If you haven't settled into a finals routine yet in your career as a Badger, it's time to create one. The studying well for high stress tests is to feel a sense of calm while studying. Make this routine your happy place. When you get stressed thinking about finals, just remember that you are on schedule and in the same routine that has brought you success in the past. You won't be nervous if you're well prepared and you're comfortable in your preparation.

My personal finals week routine I have done every day of finals week for three years:

1. Have a Jimmie Johns #9 with hot peppers for lunch 

2. Study in an empty classroom at Ehall 

3. Watch at least three episodes of "The Office" on Netflix

What's yours? Comment below and let me know.

From Trevon Hughes to Jordan Taylor, the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team has had its share of explosive scoring guards in recent years. Freshman guard Ben Brust will look to add his name to that impressive list before his time in Madison comes to an end.

Brust played his high school ball at Mundelein High School in Mundelein, IL, where he scored 27.5 points per game in his senior season. He deservedly received plenty of attention by basketball programs throughout the nation before committing to Bo Ryan's Badgers.

However, as is the case with all freshmen, Brust must now attempt to make the challenging transition from high school basketball, where he was a star, to college basketball, where he is a player looking to prove that he has the work ethic necessary to become a solid player.

According to Brust, the biggest obstacle in terms of adjusting to the college game has been the rapid tempo of the game relative to high school basketball.

"Everything is just a step faster," Brust said. "Your decision-making has to be a little quicker in order to keep up."

However, despite the challenges that lie ahead of Brust, associate head coach Greg Gard believes Brust has the skills, attitude, and drive needed to become a key player for the Badgers.

"His work ethic is very good and I think that's where his positive personality helps him so much," Gard said. "He doesn't seem to have a lot of peaks and valleys in terms of what he brings everyday to practice. He's always ready to go and doesn't seem to have a down day which will help him when he gets older because there will be times when he will struggle and shots won't fall for him and I think he's pretty well built mentally and works hard enough to handle all those things."

Brust's natural talent has also impressed teammates, including star junior guard Jordan Taylor.

"Ben is a scorer," Taylor said. "He can score in a lot of different ways. He can take it to the rim and slash with the ball. He's made a large variety of shots that I almost didn't even know existed, to be honest."

Despite his heralded scoring ability, Gard noted that one big adjustment for Brust will be improving his defending due to the differences in what is required of players at the two levels.

"I think one thing high school players go through in terms of transition is recognizing the importance of every possession, not just offensively and taking care of the ball and getting good shots, but defensively too," Gard said. "A lot of times star players in high school don't have to play great defense and are often not put on the opposing team's best player in order to protect them and keep them out of foul trouble, whereas on this level you have to guard everybody and I think that's been one adjustment for him."

Only time will tell if Ben Brust will develop into the player he is clearly capable of becoming. If he continues to put in the work and keep his spirits up, he certainly has the talent to get more minutes and eventually break into the Wisconsin starting lineup.

As Taylor said, "The sky is the limit for Ben."

The Heartland Trophy, which the Badgers play for this Saturday when they travel to Iowa City to face the Hawkeyes, exhibits a large golden bull fixed on a walnut base. When asked what animal he would like to see mounted on the trophy, freshman running back James White responded with an animal that exhibits his style of play.

"I don't know, a cheetah," White said.

White's response came of no surprise to fellow running back and reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year John Clay.

"Because he's fast, that's why he'd say that," Clay responded.

A true freshman from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. and a product of high school football powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas, White has quickly caught the attention the Badger faithful. James has amassed 560 yards for an impressive seven yards per carry this season behind the starter Clay.

Last Saturday it was not only Badger fans who queued in to White but the entire nation. His 12-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter helped seal the win over the number one team in the nation, the Ohio State Buckeyes.

"It's something you are going to cherish forever," White said of the win and his score. "I don't know what was going through my mind. You can see by the way I celebrated. I was talking on the sideline, I had a planned celebration but it didn't work. I just did some random stuff. It was just a great feeling to get into the end zone."

