When redshirt sophomore Melvin Gordon took the field for his first drive of the game with 8:07 left in first quarter, he quickly added to the case that he should be the featured back for Wisconsin as it heads into the bulk of its Big Ten schedule in the coming weeks.

In a matter of three minutes and 49 seconds, Gordon helped drive the Badgers nearly the length of the field (95 yards) — amassing 55 yards on 5 plays and scoring the first touchdown of the game for Wisconsin.

All the while, twitter was lighting up with tweets using the hashtag #MG3 as the debate over whether or not head coach Gary Andersen’s decision to platoon Gordon with senior James White once again moved to the forefront of fans’ minds — this time with a bit more intensity.

After all, surely this running back situation needs to be figured out for good by next week when Wisconsin travels to Columbus to take on No. 4 Ohio State, right?

But then after a three-and-out by Purdue on the following drive, Wisconsin had the ball again, except this time with White in the backfield.

Almost as if trying to remind Wisconsin fans that he shouldn’t be forgotten about just yet, White burst out for a 70-yard touchdown run on his second run of the drive.

For the rest of the afternoon, it was game on as both running backs battled to prove their worth in the Wisconsin offensive scheme.

By the end, after the dust had settled, both had finished with more than 100 yards each and 4 touchdowns between them.

So while the debate will likely continue over Andersen’s decision to keep White as the “starting” running back despite a solid outing for the veteran, the whole argument seems pointless in the first place.

For Wisconsin to be successful, both players need to see the field and lots of it.

They say when someone is placed in a do-or-die situation they either react with fight or flight.

If today was any indication — with their number of carries for future games seemingly on the line — White and Gordon both showed their hand, and guess what, they’re both fighters.

After the game, White summed up their competition best and the dynamic it creates.

“We all work hard during practice,” White said. “We try to be complete backs whether that’s making guys miss, putting our shoulders down, picking up blitzes. We go out there and work hard during practice and it shows up on Saturdays.”

It certainly does.

Both running backs earned every one of their 16 carries each as Gordon finished with 147 yards and White with 145 yards, and it’s about time that MG3 backers, and more generally Wisconsin football fans, realize this is for the best.

Wisconsin’s ability to share carries between two, sometimes even three running backs — don’t forget about freshman Corey Clement — is a great strength for a team that will need to rely heavily on the run game throughout the duration of the Big Ten season (yep, Stave is still showing signs of red-green colorblindness as he misses his Cardinal and White receivers left and right on the green field).

Beyond the very obvious advantage of being able to keep players rested and being able to prevent one running back from taking the bulk of the tackles and hard hits throughout the fall, having two running backs such as White and Gordon has added a new dimension to a running game that is used to chugging along down the field and wearing down its opponents on the way.

This year, following a similar trend to last year, the only word to describe the Wisconsin backfield has been explosive.

In Saturday’s game against Purdue, all three running backs had a long run of more than 25 yards, and coming in to the game, Gordon was averaging an astounding 36.4 yards per touchdown run.

While stats like these can be deceiving when you have outliers like his 80-yard touchdown run against Arizona State last weekend, the point remains: fresh running backs are game changers.

Despite having 24 fewer carries than Rutgers running back James Paul, Gordon still sits just 15 yards behind the nation’s leading rusher through the first four games.

Even better, both White and Gordon continue to complement each other well.

Sure, Gordon has proved that he is more than capable of running in between the tackles this year — plays that used to be reserved solely for White — but keeping White as an important cog in the attack keeps both backs hungry.

Don’t believe me, just look at White’s record.

In his career, White has eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark 12 times. Every single time that he has done so, however, a teammate has done the same.

To put it more simply: James White’s ability to push his teammates to have big games is just as important as his ability to do it himself.

James White did struggle against Arizona State, managing only 45 yards in the heartbreaking loss, but to push White into the background in order to open up more carries for Gordon won’t solve anything.

In fact, it may only make it worse.

Nick is a senior majoring in journalism and political science. Think Gordon as the feature back is the answer for Wisconsin this season? Let him know on twitter @np_daniels or via email at [email protected].