Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor, July 15, 2013

The 2013 MLB Home Run Derby is tonight, so I thought it would be fun to consider the Big Ten's best home-run hitters. On the gridiron, that is. Who's in the running? A quarterback tops my list, which can be seen in this post.

1. Braxton Miller, Ohio State – There are some players who can take it to the house every time hand meets pigskin, and Miller – he of TD runs of 37, 55, 65 and 67 yards last year – is the Big Ten's most electrifying longball threat.

2. Taylor Martinez, Nebraska – Martinez doesn't get the fanfare of Braxton Miller, but he had three running scores last year longer than the Ohio State star's longest, including a  conference-best 92-yarder.

3. Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin – If you missed Gordon's Big Ten title game performance (9 car., 216 yards), you're probably scratching your head at this one. Stop. Enjoy Gordon's breakaway speed now.

4. Venric Mark, Northwestern – No Big Ten running back to eclipse 1,000 yards averaged more yards per carry than Mark (6.0), who doubles as a dynamic punt returner (82-yard TD at Syracuse; 75-yard TD at Penn State).

5. Kenny Bell, Nebraska – This is impressive: Bell averaged 17.3 yards per reception last season. This is even more impressive: the WR averaged 37 yards on his eight touchdown grabs, the shortest being a 25-yarder.

Honorable mention: Shane Wynn, Indiana; Jeremy Gallon, Michigan; Devin Smith, Ohio State; Akeem Hunt, Purdue; James White, Wisconsin.

About Brent Yarina BTN.com web editor Brent Yarina covers football and men's basketball for BTN.com. He writes the popular uniform feature "Clothes Call," which also focuses on the latest cosmetic changes across Big Ten arenas and stadiums. Read all of his work here. You can subscribe to Yarina's RSS feed and follow him on Twitter @BTNBrentYarina.