At 5 feet 10 inches tall and 198 pounds, physically White offers a complete change of pace to compliment the team's powerful rushing leader in the 248-pound Clay. Their rushing styles emulate their physical tools, with Clay being tabbed the bruising back and White the speedster.

Working the sidelines and alluding unblocked defenders are two traits White exhibited against Ohio State Saturday, splitting two defenders on his trip to the end zone. His 4.43 40-yard dash speed, smaller frame, and sideline-to-sideline running abilities are not characteristic of many of the great backs in Wisconsin's storied history at the position.

"He has great hands," running backs coach John Settle said. "I think the one thing we can do as an offense is probably try to isolate him one on one in the open space, get him a chance to catch a few balls and then let his creativity take over."

This weekend when he travels to Iowa, White will face a team that heavily recruited him out of high school but dropped their offer after filling up their roster with other running backs. White who acknowledged that he talked to the Iowa coaching staff and considered playing for the Hawkeyes.

Now a proud Badger, calling Madison his "home away from home," White is still excited to show the Hawkeyes his game on Saturday. However, he maintains that he has a job to do and that it is important to stay within the coach's game plan.

Coach Settle also raved about White's maturity level as a reason for his success and continuing maturation.

"From the time that he's stepped foot on campus, he's shown that he can handle just about anything you throw at him," Settle said. "He never got overwhelmed by anything as far as installation, installing plays, the amount of plays that we install, [he] never got intimidated by practice time, by going against that the one's. He was always ahead of the curve so to speak. So I guess when you look at him nothing really surprises you."

Despite the impressive statistics go and his ability to have an impact on an already strong, veteran backfield as a freshman, James White remains humble.

"I mean I dreamed of [success as a freshman], but I never thought it would happen," White said. "I'm just taking it in, taking it all in and just keep, staying level headed, keep working hard."

Against Ohio State, the Badgers found a perfect state of equilibrium between their "thunder and lightening" backs. They will need to continue utilizing the combination of the two players' unique skills if they are to maintain the momentum from knocking off the Buckeyes last weekend.

If they come away with a win in Iowa City and the freshman continues to rack up yards and touchdowns, White could find himself collecting postseason hardware with a Big Ten Freshman of the Year Award to go along with a Heartland Trophy.

"You play to win the game."

Those words became famous during a 2002 postgame press conference of then New York Jets coach Herm Edwards. Obviously every team in the NFL is playing to win the game each and every week, but luckily, fantasy football isn't always about teams winning. In fact, over half of the top 15 fantasy performances in Week 5 came in losing efforts. The complexity of fantasy football becomes clear when fantasy owners with several losing players still win their matchups.

Two of those top performances in losses came from AFC West wide receivers Malcom Floyd and Brandon Lloyd. Floyd is one of San Diego's best wide receivers, and Lloyd is Kyle Orton's favorite target in Denver. While looking into their statistics from this season, it is easy to see that their rhyming last names aren't the only connection between Lloyd and Floyd.

The two receivers have been surprises in the fantasy world this season, and are both in the top three in receiving yards on the year. Lloyd is the league leader, and is benefitting the most from the departure of former Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall. He has put together four 100-yard receiving games on the season, including three straight.

However, Lloyd was outdone by Floyd on Sunday. Floyd lit up the Raiders' defense while the Chargers attempted to dig their way out of a large first quarter deficit. One touchdown and 213 receiving yards on the day weren't enough to pull out the victory, as the Raiders won by eight. Floyd isn't always the first option in San Diego with star tight end Antonio Gates on the field. He has lived up to his preseason sleeper status though, averaging 13 points per week.

Week 5 could have easily been called the week of the kicker, as four kickers scored 15 or more fantasy points. One of the kickers, Josh Scobee of the Jacksonville Jaguars posted 22 points and wound up in the week's top ten scorers! Kickers are usually the least valued position fantasy wise, but just as they can win or lose a game for an NFL team, they can do the same for a fantasy squad. The most valuable fantasy kickers are generally on a team with a good offense, one that will give that kicker plenty of scoring opportunities. It also generally helps if that team wins, as the top five scoring kickers in Week 5 all kicked for winning teams.

