Wisconsin football is mainly known for three things: offensive linemen, tight ends and running backs. Between one 1,000-yard rusher and one four-yards-shy-of-being-a-1,000-yard rusher, James White and Montee Ball are ready to pick up where they left off last season.
Entering the much anticipated 2011 season, White and Ball present a dual threat in the backfield that only helps to fuel the expectations surrounding the talented Badger squad.
As a true freshman last season, White finished as Wisconsin’s leading rusher with 1,052 yards on 156 carries. Ball didn’t really emerge until after John Clay was sidelined due to injury. With considerably more carries through the second half of the season, Ball finished with 163 carries for 996 yards – disappointingly four yards short of the 1,000-yard mark.
If they’ve made one thing clear this offseason, it is the fact that they’re forgetting about last season.
“I want to actually break that 1,000-yard mark instead of being four yards shy,” Ball said. “Basically we’re just forgetting about last season because you know nothing is guaranteed this season, so we need to make sure we come to each practice and work hard, harder than we did last year because we know it’s going to pay off in the long run.”
One way Ball and White are helping the team work hard and make the running backs even better is by creating some friendly competition between the two of them.
Rivalries always make for great games, but a friendly rivalry within the team pushes both Ball and White to be better, to fight for more carries and to ultimately move the ball down the field farther.
“We’ve been saying the healthy competition that we have, that [running backs coach Thomas] Hammock keeps trusting us to have, basically that means that if [White] starts a series off and has a long break, I’m going to congratulate him, but you know I want to do even better than that when I go in, and vice versa,” Ball said. “If I have a long break, he’s going to want to have a longer one, a better one, a better move and all that stuff. It’s only going to better the team.”
“I think they’re pretty good friends, but at the same time I can definitely see how important it is to them to be out there carrying the ball or catching the ball, or out there in key situations during the season that are going to come up,” Hammock said. “They have a good friendly rivalry.”
In a season opener that let UW’s overall talent shine, Ball and White’s rivalry helped them show the nation why they’re one of the top running back duos in the nation.
With 11 carries for 64 yards, White scored one touchdown. Ball, with one less carry, also had one less yard with a net gain of 63 yards on the night. With three rushing touchdowns and one through the air, Ball gave one of the many outstanding performances in the UNLV win. While Ball had the initial start, the two switched off throughout the game, pushing each other to do better with each carry.
Individually, both Ball and White have taken strides this summer to better their games. By becoming stronger and more competitive in a personal sense, they’ve created a greater rivalry, as well.
Once spring camp opened, news of Ball shedding some weight to help better his game was all over town. Ball believes he’s not only speedier at 210 pounds (down from 225), but also that he will remain the power running back that he was through his first two years.
“No matter how much you weigh, you’re going to still try to play physical, you’re still going to try to play hard, you’re still going to try to play the game the right way,” Hammock said. “I think if you look at [Ball] and the way he’s practiced, he’s practicing a little more explosive, a little more powerful.”
Ball also noted the small change in his play, with crisper cuts and a faster pace.
“I know with losing weight, my cuts will be a lot better and I’ll have more speed and I can have a lot more carries,” Ball said. “I know that will better the team.”
While Ball’s weight loss was making news, White was also revising his game.
White exploded onto the scene last year as a breath of fresh air in a running back corps traditionally renowned for its power. He brought speed and a new dynamic to the Badger running game, despite the fact that he was significantly smaller than his predecessors at Wisconsin.
“For me, it was strengthening my legs,” White said of his key offseason changes. “Last year, I probably didn’t run between the tackles as hard as I probably wanted to. For me, it’s getting in the squat rack and getting my legs even stronger than before to help my running game, pass blocking and my cuts.”
With their personal changes in tow, the duo are mainly attempting to better the team, while simultaneously fighting for that No. 1 spot on the depth chart – which they currently share.
While the season is barely under way, Hammock is confident the strides the two have taken throughout the offseason, as well as the rivalry they’ve fostered, will only help them take their competition to a higher level.
“I think they’re doing it,” Hammock said. “It’s important to them. They want to be successful. I think it’s on them. Those are the guys that are out here working every day. I think they’re really taking the right approach and the right mindset to go about helping this team win.”
While they’ll tell you nothing is guaranteed and they’re only taking the season at a one-day-at-a-time pass, there’s no doubt Ball and White are aiming for the top of college football.
“Last year we didn’t get that victory. This year we’re going to try and get that victory, maybe even go to an even bigger bowl,” White said. “We’re just out here trying to get ‘W’s each and every week.”