Saturday Blitz 2014 College Football Awards: Marcus Mariota, Scooby Wright Lead the Pack
Nov 29, 2014; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Melvin Gordon (25) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 34-24. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Most Outstanding Running Back: Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin Badgers- 309 Carries for 2,336 Yards and 26 Touchdowns; 17 Receptions for 151 Yards and 3 Touchdowns
Awards: Doak Walker Award
Is there any question about this one? Melvin Gordon ran for 408 yards in a game and made rushing for 200 yards a habit, doing it for nearly half of the games this season as he flat-out carried the Badgers for most of the year.
What’s most impressive about Gordon’s numbers, leading the NCAA with 300 yards more than anybody else, is that he had no passing game all season backing him up with Joel Stave and Tanner McEvoy, yet he still always managed to show up in big games, including the end against Iowa, Minnesota, and obviously Nebraska. Unfortunately he lost a few brownie points by not having a great game against Ohio State as the Badgers got walloped, but his performance throughout the season is still enough to win the Doak Walker.
Other Finalists:
Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska Cornhuskers- 237 Carries for 1,523 Yards and 18 Touchdowns; 16 Receptions for 208 Yards and 3 Touchdowns
Ameer Abdullah has a case as the only player for the Nebraska Cornuskers all year, similar to Todd Gurley in Georgia before he got injured, but his numbers still just don’t compare to Melvin Gordon’s by any stretch, so there’s no way he should win it.
Tevin Coleman, Indiana Hoosiers- 270 Carries for 2,036 and 15 Touchdowns; 25 Receptions for 141 Yards
If it wasn’t for team success, the debate between Gordon and Tevin Coleman might be a bit closer. And remember that Coleman has absolutely no help at quarterback, where there were injury problems all year, or on defense.But even still, Coleman’s numbers don’t measure up to Gordon’s so we can’t say he deserves the award.
Next: Most Outstanding Wide Receiver