Must starts were much definitely more consistent in Week 5 than in Week 4. Although Joe Flacco failed to throw a touchdown or gain 200 passing yards, he did rush for 20 yards and a score. Zach Miller had a solid week against the Chargers, scoring 12 fantasy points with a touchdown and 62 receiving yards.

Vince Young is going to be the best bet for many fantasy owners in Week 6. Though Young isn't always the best fantasy play at QB, he is facing the Jaguars on Monday night. The Jaguars have one of the leagues worst pass defenses, and have consistently been giving up multiple passing touchdowns since Week 2.

Joining Young among this week's must starts is his former teammate at the University of Texas, Jamaal Charles. This Sunday, Charles faces the Texans and a defense that has given up rushing touchdowns in four straight games. Charles has become a must start this week mainly because Kansas City is showing more confidence in their speedy running back. Last week was the first time this season that Charles was given the majority of the rushing attempts out of the Chiefs backfield. He earned those carries, averaging more than five yards per rush in Week 5. Look for more of the same from Charles in Week 6.

The fantasy world will undergo a bit of a shake up this week with the long awaited return of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger has always been a solid fantasy quarterback, throwing for over 3000 yards in each of the past four seasons. He likely won't eclipse that mark this season since he missed the Steelers first four games. Roethlisberger will, however, augment the fantasy production of Steelers receivers Hines Ward and Mike Wallace, as well as tight end Heath Miller.

Players like Roethlisberger coming back from suspension, players fighting an injury like Ryan Matthews, and players checking out for bye weeks like Larry Fitzgerald have a major effect on the fantasy landscape each week. They prove that fantasy owners should always be looking for ways to improve their team. Looking into the future is a large element of a fantasy championship, so if in the NFL, "You play to win the game," then in fantasy football," You change to win the game."

One tackle against San Jose State two weekends ago may not be a statistic that jumps out at anyone who reads the box score, but for true freshman defensive lineman Beau Allen, it was an exciting moment that he will never forget.

The Minnetonka, MN native hopes there will be a lot more tackles that Badger fans will remember in the years to come. But right now Allen has a lot more things on his mind than just football, like his Econ 101 homework.

"You have to be disciplined. I can't just go to bed; I have to go home and do chapter four of my econ homework tonight," Allen said. "I can't just play Halo: Reach either."

While a lot of Allen's fellow freshmen are playing Halo, he is trying to stay focused on making that big jump on the field from the high school to collegiate level.

Allen comes to Wisconsin as a highly touted prospect. He was a finalist for Minnesota's Mr. Football, and according to Rivals, the fifth best prospect coming out of Minnesota. He realizes that things are different now, and that it's not just the change in speed of the game that everyone talks about.

"Focusing on the little things is important," he said. "If you take a bad step in high school you can correct yourself just by using your power or your size, but in college you can get buried by being off one inch with your footwork."

Allen's main goal right now is to increase his production on the field and become a better player overall.

"I have only had that one tackle in about 40 snaps," Allen said. "I just want to get more tackles, more pressures [on the quarterback] and focus on the little things so that I can improve my technique."

Defensive line coach Charlie Partridge agreed with Allen's assessment but feels that he also has a lot of potential.

"The way he approaches the game and works on his fundamentals gives him a chance to be successful," Partridge said. "Freshmen like Beau need the drill work; thousands and thousands of reps to build muscle memory so that when they are out there they don't have to think about it."

Although Allen may have some work to do to achieve the results he desires, junior defensive lineman J.J. Watt has been impressed by what he has seen of Allen so far.

"He is one of the most college-ready defensive tackles that I've seen come out of high school," Watt said. "He's only 18 or 19 years old and he already has a Big Ten, defensive tackle's body along with some great technique and footwork."

However, his impressive size and skills don't keep Allen from escaping the typical freshman treatment.

"He's not allowed to ride in the elevator or sit on the leather couches," Watt added.

Watt also mentioned that the team has nicknamed him "The Polar Bear" because of his apparent likeness to those in the Coca-Cola commercials.

What Allen may not realize about being kept from riding the elevator is those extra stairs may help him with the little things, like his footwork, that are so important. That footwork will earn him more playing time, more production on the field and may even allow him to earn a spot on the coveted leather couches.

