RB Anderson Staying at Northwestern

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) â€” Look out Big Ten, Northwestern running back Damien Anderson is coming back. <br><br>The nation's No. 2 rusher announced Friday he will return to Northwestern for his senior

Friday, January 12th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) â€” Look out Big Ten, Northwestern running back Damien Anderson is coming back.

The nation's No. 2 rusher announced Friday he will return to Northwestern for his senior year rather than enter the NFL draft. Friday was the deadline for early entries to the draft.

``After much deliberation, talking to my family, teammates and with the advice of coach Walker, I will be returning to Northwestern,'' Anderson said at a news conference with NU coach Randy Walker sitting at his side. ``It really wasn't a hard decision. I just had to follow where my heart was at.''

Anderson's breakout, All-American season sparked a surprising run for the Wildcats, who won a share of the Big Ten title after most had picked them to finish near the bottom of the conference.

He rushed for a school-record 1,914 yards and set Northwestern marks with 22 touchdowns and 132 points scored. Only TCU's LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for more yardage (2,158 yards).

Anderson redshirted his freshman year and is on track to receive his degree in communications studies this spring. But there are plenty of other reasons for him to stay at Northwestern one more year.

After finishing fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting last season, he's sure to be an early favorite next year. He's also 215 yards shy of breaking Northwestern's career rushing record, set by Darnell Autry from 1994-96. Anderson has 3,579 yards rushing in three years.

The Wildcats also want to prove last season wasn't a fluke. Though they won a share of the Big Ten title and played in their first bowl game in four years, they didn't go to the Rose Bowl and were embarrassed 66-17 by Nebraska in the Alamo Bowl.

Anderson's return ensures that Northwestern will again be one of the teams to beat in the Big Ten next year. The Wildcats return almost all of the starters from their high-powered offense, which averaged almost 476 yards a game.