College Football: Abdullah, Gurley pace Top 25 RB of 2014
By Daniel
5. James Conner – Pittsburgh:
The Panthers’ sophomore running back has been an absolute beast this year. He’s ran for over 150 yards four times in five games and surpassed 200 once. He’s amassed an impressive nine touchdowns and is averaging 5.9 yards per carry even after playing a few ‘power 5’ teams. Conner is an absolute workhorse and already has just about as many yards as he had all last season.
Best Game: Against Delaware (153 Rushing Yards, 4 TDs, 10.9 AVG)
4. Alex Collins – Arkansas:
The second Razorback to crack this list, the only team with two backs on this ranking, is sophomore Alex Collins. In less than half the carries he had a year ago he already has more touchdowns (6). This is despite the fact that he’s splitting carries with Jonathan Williams. Collins has been incredibly impressive, is averaging 7.2 yards per rush for the year, and has ran for more than 130 yards three times.
Best Game: Against Texas Tech (212 Rushing Yards, 2 TDs, 7.9 AVG)
3. Melvin Gordon – Wisconsin:
The Badgers’ junior back, perhaps the most talented back in all of college football, is having quite a year. He’s amassed nine touchdowns and is averaging 7.8 yards per carry. If not for an injury against LSU he may have been the leading Heisman candidate at this point (had 140 rushing yards, 1 TD early in second half). Earlier in the year he put together the most impressive single game rushing performance in recent college football history. And he did so only 13 carries, check the statistics below.
Best Game: Against Bowling Green (253 Rushing Yards, 5 TDs, 19.5 AVG)
2. Todd Gurley – Georgia:
Gurley is the most talked about running back in college football and for good reason. The junior has put on quite the show in 2014. He’s ran for at least 131 yards three times and has scored seven total touchdowns. Most impressive is his 8.8 yards per rush average despite playing multiple high-profile games. He’s still in the Heisman conversation, although the backs at number one and three aren’t going to let him run away with it.
Best Game: Against Clemson (198 Rushing Yards, 3 TDs, 13.2 AVG, 1 Ret TD)
1. Ameer Abdullah – Nebraska:
The best running back in college football, at the moment, is none other than the Cornhuskers’ senior back Ameer Abdullah. He’s ran for over 200 yards a ridiculous three times in five games and is averaging 7.3 yards per carry in 2014. In the only game in which he didn’t surpass the 100-yard mark (54 yards) he amassed 96 receiving yards, including a 58 yard game-winning touchdown reception. He’s scored in every single game and boasts 10 total touchdowns. Will he remain the best back as the season goes on? That remains to be seen, but at the moment he is the top runner in the land.
Best Game: Against Miami (229 Rushing Yards, 2 TDs, 6.5 AVG, 1 Receiving TD)
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