SPORTS
Hill, Donovan step to front
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Also by Kevin Hagstrom:
- Family comes 1st for ex-Badger WR (December 11, 2007)
- Nothing special about UW power play (December 10, 2007)
- Confident UW squad faces off against Minnesota State (December 7, 2007)
- Sophomores to play for U.S.A. (December 6, 2007)
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by Kevin Hagstrom
Monday, September 10, 2007
LAS VEGAS — Needing something — anything — to avoid becoming the next highly-ranked team to fall in the early weeks of 2007, Wisconsin's leaders showed their true colors.
Running back P.J. Hill shouldered the load all game long when the offense wasn't at its best, and quarterback Tyler Donovan put his body in harm's way to give the Badgers the win.
Hill wanted the ball in his hand on every down, despite game-time temperatures in the upper 90s.
"That's the kind of player P.J. is. He wants the ball in his hands," Donovan said. "He's a playmaker, gamebreaker — a guy that you love to have on your team."
Although tired, hot and facing a defense with seemingly relentless energy, Hill plowed his way for his biggest three yards of the game on fourth-and-one from UNLV's 39-yard line.
"I got on the headphones with coach (Paul) Chryst and just said, 'give me the ball, give me the ball,' because I knew we were in a tight jam, and sometimes the weight is on my back, so I just took it upon myself to tell him, 'just give it to me,'" Hill said.
Hill finished with 147 yards on 30 carries, but it was fifth-year senior Donovan who carried Wisconsin to victory, hurdling over the diving reach of Rebel linebacker Starr Fuimaono behind the line and, with a terrific seal block from wide receiver Luke Swan, diving into the far corner of the end zone, just inside the markers. The touchdown capped a 10-play, 61-yard drive that spanned 5:40.
"I was going to do everything in my power to make him miss and go down and get a score," Donovan said.
Donovan, who has had trouble maintaining his balance in the open field, slipping and sliding for whatever reason, looked seamless on his 29-yard game-winning scamper.
During the run, Donovan could only think about one thing: going all out.
"You have to thrive in those situations," Donovan said. "At the quarterback position, you have to step up and be a leader and show the guys the way.
"I thought that this was a really good test for our team."
Not only did Donovan exhibit the traits of a leader — toughness, willingness to do whatever it takes — on that game-winning drive, he radiated that persona on nearly every down.
When his receivers got locked up downfield Donovan was forced to keep it himself on a number of occasions. Instead of giving himself up to the defense, like many quarterbacks do to save themselves by sliding, Donovan would fight for the first down. Sometimes brutal hits resulted.
Coolly, Donovan would walk them off and live to play another down.
"That's the type of player I am — step ups, make plays," Donovan said. "Every yard counts, so that's P.J. getting that extra yard [on fourth down] and that's me getting that yard."
While the receivers struggled to catch some passes and Donovan himself wasn't at his best, he and Hill found a way to rally the team around them and come through with a victory.
"There will be several teams in the country this year that will be put in the same situation on the road, hostile environment because you made it that way, didn't play well in the first half and got ourselves into a dogfight," Bielema said. "But the way they handled themselves in the third and fourth quarter, it was a collective team effort to get a win."
Of his leaders Donovan and Hill, Bielema thinks his team has two good model citizens when it comes to football.
"I think that they refuse to lose," he said. "Late in the third quarter, things began to unfold defensively especially. They just find a spirit, something inside of them to take over a game and win it."
Anonymous (September 10, 2007 @ 8:17am):
For the first time in many years the Badgers have a great backup QB, which can allow the starting QB to go all the way without worrying that if he goes down there's a huge problem.
I LIKE IT!!!
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