The following is a press release courtesy of Iowa State athletics communications.
DALLAS – Iowa State freshman running back Mike Warren has garnered national attention with his recent performances on the gridiron. The Doak Walker Award has also taken notice, adding the Cyclone rookie to its watch list. He is the only freshman candidate.
The Doak Walker Award was established in 1989 and is given annually to the nation’s premier running back.
The nation’s freshman leader in rushing with 797 yards, Warren has sparked the ISU ground game since being inserted into the starting lineup vs. Toledo in week 3 of the college football season.
Since that time, Warren has the third-best rushing per game average in the nation (153.8), trailing only LSU’s Leonard Fournette (198.8) and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey (165.8).
The Lawton, Okla., native already possesses ISU’s single-season freshman rushing record (797) and owns four of the top-11 freshman single-game rushing marks in school history, including an ISU freshman-record 245 yards at Texas Tech.
His 245-yard performance vs. the Red Raiders ranks No. 1 among all FBS freshman this season and is the eighth-best effort in ISU history.
Warren has four 100-yard rushing performances in his last five games, leading the Big 12 Conference in rushing (league games only) at 160.8. He currently ranks 19th nationally in yards per game (113.9) and 19th nationally in yards per carry (6.6).
