Melvin Gordon has his work cut out for him if he wants to catch Barry Sanders.
With just 76 yards rushing in Wisconsin's 59-0 loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game, Gordon will need 293 yards in the bowl game to break Sanders' single-season NCAA record of 2,628 yards rushing.
| NCAA: Most Rushing Yards in Season | ||
| Player, Team | Yards | Year |
| Barry Sanders, Oklahoma St. | 2,628 | 1988 |
| Kevin Smith, UCF | 2,567 | 2007 |
| Marcus Allen, USC | 2,342 | 1981 |
| Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin | 2,336 | 2014 |
| Troy Davis, Iowa St. | 2,185 | 1996 |
| Andre Williams, Boston College | 2,177 | 2013 |
Of course, Sanders set the mark in 11 games, averaging 238.9 yards per game, while Gordon has already played 13 games. He will play in his 14th game when the Badgers play in a bowl game.
UCF's Kevin Smith is second on the NCAA rushing list when he rushed for 2,567 yards in 2007. He also did it in 14 games, averaging 183.4 yards per game.
Gordon surpassed 300 yards just once this season when he racked up 408 yards and four touchdowns against Nebraska on Nov. 15.
