Marquez Cooper
| San Diego State Aztecs – No. 15 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Running back |
| Class |  |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | c. 2001 (age 22–23) Gaithersburg, Maryland |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 184 lb (83 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| High school | Quince Orchard (MD) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Marquez Cooper (born c. 2001) is an American football running back for the San Diego State Aztecs. He previously played for the Kent State Golden Flashes and the Ball State Cardinals.
Early life and high school
[edit]He grew up in Gaithersburg, Maryland, attended Quince Orchard High School, played for the football team, and rushed for 2,897 yards and 51 touchdowns in two seasons.[1] He received a scholarship to play for Kent State and made his debut in the fall of 2020.[2]
College career
[edit]Kent State
[edit]In a condensed COVID-19 season, Cooper appeared and started all four games for Kent State. He made his collegiate debut against Eastern Michigan where he ran for 74 yards on 15 carries. The following week against Bowling Green, he scored his first two collegiate touchdowns. In week three against Akron, he ran for a season high 107 yards and three touchdowns. On the season, he led the Flashes with 282 yards and five touchdowns.
As a sophomore in 2021, he rushed for 1,205 yards and 11 touchdowns. This earned him First team All-MAC. In 14 games played, he ran for over 110 yards in seven games.[3]
As a junior in 2022, he had his second consecutive 1,000-yard season. Against Ohio on October 1, he set career-highs with 40 carries and 240 rushing yards.[4] During the 2022 season, he totaled 1,331 yards and 13 touchdowns.[5] He was named First team All-MAC in 2022 after being on the secon team in 2021.[6][7]
Ball State
[edit]On December 14, 2022, he announced that he had transferred to Ball State.[8] In week three, Cooper ran for a season high 177 yards on 22 carries and one touchdown in a victory over Indiana State. On the season, Cooper ran for 1,043 yards on 227 carries with four touchdowns. For Cooper, this marked the third consecutive 1,000 yard rushing season. He ran for over 100 yards in four games and was named Second team All-MAC for the second time in his career.[9]
San Diego State
[edit]On April 27, 2024, Cooper transferred to San Diego State. Cooper reunited with head coach Sean Lewis whom he had previously spent three seasons with at Kent State. He entered the season as the leading rusher in FBS with 3,856 career yards and 33 rushing touchdowns. In his first game as an Aztec, Cooper ran for 223 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries in a victory againt Texas A&M–Commerce.[10] In week twelve, Cooper surpassed 1,000 rushing yards on the season in a loss to UNLV. Cooper tied an FBS record with four 1,000 yard rushing seasons. He became the first player in FBS history to rush for 1,000 yards with three different teams.[11]
Statistics
[edit]| Season | Games | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | ||
| Kent State Golden Flashes | |||||||||||
| 2020 | 4 | 4 | 56 | 282 | 5.0 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 14 | 14 | 241 | 1,205 | 5.0 | 11 | 10 | 95 | 9.5 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 12 | 12 | 285 | 1,326 | 4.7 | 13 | 8 | 94 | 11.8 | 0 | |
| Ball State Cardinals | |||||||||||
| 2023 | 12 | 12 | 227 | 1,043 | 4.6 | 4 | 18 | 163 | 9.1 | 0 | |
| San Diego State Aztecs | |||||||||||
| 2024 | 10 | 10 | 246 | 1,062 | 4.3 | 9 | 16 | 91 | 5.7 | 1 | |
| Career | 52 | 52 | 1,062 | 4,918 | 4.7 | 42 | 53 | 457 | 8.6 | 1 | |
References
[edit]- ^ "Marquez Cooper". Kent State University. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ Ethan Cadeaux (November 11, 2020). "Ex-QO star earns shoutout from Wale after first college TD". NBC Sports.
- ^ "Marquez Cooper 2021 game log". Sports-reference.
- ^ Allen Moff (October 6, 2022). "Marquez Cooper has earned the right to carry the load for Kent State football". Record-Courier.
- ^ "College Football Player Rushing Stats 2022". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
- ^ "MAC Announces 2021 Postseason Football Awards & All-MAC Teams". Mid-American Conference. December 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
- ^ "MAC Announces 2022 Postseason Football Awards & All-Conference Teams". Mid-American Conference. November 29, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ General, Robby (December 14, 2022). "Transfer portal tracker: Ball State football player, coaching updates". Muncie Star Press. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ "MAC Announces 2023 Postseason Football Awards & All-Conference Teams". Mid-American Conference.
- ^ "Marquez Cooper runs wild on Lion defense, propels Aztecs to 45-14 win over Texas A&M Commerce". The Daily Aztec. September 1, 2024. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
- ^ "2024 Football Media Central. Post game UNLV notes". goaztecs.com. November 17, 2024. Retrieved November 17, 2024.