Nebraska Football: Mills has great chance to win Doak Walker Award

Dedrick Mills could represent Nebraska football in a big way.

As the preseason awards get rolling, a Nebraska football player has been nominated among the best of the best. Dedrick Mills has been placed on the Doak Walker Award list.

For perspective, no Nebraska football player has won the award, given to the nation’s top running back. Ameer Abdullah was a finalist for the award in the 2014 season.

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When you think about it, Mills certainly deserves to be in the conversation for the award. Playing in a new offense last season, he had trouble getting adjusted to things in the beginning. However, once he found his groove, he began to turn it on. He would finish the year with 745 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.

As I’m sure you’ve heard me reference multiple times, his game against Wisconsin showed what he could do.

If he can have multiple games like the Wisconsin game, then he definitely has a shot at winning the award. His run style also gives him a chance to do so. As soon as he finds that open hole, it’s like stopping a moving train. He is a power runner in every sense of the word, and his running style was particularly helpful in the red zone. He was a guaranteed touchdown.

This year, Nebraska football will have ample running back talent behind Mills. Obviously, Mills is going to be the starter. However, they won’t have to rely on him as much as they did last year. Nevertheless, he is still going to be a huge part of their offense.

I expect him to get a lot of carries, and for him to control the pace of the game. As we saw last year, he is not going to be a running back that will make defenders mess with speed consistently. He will however get the tough yards, and make things work on those third-and-short plays.

It would be awesome for the Nebraska football program and Mills if he won the award. Nebraska certainly has a history of churning out great running backs. If he has a great senior season, Mills would definitely be in the conversation of great Husker running backs. He certainly left a mark in his first year with the program.

Now, it is time to see what he can do in (hopefully) his second year. If he can outdo his first act with Nebraska, his second year will certainly be one to remember.