Cameron Artis-Payne: I'd rush for 2,000 yards in Big Ten

TAMPA – Melvin Gordon and Cameron Artis-Payne, two of the nation's best running backs, will lead Wisconsin and Auburn to battle at high noon on Jan. 1 in the Outback Bowl.

Before they'll take the field at Raymond James stadium, the pair of headline writing workhorses began bowl week with a war of words.

Artis-Payne, the SEC's leading rusher (1,482 yards) has felt overlooked all year, especially compared to Gordon, Indiana's Tevin Coleman and Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah. All three Big Ten back were finalists for the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back, which Artis-Payne was a semifinalist for and Gordon won.

"I mean to be the No. 1 rusher in the SEC I didn't get too much respect but I mean hey, that don't really matter to me," said Artis-Payne, who scored 11 rushing touchdowns. "I guess I just ain't the biggest media attraction. I play football pretty well if you ask me, but we'll see."

Following his 129-yard outing against Samford, Artis-Payne said he would've liked to play against Illinois, Northwestern and Rutgers, as Gordon did and was able to pad his stats against the Big Ten's worst teams.

Artis-Payne stood by his comments this week, throwing another of the Midwest's cellar dwellers in for good measure in a game week salvo, and believes he would've topped 2,000 yards in the Big Ten just like Gordon, the nation's leading rusher (2,336 yards), and Coleman (2,036) did.

"I still would've (liked to play) Illinois, Northwestern, Purdue, I mean it would've been great," Artis-Payne said. "We're not playing against that type of team. We're playing against a great Big Ten opponent. Wisconsin is solid the whole way around They got a great offense, they got a great defense and it's going to be a battle once we get out there."

So is Artis-Payne saying the competition for Gordon was easy? Even the Badgers tailback wanted to know.

"I'm not going to say that. I'm not going to say that," Artis-Payne said with a grin. "I'm going to just say I would've loved to play against Northwestern, Illinois and Purdue."

Artis-Payne's SEC-best 221 yards came against Texas A&M's pitiful rush defense, and he did struggle with the better run defenses of Kansas State (63), Alabama (77) and Mississippi State (70).

Gordon had 175 yards against Illinois, 259 against Northwestern and 128 against Rutgers, and posted 140 yards against LSU compared to Artis-Payne's 124. The Badgers running back is coming off a just 76-yard performance against Ohio State.

Gordon wasn't even familiar with Artis-Payne when asked about him by name this week.

"Who?" Gordon responded.

It wasn't a shot at Auburn's running back, merely a lack of knowledge of all the SEC's players as Gordon went on to explain.

"I didn't follow too much with the SEC," Gordon said. "I kind of follow some of the players and I kind of just focused on the teams that we were playing. … I don't watch the offense of Auburn so I wouldn't really know how good he is. If he's leading the SEC you've got to be pretty good. … Looked pretty explosive.

"We're definitely going to compete out there. It would be crazy to say we aren't. You want to be the best back on the field, so me and him are definitely going to compete."

Arriving as the nation's top JUCO running back, Artis-Payne had to wait behind Tre Mason before taking over as the lead back for the Tigers. Once he did, the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania native made sure there wasn't a drop off in production.

"CAP's played with a chip on his shoulder since he got here, including last year," offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said. "I think that when he got his opportunity this year to be 'the guy,' he seized it. You're always happy when your guys have success, but someone like CAP, who does everything right and who's a great teammate, as a coach, it's really fulfilling to see him have the success he's had. He deserves everything he's got."

After two years "on the couch" after high school, a year at a prep school, two seasons at Allan Hancock Community College in California and now two seasons at Auburn, Artis-Payne's college career is coming to an end with the top head-to-head competition he could ask for.

"I'm driven 24/7 so just having another great back across from me that's supposed to be the best, I mean it's icing on the cake," he said. "It's the way I'd like to go out."

Auburn safeties coach and interim defensive coordinator Charlie Harbison felt Gordon, who finished second in Heisman voting, was comparable to Georgia's Nick Chubb and Todd Gurley. The Tigers defense is focused on playing downhill and staying gap sound to prevent open lanes.

"He does some things where you think he may be tackled and he's still trucking along," defensive lineman Gabe Wright said. "That's typically the sign of a great running back to me – guys that just refuse to be tackled by one or two guys – and I think that's something that he possesses."

Asked if Artis-Payne's remarks will add some fuel to Thursday's game, Gordon, was confident in his abilities regardless of the competition.

"I went for 140 on LSU so I mean you could call it what you want, I can't help that I'm in the Big Ten conference," Gordon said. "It is what it is. We're going to compete. I feel like I could do what I do if I was in the SEC, PAC-(12), whatever conference I was in. I feel like it really wouldn't make a difference. I could feel where he coming from though; he can't help but to feel that way."