Short-yardage / goal-line · enumeration
Who gets the tough yard
9/103rd/4th & short
7/17Inside-5 share
9 of 10 on 3rd/4th-and-2-or-less (90.0%). 7 of the team's 17 inside-the-5 carries (41.2%).
Marion Lukes
Marion Lukes: RB · Central Michigan · #9.
Similar players
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Marion Lukes
Does a little of everything without one standout trait. Four seasons in the Central Michigan backfield to date. Another came in 2024: All-MAC. One game to point at: 118 rushing yards and 22 receiving yards against Eastern Michigan — Week 8, 2024.
Style of play
Style of play
Play style
Plays within the scheme — consistent production without a dominant dimension.
Fans
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Central Michigan in the news
Where to follow
Career stats
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Central Michigan | 161 | 788 | 4.9 | 5 | 66 |
| 2023 | Central Michigan | 144 | 737 | 5.1 | 5 | 46 |
| 2022 | Central Michigan | 51 | 323 | 6.3 | 3 | 39 |
| 2021 | Central Michigan | 22 | 94 | 4.3 | 0 | 21 |
| Career | 378 | 1,942 | 5.1 | 13 | 66 |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Central Michigan | 16 | 160 | 10.0 | 1 | 43 |
| 2023 | Central Michigan | 29 | 300 | 10.3 | 0 | 44 |
| 2022 | Central Michigan | 5 | 81 | 16.2 | 1 | 37 |
| 2021 | Central Michigan | 9 | 64 | 7.1 | 0 | 20 |
| Career | 59 | 605 | 10.3 | 2 | 44 |
Game log
Game log · Week-by-week
2024 season · 11 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | L 16-52vs Florida International | 10 | 37 | 3.7 | 0 | 9 | |
| Wk 3 | L 9-30@ Illinois | 7 | 13 | 1.9 | 0 | 8 | |
| Wk 4 | W 37-34vs Ball State | 13 | 86 | 6.6 | 1 | 27 | |
| Wk 5 | W 22-21vs San Diego State | 16 | 76 | 4.8 | 0 | 18 | |
| Wk 7 | L 25-27vs Ohio | 20 | 110 | 5.5 | 3 | 28 | 3 rushing TDs |
| Wk 8 | L 34-38@ Eastern Michigan | 13 | 118 | 9.1 | 0 | 66 | Season-high 118 yds |
| Wk 9 | L 7-46@ Miami (OH) | 15 | 25 | 1.7 | 0 | 15 | |
| Wk 11 | L 13-23vs Bowling Green | 20 | 72 | 3.6 | 0 | 14 | |
| Wk 12 | L 10-37@ Toledo | 19 | 80 | 4.2 | 1 | 23 | |
| Wk 13 | W 16-14vs Western Michigan | 15 | 93 | 6.2 | 0 | 19 | |
| Wk 14 | L 16-24@ Northern Illinois | 13 | 78 | 6.0 | 0 | 16 | |
| Total | 161 | 788 | 4.9 | 5 | 66 |
Signature game
Week 7 · 2024
L 25-27
vs Ohio
110 rush yds (20 car) · 3 TD · 5 rec · 31 yds
With D. Chapeau — 42.3 yards per punt · 7 punts · 2 inside the 20 · T. Jefferson — 95 yds · 0 TD · 0 INT · QBR 47.9 · 28 rush yds (10 car)
Signature plays
The plays that mattered most
- Week 8 · Eastern Michigan · 1st and 10 · Q3 · EPA +4.31Marion Lukes run for 66 yds to the EMU 2 for a
- Week 7 · Ohio · 4th and 1 · Q4 · EPA +3.87Marion Lukes run for 28 yds for a TD (Tristan Mattson KICK)
- Week 5 · San Diego State · 2nd and 8 · Q4 · EPA +3.78Joe Labas pass complete to Marion Lukes for 43 yds to the SDSU 35 for a
- Week 13 · Western Michigan · 3rd and 11 · Q3 · EPA +2.91Jadyn Glasser pass complete to Marion Lukes for 12 yds to the CMU 49 for a
- Week 5 · San Diego State · 2nd and 8 · Q1 · EPA +2.68Joe Labas pass complete to Marion Lukes for 8 yds for a TD (Tristan Mattson KICK)
- Week 11 · Bowling Green · 4th and 4 · Q3 · EPA −2.60Marion Lukes run for 3 yds to the BGSU 27
