Nebraska Football: What Wisconsin Means for Ameer Abdullah's Heisman Chances

Nebraska and Wisconsin football fans have waited several weeks to see Ameer Abdullah and Melvin Gordon face off. When the Huskers head to Camp Randall for this week's round of college football games, that matchup will finally take place.

However, there's another story happening at the same time. For Abdullah, his Heisman chances will be greatly impacted by how he fares against Wisconsin. It may not be what fans are watching for, but it's still important.

Abdullah has had an impressive 2014 season so far. It's one that has landed him on Heisman watch lists week to week. It's one that also requires him to remain impressive for the last three weeks of Nebraska's regular season.

Against Wisconsin, is that possible? The odds may feel stacked against Abdullah. After all, an MCL sprain took him out of the Purdue game. He was left with one rushing yard on six attempts, which is easily the biggest outlier of Abdullah's season.

That means his performance against the Badgers needs to be strong. Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen hopes Abdullah is well enough to put up a good fight.

"Given the class act he is," Andersen told the media. "I truly hope he is 100 percent."

During the 2014 season, Abdullah has four games where he surpassed the 200-rushing yard mark. Those were Florida Atlantic (232), Miami (229), Illinois (208) and Rutgers (225). He's only had three games with less than 100 yards, and those were McNeese State (54), Michigan State (45) and Purdue (1). At this point in the season, the senior has 1,250 yards and 17 touchdowns.

While impressive, that's not going to be enough to earn Abdullah an invite to New York City. An impressive win (or showing, even if the Huskers lose) would help his case significantly. That's easier said than done, though.

Wisconsin knows what it needs to do to beat Nebraska. Looking at the Huskers' sole loss to the Spartans as well as the games where the team struggled, there is one common denominator: Abdullah. When his yards are limited, the Huskers struggle (like Michigan State and McNeese State). When he's given all the room to run, Nebraska's offense (and team as a whole) fare much better.

That means Wisconsin's defense is going to target Abdullah. It'll want to stop him and limit him. However, Abdullah and the Nebraska offense will have to find a way to ensure he gets the yards he needs. Abdullah is working hard to ensure that happens.

“I think he’s probably worked in the last week and a half as hard as I’ve seen him in a long time,” Nebraska offensive coordinator Tim Beck said. “He’s very determined to do everything he can to be 100 percent for the game.”

Obviously the injury to Abdullah's knee will remain a concern. As Mitch Sherman of ESPN.com pointed out, "MCL injuries are tricky. To be clear, it’s a partial tear -- by definition, that’s a sprain -- so it could get worse if he moves the wrong way on that leg. "

That alone makes the Wisconsin game a big one for Abdullah. It's hard to tell how his knee will respond until he's actually playing on it. In practice, Beck felt Abdullah "looked good," according to the Omaha World-Herald (h/t CBSSports.com). 

When all eyes are on the matchup of Abdullah and Gordon, fans should take a moment to pay attention to Abdullah's bigger storyline. How he fares against Wisconsin could easily seal his fate one way or another as a Heisman candidate.

Abdullah has made a career at Nebraska by doing everything he can to lead Nebraska to victory. Against Wisconsin, he has a chance to do just that while also booking his flight to New York City in December.