Ryan Evans is not your typical University of Wisconsin basketball player.

He's not from Wisconsin, he's not from the Midwest, and he was not a big-name high school recruit. Evans comes from Phoenix, Ariz., and was not really even recruited during his first three years of high school.

"I wasn't recruited at all until the end of my senior year, and all of a sudden a couple of Big Ten schools started taking some looks at me," Evans said.

Toward the end of his senior year, Evans received an offer from head coach Bo Ryan and UW. He signed almost immediately.

Yet, in his original plans, Evans expected to be somewhere far from Wisconsin.

"I was thinking I was going to be on the West Coast," Evans admits.

Evans was a surprise signing, as many people had no idea UW was even looking at him, and several recruiting services didn't even have a rating for him.

Additionally, Evans had made a quick adjustment from the heat of Arizona to Madison; something he admits has not been easy.

"It was real low until UW offered, and I just had to make that commitment," Evans said of the attention he was getting. "It's been real easy to adjust to everything -- everything except the weather."

Unlike most college coaches, Ryan allows his players to choose if they want to redshirt their freshmen year.

Evans opted for that route a year ago, giving him four years of eligibility left entering the 2009-10 season, but allowing him to be on campus last year.

This gave him the opportunity to learn by going against Wisconsin's starters last year. According to Evans, that experience is one he has benefited greatly from.

"It really was a great experience, going against Marcus (Landry) and Joe (Krabbenhoft) on a daily basis," he said. "That was huge for me and my game."

During this season, UW has featured three truly signature victories against Duke, Purdue, and Michigan State.

Although Evans didn't fill the stat sheet in those games, he played great defense and often due to his size, was covering the opposing teams' best big man.

"Those nights were real exciting -- the type of nights I'll be able to look back on," Evans said.

When Wisconsin junior forward Jon Leuer went down against Purdue on Jan. 9, it left a glaring hole that needed to be filled.

The hole was filled more by committee, which included moving Jordan Taylor to the starting lineup. However, this meant UW was going smaller and when they needed to go big, the man they looked toward more often than not was Evans.

"I felt I did a solid job, (but) every player feels like they could have done more," Evans said.

Being able to have quite a few more minutes really allowed Evans to progress as a player. Much of this was because minutes on the court in a live game are a lot different then practice minutes.

The UW basketball team is a really close knit group of guys both on and off the court. The teams chemistry can be seen on the court whether that be always ready to congratulate each other after a play, or the joking that occurs on the bench.

"We're all real close, doesn't really matter what year we are, we all meet up and eat and go to the movies," Evans said. "That's why our chemistry is so good on and off the court."

The most notable thing about Ryan Evans from a superficial standpoint is his hair. Evans sports a flat top that has not been seen since at least the 80s.

"My pops had it all my life and I had it once when I was younger," he said. "So, this year I just decided it was worth a try."

The flat top is so noticeable that many UW students are able to see him on campus, recognizing him solely by his hair. Hopefully, Evans' play on the court will be more recognizable than his hairstyle.

By Ian McCue

Redshirt freshman Brendan Kelly has had a tough start to his career. After just three games last season, the defensive end for the Badgers' football team suffered an injury that knocked him out for the rest of the season.

A recruit from Eden Prairie, Minn., Kelly has had much more of an impact on the team in his second year. He has seen action in six games in 2009, coming up with two tackles in the Badgers' impressive defensive showing against Purdue.

As it is for most college athletes, the jump from the high school to college level has been a major adjustment for Kelly, but one that he's enjoyed.

"It's definitely a different speed than high school, I'd say, it's a lot more fun, a lot more work, I think it's a lot more up-tempo," Kelly said. "Guys are just a lot bigger than high school. You could pretty much run anyone you want over in high school, college is, it's a different story."

The freshman defensive end also noted that the time commitment has been the hardest adjustment to the college game.

"In high school it's more of a, you know, it's a sport," he said. "In college it's a lifestyle."

Highly touted coming out of high school, Kelly says the coaching staff was what convinced him to choose Wisconsin over other schools.

