Wisconsin tailback Melvin Gordon already has said he's remaining in school, and after his performance in Wednesday's Capital One Bowl, Badgers coach Gary Andersen already has to be thinking ahead to next season and how he will use Gordon.
Gordon, a third-year sophomore, ran for 143 yards on 25 carries in South Carolina's 34-24 victory over the Badgers in Orlando. Gordon finishes with 1,609 yards this season and averaged 7.8 yards per carry.
While he put up big numbers overall, Gordon's production noticeably slowed in the second half of the season. He ran for 100 yards in six of the Badgers' first seven games, but the Cap One performance was just his second 100-yard outing in the team's final six contests.
Gordon shared carries with senior James White this season, and they became the first duo in NCAA history to each rush for 1,400 yards. White had 107 yards on 12 carries Wednesday to finish with 1,444 yards this season. Their combined rushing total was 3,053 yards, which set a FBS record; the previous mark was 3,042 yards, by USC's Reggie Bush and LenDale White in 2005.
Gordon will be the unquestioned feature back next season, though Wisconsin's recent history of sharing carries will continue with Gordon being spelled by Corey Clement, who ran for 32 yards on his lone carry Wednesday and finished his freshman season with 547 yards.
Wisconsin's quarterback play likely again will be spotty next season, meaning Gordon is going to get plenty of opportunities to show off his talents. He should go into the season as one of the top two running backs nationally and as a top-10 Heisman candidate.
This was the second 1,000-yard season in his career for White, who seemingly always has been the "other" guy. It started in high school, at powerhouse Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas. As a prep senior, White shared carries with Giovani Bernard, now with the Cincinnati Bengals. At Wisconsin, White has shared carries with Montee Ball (2010-12), John Clay (2010-11) and Gordon (2012-13).
While Gordon is more explosive, White has good speed and can turn the corner. White also is a tough between-the-tackles runner and can be an effective receiver. Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen said White is the most complete back he has been around, and that includes Robert Turbin, who played for Andersen at Utah State and now plays for the Seattle Seahawks.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