4 more plays
- Week 12 · Toledo · 3rd and 8 · Q3 · EPA +2.57Marion Lukes run for 10 yds to the TOL 40 for a
- Week 4 · Ball State · 3rd and 2 · Q2 · EPA +2.54Marion Lukes run for 2 yds for a TD (Tristan Mattson PAT BLOCKED)
- Week 12 · Toledo · 2nd and 20 · Q3 · EPA −2.45Marion Lukes run for a loss of 7 yards to the TOL 40 Marion Lukes fumbled, recovered by TOL Braden Awls B. Awls return for 0 yds
- Week 12 · Toledo · 2nd and 6 · Q1 · EPA +2.45Marion Lukes run for 23 yds to the CMU 49 for a
Rushing profile
Rush profile · Shape, efficiency, and ball security
How he gets his yards, and how often it works
157 of 161 carries matched to play-by-play
Success rate
38%156 carriesFumble rate
1.9%3 of 161 carries · 2 lostStuffed
0 or fewer yds12%of carries
19 carries
Grind
1–3 yds41%of carries
64 carries
Chunk
4–9 yds32%of carries
50 carries
Explosive
10+ yds15%of carries
24 carries
10 of 11 (91%) converted on 3rd/4th & short (≤2 to go) · 4 of 7 (57%) scored from inside the 5-yard line
4.9 yds/carry on 161 carries · 15% explosive (10+ yds) · 38% success rate.
Situational
Situational · Carry shape (PBP, full season)
Yardage DNA
12%
Stuffed (≤0)
41%
Grind (1–3)
32%
Chunk (4–9)
15%
Explosive (10+)
Teams and coaches
4 seasons under Jim McElwain — 22-27 over that span.
2021Central Michigan9-4HC: Jim McElwain · Run-leaning, fast tempo
2022Central Michigan4-8HC: Jim McElwain · Run-leaning
2023Central Michigan5-7HC: Jim McElwain · Run-leaning
2024Central Michigan4-8HC: Jim McElwain · Run-leaning
Our ratings
Splits
Home and road splits, scheme and staff
Splits · Per-game
2024 season · 11 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 87.4 | 5.3 | 0.8 |
| Road5g | 62.8 | 4.6 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-75g | 64.4 | 4.5 | 0.8 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 77.7 | 5.1 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jim McElwain
Pass share
40.4%
301 pass / 444 run
Plays / game
62.1
12 games
Team sack rate
8.4%
323 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Awards
Player standing · 2024
All-Conference
Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
53 · #102 of 310 RBs · 2024
Three-star recruit. Now #102 at the position.
Four seasons at Central Michigan
- 2024 Central Michigan McElwainYear 4 · 11 gamesAll-conference
- 2023 Central Michigan McElwainYear 3 · 12 gamesAll-conference
- 2022 Central Michigan McElwainYear 2 · 8 games
- 2021 Central Michigan McElwainYear 1 · 12 gamesAll-conference
- High school CharlestownCharlestown, IN · Class of 2020Three-star, No. 2,746 in the 2020 class. Signed with Central Michigan.
How it ended
Four seasons at Central Michigan, 1,942 rushing yards, a first-team All-Conference season (2023) — the college career is complete.
Honored in a first season.
2020
- Signed with Central MichiganThree-star, out of Charlestown
2021 12 games
- All-MACthird
2023 12 games
- All-MACfirst
2024 11 games
- All-MACthird
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-MAC
All-MAC mention (2024)
Coaching lineage · 2021–2024
1 coach2021–2024
Central Michigan
Played every college season under Jim McElwain.