Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon did something no ballcarrier has ever done in the history of the Football Bowl Subdivision last week. The 6-foot-1, 207 pound back sprinted his way to 408 yards rushing while leading the Badgers to an emphatic beat down of Nebraska, 51-17.
Averaging 16.3 yards per carry and scoring four touchdowns, Gordon would outpace a Cornhuskers defense that came into Saturday’s contest ranked 20th against the run. As pointed out by Matt Hinton of Grantland, Gordon and the Badgers would move that ranking 65 slots down the list after the game.
Most telling about the performance however, was the fact that Gordon had done all of this — breaking Ladanian Tomlinson’s previous single game rushing record (404 yards) included — in just three quarters of play.
Almost 1,000 miles south, Mississippi State’s quarterback Dak Prescott was trying to surmount every possible dagger the No. 1 ranked team in the nation was being hit with in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Facing a stiff Crimson Tide defense, Prescott was intercepted three times en route to a 25-20 win for Alabama.
And just less than 2,500 miles west, knowledge of what Marcus Mariota did on Saturday remains unknown. With Oregon enjoying a bye week, the only bell that rang clear is that Mariota was indeed not on a football field while the action unfolded around the rest of the country.
Yet, his name alongside Gordon’s and Prescott’s continued to be the discussion topic as the Heisman Trophy Ceremony gradually nears. The three have flown on a similar track to this point in the season and currently, according to odds makers and experts, rank right beside each other.
Mariota is the favorite. Sitting as a one-in-three favorite on Bovada, the signal caller is currently perceived to be a virtual lock to seize the award come Dec. 8, according to bookkeepers.
However, last week’s performance from Gordon catapulted the halfback into the front line of the conversation — and deservedly so. Ranking first in the nation in rushing yards (1,909) and rushing touchdowns (23), the possibility of Gordon breaking Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record (2,628) became apparent.
For Oregon’s do-everything quarterback, the road is shaping in a similar fashion.
As a preseason frontrunner for the award, Mariota became the top candidate after leading Oregon to a comeback win over Michigan State and has since been the driving force behind the Ducks’ six-game winning streak. With a conference championship all but locked up on Mariota’s schedule, he still has three more games before the winner is announced.
As both Mariota and Gordon pad their resumes with blemishes few and far between, it’s creating even more of a separation between them and Prescott. At one point, the Mississippi State quarterback was the favorite and his three wins over teams in the top-10 had much to do with it.
But his suspect performance in Tuscaloosa was enough for Mariota and Gordon to become what portrays to be a one-on-one battle.
With a quick look at the stats, there isn’t much that can disprove that. One game could certainly change things though — just look at the forecasts from August to now and Gordon’s sudden surge to the top of the ballot to understand.
Follow Justin Wise on Twitter @JustinFWise