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Doak Walker Award rankings: RBs are nation’s most thrilling players in ’14
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If it wasn’t obvious to you before, it should be now: the most exciting players in college football this year are running backs.
Sure, Oregon QB Marcus Mariota looks like the Heisman Trophy favorite. But to this point, he hasn’t mesmerized the nation like Johnny Manziel in 2012 or Jameis Winston in 2013.
Georgia’s Todd Gurley is must-watch TV. I haven’t attended a game in which Gurley has played, but you can feel the energy and anticipation through the screen every time he touches the ball. Fans want him to electrify them. It’s hard to fulfill immense expectations, but the rare few who do are showered with adulation.
RELATED: Todd Gurley does the Heisman Hurdle
But Gurley hardly is alone.
Ameer Abdullah has carried Nebraska to 5-0, including one of the plays of the season to beat McNeese State. Melvin Gordon has shoved aside an early hip issue and the Wisconsin’s brokenness at quarterback to resume playing like a superstar.
Pitt’s James Conner, all 250-plus pounds of him, is one of the most unique Doak Walker Award candidates in many years as a former defensive end. And now that former teammate Storm Johnson, eventually a UCF running back is in the NFL, Miami’s Duke Johnson is the most consistent, exciting sharp-cutting back in the nation.
The Big Ten has some tremendous running backs, including three with rock-solid cases as Top 10 guys in the country. But this weekend the SEC flexed its might as the conference with the deepest pool of backfield talent in the country.
Alex Collins appears headed for a 1,200-yard, double-digit touchdown season. Mike Davis, in our Top 10 running back rankings before the season, is rounding into form with 135 yards of offense against Missouri. Josh Robinson should enter the national consciousness with another monster performance or two against SEC West opponents.
Missouri’s Marcus Murphy (98 rushing yards) and Arkansas’ Jonathan Williams (95 yards) nearly gave the SEC eight running backs with 100 rushing yards Saturday. And Alabama didn’t even play.
Tennessee freshman Jalen Hurd notched the first 100-yard game of his career against Georgia. Cameron Artis-Payne washed off the Kansas State stink to grab his third 100-yard game in four tries this season. And oh, by the way, in case you missed it, LSU’s Leonard Fournette quietly rushed for 122 yards against New Mexico State.
Bottom line, if your run defense holds up through an eight-game SEC schedule this season, it’s worthy of applause.
Here are my weekly Top 10 rankings for the Doak Walker Award.
| Player | Buzz | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Todd Gurley, Georgia | Gurley rushed for 208 yards and two touchdowns against Tennessee, and the Bulldogs needed every bit of it. | 1 |
| 2. Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska | Abdullah is setting all kinds of career rushing records and is a good bet to lead the nation in yards. Oh, and Nebraska’s band even knows to fear him. | 3 |
| 3. Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin | The Badgers usually curtail Gordon’s carries before 20. Not Saturday against South Florida, when Whiskey handed him the ball 32 times for 181 yards and two scores. | 4 |
| 4. James Conner, Pitt | Who knows why it took so long, but opposing defenses finally have adjusted, daring the Panthers to throw and exposing QB Chad Voytik as unable to take advantage. | 2 |
| 5. Duke Johnson, Miami | Johnson became the third Miami back ever to pass 4,000 career rushing yards and extended his streak of at least 90 yards to seven consecutive games. | 5 |
| 6. Alex Collins, Arkansas | Collins looked as impressive against Texas A&M as he has all season. He has an 11-yard advantage on Gurley for now, but needed an extra game to get it. | 7 |
| 7. Tevin Coleman, Indiana | Coleman managed a ho-hum 122 rushing yards as Maryland thrashed the Hoosiers. He has at least one 40-yard carry in all four games. | 6 |
| 8. D.J. Foster, Arizona State | UCLA’s linebackers managed to stall Foster, but he supplemented his game with five catches for 68 yards. | 9 |
| 9. Josh Robinson, Mississippi State | Robinson and the Bulldogs have enjoyed the spoils of victory all (off) week. Can they duplicate the effort against an improving Texas A&M run defense? | 10 |
| 10. Aaron Jones, UTEP | Kansas State’s run defense is good (see: Auburn). The Wildcats held Jones to just 55 yards of offense. | 8 |
Dropped Out: None.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
