Jo'quavious Marks and Dillon Johnson Putting the 'All-Purpose' in APB

"APB" stands for "All-Purpose Back." If you're not familiar with the term, just ask Mississippi State running backs coach Eric Mele.

Versatile running backs can obviously be used in multiple ways within an offense to make it stronger and are in high demand at the NFL level -- think of guys like Alvin Kamara who are doing it all in the pros.

The Air Raid offense is the best one to develop running backs of this type -- they are asked to block, catch passes out of the backfield and, of course, run the ball from time to time.

Mississippi State had two of the best running backs in the nation in Jo'quavious Marks and Dillon Johnson this season, who very much played an important role both through the air and on the ground.

After leading the nation in catches among FBS running backs in 2020, Marks finished the 2021 regular season ahead of every other tailback in the country with 79 receptions. Marks has 1,038 all-purpose yards in 2021 and his 464 receiving yards lead the SEC, ranking fourth in the FBS.

Last season, Marks was a part of a trio of true freshmen (Marks, Johnson and wide receiver Jaden Walley) who combined for 158 receptions -- the most by any group of true freshmen in the nation in 2020.

Marks stole the show at running back in 2021, but Johnson's role was also important. He finished out the regular season with 62 total receptions -- good for second in the SEC and third in the FBS among running backs and with 396 receiving yards -- second in the SEC and fourth in the FBS among running backs.

"I think we've come really far in terms of blocking, going up against a really good defense. We've gotten better in making at least one person miss coming out of the backfield and we build upon that. Make someone miss and get straight upfield. We've also come a long way from last year running with physicality and getting our mind right to play the next play."

With both players set to return for the 2022 season on a roster that has seen great improvement this year, the sky is the limit for the pair to continue making a significant impact on what could be one of the most exciting teams in the nation to watch moving forward.