"Coach Bielema and Coach Partridge, my D-Line coach, are the two big, the two great coaches here that really have a great legacy as being good people and good coaches," he added.

Kelly has gained a reputation among coaches and teammates as a hard-worker.

"He's a guy that works really hard--he overworks himself at times," senior defensive end O'Brien Schofield said. "He's very dedicated to what he does."

Partiridge also sees a lot of potential in Kelly and envisions him becoming a crucial part of the Badgers' defense in the future.

"Without question he's got a tremendous work ethic," Partridge said. "And his hand use, he does a great job with his hands."

After an impressive performance in the Purdue game, Kelly feels that the defense can continue to have such dominating performances.

"Preseason...a lot of people said that our defense wasn't going to be up to par," he said. "But, you know, we're one of those teams that, you say that and we're going to come out and try to prove you wrong."

Even with Kelly's recent success, Partridge believes improving his fundamental skills are key to his success.

"I think just continuing to get consistent with his initial footwork, which is a huge key for defensive linemen," Partridge said.

And though Kelly is not currently a starter, he remains confident in his abilities and believes he can take on an important role for the Badgers football team.

"I think I can come off the edge and give you good pass rush, I think I can play the run real well too. I can really give you, give the starters some breaks, you know, when they need it," Kelly added.

Schofield also sees a lot of potential in Kelly, and described him as "a good pass rusher and a very smart football player."

"I'm just happy with his progress," Partridge said. "Like I said, needs to continue to get a little bit better each time he's on the practice field and the game field."

By Jackson Dargan

Peter Konz came to Wisconsin as one of the top recruits in his class, figuring that he would play offensive tackle, offensive guard or even be moved the defensive line.

After redshirting his freshmen year, he entered the summer trying to compete with Josh Oglesby and Gabe Carimi as one of the offensive tackles. However, illness and injuries by the starting center gave him a few weeks of work at the center position during the summer.

With 11 minutes remaining in the first quarter of the game against Fresno State, starting center Travis Frederick went down with an ankle sprain forcing Konz into the starting position.

"I saw Travis go down, and then heard coach say, 'Konz get in there', it felt like a classic T.V. show moment," Konz said. "I realized that this was really it."

Standing on the sideline baffled at what was soon to transpire, he was quickly rushed to by Scott Tolzien.

"He told me that we can do some snaps, we can practice, it was a crazy experience."

As Konz ran out onto the Camp Randall field he felt a rush through his entire body.

"All I could think about was don't fumble, don't fumble, don't fumble and this well be good."

Having a strong performance filling in, and with Travis Frederick still injured, he got the start at center the next week. Along with getting the start, he also was able to practice with the first team offense.

"That week and the week after were huge for me, I got a better handle on the speed, learned a lot of the calls, and got more settled," Konz said.

UW not only boasts one of the biggest offensive lines, but it is also a group that is one of the closest on the team. Whether it is Gabe Carimi, John Moffit, or Konz himself, the joking with each other never seems to stop.

"Without all those guys the move would have been a lot more difficult, Moff really helped me take some big steps...were all really close as a group," Konz said.

The past six weeks have been highly critical in the development for Konz, as he is not only dealing with the pressures of starting for UW, but also in learning how to play the position.

"I've really become more confident, I was making quiet calls, but now I make more and louder calls, and I really am being able to see defenses better."

Although he is quite the jokester, Konz does realize what the rest of the season means not only for him, but also for the entire team.

"We got to finish strong as a team, I want to do that for our seniors, and me personally I got to get better, I'm young, I got a lot to learn," he said.

When asked if he wanted to play center, and if not where would he like to play, he had a quick and humorous response.

"I want to play running back, I can read any hole like a book," Konz said "The only issue is that there gone by the time I get there."

By Jackson Dargan

Although many people think of Wisconsin as a smash mouth running football team, it has yielded some top receivers who have made careers for themselves at the next level. Guys like Chris Chambers, Lee Evans, and the legendary Al Toon have come through UW

Kraig Appleton could be the next big time receiver produced by the University of Wisconsin. Standing at 6-foot-4 inches he is a large, and strong target for quarterbacks.

