In a game that was won with his Badger teammates squarely on his back, Montee Ball made a swift, resounding statement to the rest of college football – the Wisconsin running back is an undeniable Heisman Trophy candidate.

Ball’s 38 carries, 224 rushing yards and three total touchdowns at Illinois came together to form the Heisman Moment that is the intangible quality required to win college football’s most coveted bronze trophy. His final run – a 15-yard dash with a resounding stiff arm and a nimble spin move – put the final touches on Wisconsin’s 28-17 win, a victory that catapults them to the brink of playing for the Big Ten title, with only the Penn State Nittany Lions standing in the Badgers’ way.

All year long, Ball’s had the requisite statistics and wins for legitimate Heisman candidacy. After his performance Saturday, Ball rests second in the nation in rushing yards (1,466), first in yards-per-carry average among rushers with more than 200 carries (6.6) and first in total touchdowns (30, also a Big Ten single-season record). Even in the 9-2 Badgers’ pair of losses, Ball rushed for at least 5.0 yards per carry and two touchdowns in each.

But of course, the picture of the Heisman race is refined essentially just as frequently as the BCS title picture – especially this year. A 53-50 Nov. 12 loss to Oregon and a shaky 31-28 win over California have seemingly cooled the jets on Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck’s campaign, while the losses of Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden and Oregon running back LaMichael James have also damaged their respective candidacies. Even Ball’s own quarterback, Russell Wilson, has lost essentially all of his own momentum after attempting only 13 passes Saturday afternoon.

Ball’s r?sum? can and will be juxtaposed with that of Alabama running back Trent Richardson, Houston quarterback Case Keenum, Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III and who knows how many others. But on a 9-2 Wisconsin team that can reach the Rose Bowl for a second straight year, Ball has touched the football on nearly a third of UW’s plays (32.9 percent) and accounted for just about the same percentage of his team’s yardage (32.2 percent).

With his rushing totals supplemented by a healthy contribution in the passing game (16 receptions, 233 yards and five touchdowns) and his prowess as a pass-blocker, Ball’s well-rounded skills have formed an essentially blemish-free Heisman candidacy. As good as some of his aforementioned competitors have fared this season, Ball’s steady season-long excellence has proven that as he goes, Wisconsin goes.

The fact that sophomore running back – and reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year – James White has been largely forgotten in UW’s offense after leading it in rushing last year typifies Ball’s dominance this year. Ball’s consistency has also persisted despite injuries to Wisconsin’s vaunted offensive line (most notably center Peter Konz, right tackle Josh Oglesby and left guard Travis Frederick), a frequently one-dimensional passing attack (wide receiver Nick Toon’s inconsistency becomes even more critical with the shoulder injury to Jared Abbrederis, who caught just one pass Saturday) and an offense that has become dramatically more pass-heavy with Wilson at the helm.

Witnesses of Ball’s most stellar runs this season aren’t shocked by the numbers he’s posted, and they really shouldn’t be after he averaged 10.8 yards per play in Wisconsin’s season-opener against UNLV. That game also stands as an instance of some awesome unintentional foreshadowing, as Ball struck a picture-perfect Heisman pose on his first rushing touchdown of the season.

Really, nobody should be surprised by Ball anymore. Some Heisman voters inevitably will be given the diminished spotlight on Wisconsin since it excited the national title race, but what a shame that will be.

“He just keeps running,” right guard Kevin Zeitler said. “He just keeps running; he just keeps driving his legs and it works out.”

Mike is a senior majoring in journalism. Do you think Montee Ball should win the Heisman? Let Mike know on Twitter @mikefiammetta and be sure to follow @BHeraldSports for all the latest Badgers news.