In college sports, there are some days when simply everything is going your way. For Melvin Gordon, yesterday was one of those days and the Wisconsin junior tailback rushed for an FBS record 408 yards and four touchdowns in what was expected to be a highly contested game between the Badgers and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Instead- on the strength of Gordon’s amazing performance- Wisconsin was able to overcome two early turnovers and drum the Cornhuskers to the tune of a 59-24 win.
Gordon was just able to eclipse former TCU Horned Frog LaDainian Tomlinson’s previous record of 406 yards and did so in impeccable fashion. The senior star running back reached the impressive total on just 25 carries highlighted by touchdown runs of 62, 26, 1, and 6 yards. The matchup pitted Gordon against fellow Heisman Trophy candidate Ameer Abdullah, but it was Gordon who stole the show and possibly a good portion of the Heisman Trophy votes. With no clear favorite, Gordon’s record-breaking night could go down as one of the memorable moments to Heisman voters and catapult him atop the podium.
“Yeah, I didn’t even know I was close to the record,” Gordon said. “I was kind of just running away.”
It was truly an amazing outing for Gordon, who may just be “running away” from the competition, as he has carried the ball 223 times this season for 1,909 yards and 23 touchdowns. The fantastic total for his season statistics could be further padded when Gordon and the Badgers wrap up their season against Iowa and Minnesota. Also, with just two losses, Wisconsin will compete for a spot in the Big Ten Championship providing Gordon with another opportunity to captivate.
*Section Photo credit to Mike McGinnis, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Jeff Hanisch, USA Today Sports
