the nation’s top player in D-II, so it made perfect sense preseason accolades came pouring in. Jones made four preseason All-America lists. That type of attention brought even more from the Southern Connecticut State Aug. 30
“Extra trash talk, that’s for sure,” said Jones with a laugh. “That’s all right. It doesn’t bother me, but what happened last year doesn’t matter. That’s in the past. It’s about moving forward.”
Moving forward for Jones also means continuing to carve a new body.
When the senior arrived at Gannon he eventually lost about 30 pounds and played last season at 235 pounds.
Work in the offseason with the team’s strength coach Tyler Johnson helped him shed another 10 pounds to 225 pounds. It’s a weight Jones hasn’t been at in a long time, and he loves it.
“Dropping 10 pounds was great,” he said. “I do feel a lot quicker. I do feel a lot stronger. There’s no question about that. I feel there’s a lot of things that I’m doing that I couldn’t do before.”
That has set Jones up well for a strong senior season, and perhaps a shot at the NFL, where his 5-foot11, 225-pound frame will attract interest. For now, Jones wants something else, and that starts Sept. 8 at West Chester, Gannon’s next opponent.
“I want to win,” said Jones, whose team was 5-6 last season. “Everyone’s hungry, but you can’t win a game by yourself. I really don’t care about individual stats.”