Nebraska Football: Abdullah's Heisman Run in High Gear as Big Ten Play Begins

When the Nebraska Cornhuskers launched a Heisman campaign for I-back Ameer Abdullah, they kept the tagline simple: Fear Ameer. Against Miami, Abdullah lived up to it.

The senior rushed for 229 yards on 35 attempts for two touchdowns. He also added a three-yard touchdown reception to his game statistics for the night.

Folks, like myself, predicted Abdullah would have a quieter day against Miami's front seven. Instead, he proved that, regardless of opponent, he can move the ball.

By the end of the game, the Heisman talk was louder than ever, as Alex Donno of 560 WQAM made clear.

It's time to take Abdullah seriously for the Heisman. With Big Ten play here, many expect him to do just that, like Tom Fornelli of CBSSports.com said:

"

Ameer Abdullah gets to play Illinois next week so get ready to rewrite some rushing records.

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) September 21, 2014"

However, Abdullah knows he and his team can't take any opponent lightly. As Nebraska fights to make it to the Big Ten Championship, overlooking opponents cannot happen.

"We're 0-0 right now," Abdullah said. "It's a new schedule every time we play. Big Ten play is next week and we're 4-0, we've got a lot of experience right now but we have a long journey ahead of us."

If Abdullah wants a shot at winning the Heisman, his campaign will rely on the success of his team going forward. With the Big Ten's rough showing to date through non-conference play, the conference isn't doing him many favors. He and the Huskers will have to make up for it.

Head coach Bo Pelini is confident in Abdullah's abilities, though. Against Miami, Pelini believed Abdullah put it all out on the field for the team.

"I've been around a lot of football," Pelini said. "No. 8 showed how special he is tonight. He ran like a man possessed."

Quarterback Tommy Armstrong agreed. "He's being Ameer," Armstrong said. "First three games, he's been doing the same thing."

While Abdullah downplayed his success in the post-game press conference, he had a big night. The senior increased his career all-purpose yardage total to 5,762 yards, which made him Nebraska’s new career all-purpose yards leader. He surpassed 1972 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers to do so.

Additionally, Abdullah's 229 rushing yards against Miami increased his career rushing total to 3,602 and moved him into third place on the Huskers' career rushing list.

These statistics show Abdullah isn't slowing down anytime soon. As he pushes forward as the Huskers' workhorse, Big Ten teams are going to need to be ready.

"The game of football is about passion," Abdullah said.

And that passion is exactly what's putting his Heisman campaign in high gear.

All quotes and statistics were obtained firsthand via the Huskers' post-game press conference, unless otherwise noted.