Coming out of high school Appleton was highly recruited and was named to the Army All American game, while also being named one of the top-10 receivers in the class of 2009. After a brief commitment to Illinois, he decided the UW best fit him.

"The coaches here at UW told me exactly how we do things here, opposed to Illinois who just told me what I wanted to here," he said.

As soon as he arrived at UW in the early summer he stood out to the coaches in his ability, however it isn't any easy task to learn the in depth UW playbook that features many various formations.

"Kraigs got some size, he's a big receiver" UW wide receivers coach DelVaugn Alexander said, " He's constantly getting better with him learning the playbook".

"It was real slow and hard at first trying to handle the playbook, but now I feel I'm coming along in the offense".

Early in the summer, and early in the season the coaching staff flirted with the idea of giving him a redshirt but decided to drop the idea because of what he brought to the team making him one of only several true freshmen not redshirting.

"I felt I was ready to play coming out of high school but there's always room for improvement," Appleton said.

Although he played in a highly competitive high school football division, college football is on an entirely different level.

"Guys are faster, bigger, and you need to make sure your minds right with no blown plays or else they'll make you pay for it."

Although highly talented, he's stepping into a receiving corps which features an up and coming Nick Toon, Isaac Anderson and Second Team All Big Ten selection last year David Gilreath. Appleton nonetheless is still finding ways to make an impact.

"The (receivers) we got here are real talented, but they are still finding time to help me when things get a little cloudy," Appleton said.

Alexander sees a lot of potential in Appleton and he was proud of his young receiver's breakthrough performance this past Saturday.

"Kraigs a big time competitor and that could be seen in those two catches where he had defenders draped all over him," Alexander said.

By Jackson Dargan

Dezmen Southward is not your traditional Wisconsin recruit. He wasn't the massive kid who could run faster, jump higher, and throw further than any other kid, he wasn't the kid who had a giant growth spurt his freshmen year, in fact he didn't even step onto a football field as a kid. Dezmen played basketball throughout high school, and thought that's where his future lay, and stayed away from the physical contact of football.

"I didn't get the offers I was hoping for in basketball, so I decided to give football a chance," Southward said.

He decided to join the football team after years of begging by friends and family to join the powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas High School football team that went onto an eventual national championship.

After only a year of playing football at the High School level, he began to receive offers from college teams. However, it wasn't until his classmate, and fellow badger recruit Conor O'Neill signed and informed the UW coaching staff about the highly athletic safety on his team that UW came calling. After a fairly short recruiting period, Dezmen committed.

Only being on campus since late may, Southward is quickly learning, and experiencing what football is like at a Big Ten program.

"I've played more football here than I have in my entire life...I'm light years ahead of where I was last year at this point, but im still learning," Southward said.

His abilities and gains aren't going unnoticed by the UW coaching staff.

"Dezmens one of the most, if not the most athletically gifted athletes on the field," UW defensive backs coach Kerry Cooks said.

Although he is redshirting and not seeing the playing field on Saturdays, Southward is still facing a starting UW offense on a daily basis that has looked potent throughout the first few games.

"Dezmen is one of our most physically talented defensive backs, and I cant wait until he gets the mental part of the game down," Cooks said.

A problem that has arisen is finding where exactly Southward will play. Standing at 6-foot-2, 210-pounds Southward is a big kid, and still has a lot of weight to put on which begs the question if he could move to safety.

"Dezmen is talented enough to play nearly anywhere on the field, linebacker, safety, corner, receiver. I think if he puts his mind to it he could be a star corner, but he would be a great safety. I think he's a defensive back," Cooks said.

Right now Southward's biggest concern is the cold, something he isn't exactly used to.

"Its cold here, it doesn't get like this in Florida"

By Ian McCue

The University of Wisconsin football team is known for its talented running backs and this year the Badgers added yet another talented back: freshman Montee Ball.

Recruited out of Timberland High School in Wentzville, Mo., the four star recruit was highly touted coming out of high school. Ball set various records in the Wentzville School District and was one of the top running backs in the country.

Transitioning to the college game is no easy task, and Ball admits it has been harder than he expected.

