Gordon named first-team AP All-American

Published Dec. 16, 2014 12:45 p.m. ET

foxsports

MADISON, Wis. -- The college football awards season is nearing its conclusion, but the honors keep rolling in for Wisconsin tailback Melvin Gordon.

On Tuesday, Gordon was named a first-team Associated Press All-American to add to his sterling postseason awards collection. Indiana tailback Tevin Coleman joined Gordon on the first-team. Other first-teamers from the Big Ten were Iowa tackle Brandon Scherff and Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa.

Gordon, the Doak Walker Award winner and a Heisman Trophy finalist, already had been selected as a first-team all-American by USA Today and CBS Sports. In addition, he was named both the Graham-George Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and the Ameche-Dayne Big Ten Running Back of the Year, as well as the winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football, which is presented annually to the Big Ten MVP in a vote of league coaches

This season, Gordon has rushed for 2,336 yards -- the fourth-most in FBS history -- and leads all tailbacks with 26 touchdowns. His 179.7 rushing yards per game are 10 more than any other player in college football. And he needs 293 yards in Wisconsin's Outback Bowl game against Auburn to surpass Barry Sanders' single-season FBS record.

Gordon, a redshirt junior who will declare for the NFL Draft after this season, ran for at least 120 yards in 11 of 13 games and became the fastest player to ever reach 2,000 yards in a single season. He amassed at least 200 yards on five occasions, and his most memorable performance occurred Nov. 15 during a 59-24 blowout victory at home against Nebraska. He set the single-game FBS rushing record with 408 yards on 25 carries in only three quarters, breaking former TCU running back LaDainian Tomlinson's record of 406, set in 1999. Oklahoma tailback Samaje Perine broke Gordon's mark one week later with 427 yards rushing against Kansas.

Gordon leads all active players with 4,664 rushing yards and an average of 7.81 yards per carry. He is on pace to break the modern-day FBS record for career rushing average (Reggie Bush, 7.32). He also owns 21 career 100-yard games, including 18 of 140-plus yards and six of 200-plus yards.

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