Melvin Gordon vs. Bowling Green: Stat Line, Highlights, Twitter Reaction

Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon had a disappointing performance against Western Illinois in Week 2, but it's safe to say he bounced back with his absolutely dominant performance against Bowling Green on Saturday.

The junior halfback posted four touchdowns in the first half, three of them in the second quarter. He ripped through the Bowling Green defense with incredible ease. His biggest string of highlight-worthy moves in the first half came on a fantastic 50-yard touchdown run.

Take a look at the play, courtesy of ESPN:

He topped that play with a 69-yard scoring run early in the third quarter. Here is a look at Gordon's final stats:

CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	REC	REC YDS
13	253	19.5	5	1	5

Gordon's first-half fumble provided much-needed evidence that he is indeed a mere mortal, but that fact will likely be overlooked in the wake of this game. His yards-per-carry average against Bowling Green was certifiably absurd and ample justification for the reaction from football observers on Twitter.

Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith noted that Gordon set a record during this contest:

Sportswriter Ivan Carter recalled the halcyon days of Ron Dayne's Wisconsin career while watching Gordon wreak havoc against Bowling Green:

Gordon's performance rendered useless the descriptive powers of Fox Sports Wisconsin's Jesse Temple:

Gordon earned a well-deserved break for the majority of the second half, preserving his outlandish statistics. His return to form is a welcome sight for the Wisconsin faithful. Gordon put up just 38 yards against Western Illinois after a strong start to the season against LSU. The tepid performance motivated Gordon to prove the naysayers wrong, at the expense of the Falcons' defense.

"I was motivated. I heard a lot of people doubting me saying 'I can't do this, I can't do that,'" he said, via Genaro C. Armas of The Associated Press. "That definitely motivated me to get out there and do what I needed to do."

He has yet to garner more than 20 carries in a game this season, which is a bit strange considering the Badgers have yet to establish a passing game.

Quarterback Tanner McEvoy looked much better as a runner than as a passer against the Falcons, but his ability to carry the ball shouldn't prevent the Badgers from getting the ball in Gordon's hands a bit more often as the season moves along. If this squad is to have success in the Big Ten in 2014, it will be with a clock-eating rushing offense centered on Gordon's considerable talents and a stifling defense.