Lee Evans didn’t need the help of the scoreboard operator to prove he was back. After recording 214 yards on nine receptions and two touchdowns, Evans proved everything himself when he hooked up with quarterback Jim Sorgi for a Big Ten-record 99-yard touchdown reception to end Akron’s second-half charge.

The Field House scoreboard simply read “Lee Evans, He’s Back,” after the play, but the statement was unnecessary. Every person in Camp Randall already knew it.

“It’s a one-man route,” Evans said of the play. “I know it’s for me. It was a critical time in the game, and that’s a time to make a play. They called my number, and I was able to connect on a big one.”

A “big one” might be an understatement. As poorly as the Wisconsin defense had played in Saturday’s sultry home opener, the Badgers needed the help of every one of their playmakers to survive Akron’s scare and come away with a 48-31 victory.

While Evans’ performance was magnificent in itself, it also carried the significance of his return to the playing field at Camp Randall. Two knee surgeries after a torn ACL in the 2002 Spring Game, Evans was back and the two touchdowns just made it that much more special.

“It was great,” Evans said of his return. “The atmosphere was everything I remembered.”

Lacking the sentimentality of Evans’ performance, but equally impressive was junior tailback Anthony Davis’ 247 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Davis’ 414 yards on the season is currently second in the NCAA behind Michigan’s Chris Perry. His performance through the first two games of the season has earned high praise from head coach Barry Alvarez.

“We’ve been around a lot of good backs, but I don’t think we’ve ever had one that is playing as good as Anthony is playing right now,” Alvarez said. “He is truly a special player. He is really playing at a level that I don’t think we’ve ever had a back play at before … Ron (Dayne) played at a pretty high level for four years. I’m just saying that [Davis] is every bit in that category, and with his speed, maybe at the next level.”

With Evans’ big play ability and Davis’ speed and vision, the Badgers just may have the best duo in college football. It may be early, but what Evans and Davis are doing is something very special.

He is the steady, supremely talented back that the Badgers have grown accustomed to, but Davis separates himself because he isn’t one of the extremes that his two predecessors were. Dayne was a bruising back who could run right through smaller defensive players, while Michael Bennett was pure speed. Davis is the medium, a potent combination of both. He can be tough on the inside despite his small stature, while still able to bust one outside exploding out of his cuts.

Evans is a seasoned gamebreaker; another combination of absolute talent and astute football knowledge, no doubt heightened after spending a season watching from the sidelines. With every route Evans runs, he knows where the first down marker is. Every catch is made in front of his body, with his hands, and we all know what Evans can do in the open field.

“I think Lee really lends a lot of confidence to our team,” Alvarez said. “He’s a mature individual. He’s really been through a lot, and I think our players really respect him and how hard he works and what he’s been through. He guides some of our young guys, and he’s a good teacher.”

With Evans and Davis, Alvarez has two playmakers that allow the Badgers to overcome their defensive shortcomings. As the Badgers get the younger players into their defensive schemes, depth will slowly be added and the inefficiencies will, we hope, be erased. In the meantime, Wisconsin has two of the premier players in college football to lean on. For how long is another question.