In his final game at Wisconsin, Melvin Gordon made sure to put on a show.
The Heisman runner-up ran for 251 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries in a 34-31 overtime Outback Bowl win over Auburn.
Gordon came into the game fourth on the NCAA’s single-season rushing list with 2,336 yards. He easily passed USC’s Marcus Allen (2,427) in the first half and then leapfrogged UCF’s Kevin Smith (2,567 yards) on the Badgers’ final drive of regulation.
With 2,587 yards this year, Gordon finished just 41 yards shy of Barry Sanders’ all-time NCAA record – 2,628 yards in 1988. He also scored 29 times this year.
Gordon had success from the start in the Outback Bowl and ran for 87 yards in the first half, but he didn’t reach the end zone until the third quarter. His first was from 25 yards and tied the score 14-14, but his second touchdown is one that will be remembered.
From the Badgers’ own 47-yard line, athletic director Barry Alvarez, filling in as interim coach opted to go for it on fourth-and-1. It paid off.
Gordon broke through the line and into the secondary, somehow remaining inbounds to score an explosive 53-yard touchdown.
Gordon would go on to add a six-yard score in the fourth quarter en route to his sixth 200-yard rushing game of the season. He finishes his Wisconsin career with 4,915 yards on the ground, best in school history.
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