Melvin Gordon Of Wisconsin Runs Down Doak Walker Award

Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon has a shot at Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing mark and ran away with the Doak Walker Award.

No running back in the nation ran farther than Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin this season.

Gordon leads the nation with 2,336 yards—293 shy of breaking the record of 2,628 set by Barry Sanders of Oklahoma State in 1988—and took home the Doak Walker Award Thursday night as the nation’s top running back.

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He also led the nation with 26 rushing touchdowns and set a single-game FBS record with 408 yards in a win over Nebraska on Nov. 15—the second of three straight games in which Gordon rushed for at least 200 yards.

Gordon, a junior from Kenosha, Wis., had five 200-yard games on the season, scoring five touchdowns to go with 253 yards on just 13 carries in a win over Bowling Green on Sept. 20. He announced Wednesday he will enter the NFL Draft.

Gordon also scored three receiving touchdowns, giving him 29 on the year.

He is the third Badger to win the award, joining Ron Dayne in 1999 and Montee Ball in 2012.

Wisconsin will play Auburn in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla., on Jan. 1.

The other finalists were Ameer Abdullah of Nebraska and Tevin Coleman of Indiana—a Big Ten sweep.

The Doak Walker Award is presented by Southern Methodist University and is named for the Hall of Fame running back who went on to excel for the Detroit Lions in the 1950s.

Last year’s winner was Andre Williams of Boston College.

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