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.