Cowboys understand how quickly Chargers RB Melvin Gordon can take over a game

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Maliek Collins doesn’t have fond memories of Melvin Gordon.

Collins happened to be on the wrong side of things when Gordon set an NCAA record for most rushing yards in a game back in 2014. Gordon, the former Wisconsin Badgers back, torched Collins and the Nebraska defense as badly as any running back in college history.

Gordon rushed for 408 yards on 25 carries, including four touchdown runs. That’s an average of 16.3 yards a carry.

“It was horrible,” Collins recalled earlier this week. “He’s a hard runner. He has underrated speed. He’s a baller. We’ve got to stop the run this week.”

Gordon is now starring for the Los Angeles Chargers, who make a Thanksgiving visit against Collins and the Cowboys on Thursday.

As Collins said repeatedly, the Cowboys have to stop the run. It’s something they excelled at a year ago.

The Cowboys had the top-ranked run defense in 2016, holding opponents to 83.5 yards a game on the ground.

That hasn’t carried into this season. The Cowboys rank 21st in the league, giving up an average of 115.7 yards a game. The low point came last Sunday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles ran wild for 215 yards, the most the Cowboys have given up since late in the 2015 season when the Bills rushed for 236 yards.

“That was very frustrating,” Collins said of the Eagles performance. “We’ve got to put that stuff behind us.”

Collins and the rest of the defense understand the challenge they face to get it turned around this week, especially with linebacker Sean Lee sidelined another game with a hamstring injury.

The Cowboys defense still can’t seem to figure out how to function without Lee. With Lee in the game, the Cowboys have allowed 87.7 yards a game. Without him, they’ve allowed more than double the rushing yards (181).

Linebacker Jaylon Smith said the team simply has to execute better, particularly in the second half.

“We’ve got to do it for 60 minutes,” Smith said. “First half [against Philadelphia] we came out and played tremendous. Second half they got to us. They got the best of us. It’s something that we have to really put together a full game.

“It’s something we’ve been working on and looking forward to do Thursday.”

The Chargers rank only 25th in the league in rushing, but appear to be hitting their stride. They have rushed for more than 145 yards in two of their last three games.

Gordon has battled through a few injuries and been LA’s workhorse this season, rushing for 633 yards with two 100-yard games and five touchdowns. Undrafted rookie Austin Ekeler has served as the Chargers’ change-of-pace back and has averaged more than 5 yards a carry.

But it all starts with slowing down Gordon, a running back Chargers coach Anthony Lynn described as “a violent, physical runner.”

“He’s a good back. He’s one of the best in the league in my eyes,” said linebacker Anthony Hitchens, the Iowa product who also faced Gordon in college.

“He can stretch the field. He can catch out of the backfield. He’s a bigger guy. It’s going to be another task for us.”

Added Smith: “He’s a big challenge. He’s the full package. He’s quick, explosive, can really move well. So it’s going to take everyone to be on their Ps and Qs and execute. Eliminate the mental errors.”

This story was originally published November 23, 2017 at 1:13 PM with the headline "Cowboys understand how quickly Chargers RB Melvin Gordon can take over a game."