"I came in here expecting for the defense to be a lot faster and everything to be a lot more fast-paced," Ball said. "Everyone's great, everyone's a good player."

When asked about the adjustment, Ball was quick to mention the elevated speed of the game.

"I kind of expected for it all to be, faster, you know the intensity way higher," Ball said. "But I think I'm pretty much over the freshman head-spinning thing."

As a true freshman, Ball will play a backup role this year but he will have an impact on the Badgers' running game.

"He's a guy we're looking at to come in and give John a break here and there, " running backs coach John Settle said.

Settle sees a lot of potential in Ball, as he has already seen a great set of skills in the freshman running back.

"The thing that he's shown us so far is that he has a quick burst to the line, he runs the ball hard, he's able to get behind his pads, and surprisingly he has pretty decent speed," Settle said.

Ball had the first carries of his college career last week against the University of Minnesota, taking five for four yards. The freshman running back learned quickly how intense college football, and it's longest rivalry, really is.

"It was pretty nerve-wracking, rival game, you know, hostile environment. I was just mainly focused on protecting the ball," Ball said.

Now that his first college plays are out of the way, Ball is looking forward to the upcoming game against Ohio State. As for expectations for the next game, Ball remains modest.

"Whenever they call my number, I'll be ready to go in and do my job," Ball said. "As long as we're winning, I'm happy."

This is the first entry in our new "freshman focus" series where we will check in with some of the newcomers on the Wisconsin football team.

For freshman entering college football, life can be pretty intense and the adjustment from high school is often very difficult. Some kids prove to the coaches early on that they deserve playing time, while others may take a couple years to develop in the program.

This week I spoke to David Gilbert, a freshman from Oakland Park, Fla., who is playing defensive end for UW. Gilbert, a four-star prospect, has received early playing time from the coaching staff as he has become a strong member of the defensive line rotation and a contributor on special teams.

It's the hard work from day one that has elevated Gilbert's play.

"I just try to do my best every snap," Gilbert said. "I contribute to this team by doing anything coach needs me to do."

Gilbert displayed his athleticism as soon as he stepped on campus and he has proved to be a force coming off the edge.

"I consider myself a pass rushing defensive end," he said. "I have always had a knack for it and I use my quickness off the ball."

The Florida native always had speed and agility, but he needed to add some weight if he wanted to make it in the Big Ten. Well, Gilbert has added around 30 pounds to his frame since he came to UW last Spring as an early enrollee. According to Gilbert, coming to school a semester early was essential to his development.

"It was huge," Gilbert said. "I put on a lot of weight in the strength program and I don't know where I'd be if i didn't come in early."

"I know I wouldn't be at the level I'm at strength wise."

Gilbert's skills and improved size have been utilized on the defensive line, but he has also made a big impact on the special teams unit. In fact, it was Gilbert who scored a touchdown thanks to a punt block by fellow freshman Chris Borland.

"That was great. I just capitalized on a great block by Borland," Gilbert said. "We're going to try to do that every week."

With a touchdown and some legitimate playing time under his belt Gilbert is beginning to feel more comfortable, but he admits the adjustment to college football has been a tough one.

"I didn't realize how good everyone would be," he said. "You need to come with it every single day."

Well it won't get any easier for Gilbert and the Badgers as they prepare for rival Minnesota. It will be Gilbert's first road game and he knows this learning experience has a lot at stake.

"I know this rivalry has been going on for a long time and the people from Minnesota and Wisconsin really hate each other," Gilbert said. "I don't really know what to expect or how to travel because its all new to me, so I'm just going to try to take it all in."

Gilbert has come to learn pretty quickly that the demands on a college football player are pretty heavy, but he has embraced the UW student-athlete lifestyle.

"It has been awesome," he said. "I could have stayed in Florida and gone to school, but going to school here is something so new."

The Badger coaching staff is certainly glad Gilbert chose to take his talents and his work ethic up north, and fans can expect No. 11 to take his game to another level as the season progresses.

"This is my life now, this is what I do," he said. "The show we give on Saturdays, there is just so much hard work that goes into it."