IU junior running back Tevin Coleman is one of 10 semifinalists for the 2014 Doak Walker Award, the PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors announced Wednesday. The award is annually given to the nation’s top running back.
The Tinley Park, Ill., native is the second Hoosier to be recognized as a semifinalist. The last was Vaughn Dunbar, who was a finalist in 1991.
Coleman had a career-high 307 yards against Rutgers last Saturday on 32 carries. It was the second-best rushing performance a Hoosier has ever had and the best since Anthony Thompson ran for 377 yards on 52 carries against Wisconsin in 1989.
Coleman already has the fourth-most rushing yards in a single season with 1,678 with a pair of games remaining. His 167.8 yards and 181 yards from scrimmage per game all rank second in the nation.
He’s third in rushing yards per carry (7.84), tied for 14th in rushing touchdowns (12) and tied for 18th in total touchdowns (12) nationally this season.
Coleman is joined by Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah and Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon as representatives of the Big Ten for the award.
Members of the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will determine three finalists to be named Nov. 25.
A second vote by the same committee will determine a winner to be announced live on the Home Depot College Football Awards show Dec. 11 on ESPN.
Sam Beishuizen
