Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Advertisements
Advertisements

Ball blossoms into feature back

FB_SM
Ball (above), who currently leads the Big Ten in yards per carry, had a career game against Purdue, rushing for 223 yards and three touchdowns in a 62-17 rout for the Badgers.[/media-credit]

If one game could adequately encapsulate what Montee Ball has become to the Wisconsin football team, it came last Saturday against Purdue.

With the Badgers having suffered two agonizing last-minute losses at Ohio State and at Michigan State, Wisconsin was in dire need of a victory to preserve its Big Ten title and BCS bowl hopes. A loss would have given UW its third of the season and relegated all of the Badgers’ lofty postseason hopes to what-if status.

On the first play from scrimmage, Ball took a handoff from quarterback Russell Wilson and surged through a perfectly formed hole by left guard Travis Frederick (who had pulled from left-to-right), wide receiver Nick Toon (responsible for blocking the safety that came down in run support) and tight end Jake Byrne (coming in motion to the right side to block the left defensive end). About seven yards later, Ball made one would-be tackler miss and sprinted 44 yards downfield before being tripped up.

Advertisements

The rush set up Wisconsin’s first touchdown of the day four plays later, but it also set a promising tone for both UW’s offense and Ball himself. The Badgers, finally back at home, got the win they desperately needed, while Ball rushed 20 times for a career-high 223 yards and three touchdowns. His 11.2 yards-per-carry average was the highest of his career and his three touchdowns tied Brian Calhoun’s school record of 24 in a single season. Wisconsin routed Purdue 62-17, and many of the wrongs in UW’s suddenly topsy-turvy season were righted.

For Ball, Saturday’s game was arguably the finest of his career and a profound testament to the season he’s been having. Through nine games, Ball has rushed for 1,076 yards and 21 touchdowns on 162 carries. Those 21 touchdowns are the most in the nation, and his 6.6-yards-per-carry average is the highest in the Big Ten.

“Most of his numbers have come when the game is not out of hand,” running backs coach Thomas Hammock said. “He hasn’t been in games where he pads stats or does some things like that. Obviously, that’s not a part of the game. You want to play when needed. Every time he’s played, he’s been needed. Nothing more, nothing less.”

All together, Ball’s performance has bolstered an offense that was already widely expected to be one of the nation’s most electric once Wilson transferred over the summer.

“He’s running really, really hard,” Frederick said of Ball. “What I love about Montee is that he’s going to run north and south. He’s going to hit the hole and he’s not going to dance around. For offensive linemen, that’s really helpful, because that makes it easier for you to stay on a guy or be on the right landmark on a guy because you know that [Montee’s] going to hit that north and south.”

The progression Ball has taken from sophomore to junior year seems natural, though his emergence as Wisconsin’s top rushing threat has clear roots. Last season, Ball burst into prominence following a promising freshman year to join the Badgers’ three-headed running back monster with then-junior John Clay and then-freshman James White.

White and Clay each eclipsed 1,000 yards on the season (1,052 and 1,012, respectively), but Ball fell four yards short of the standard coveted by running backs. Ball’s 18 touchdowns did lead Wisconsin’s Rose Bowl squad, though a sense of failure lingered as the Wentzville, Mo., native entered the offseason.

“The benchmark for running backs, they want to reach 1,000 yards,” Ball said. “Last year, I fell short, and I really wanted to make sure that I made that mark this year.”

In reaching that mark through nine games this season, Ball has also surpassed his 18-touchdown total from last season. His 162 carries are one carry short of all he got last year, a sign of his blossoming into Wisconsin’s true No. 1 running back.

Entering the season, a two-pronged attack with Ball and White was largely expected, but the sophomore has taken a backseat to Ball. After averaging 6.7 yards per carry last year, White is averaging 5.1 this season. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native hasn’t rushed for 100 yards in a single game all season, and since rushing for 87 yards on 13 carries (6.7 yards per) on Oct. 15 against Indiana, he hasn’t rushed for more than 4.0 yards per carry in any game since. In fact, his totals have fallen every game since – from 3.8 to 3.2 and then 2.9 against Purdue.

White’s decline hasn’t necessarily harmed the Badgers – he has continued to develop as a strong receiver out of the backfield – though it has cemented Ball’s role as the top running back on the team.

“I really wanted to become the feature back,” Ball said of his offseason goals. “I wanted all that pressure on my shoulders. I feel like I really enjoy pressure; I want to see what I can do with it. James, the same thing; he wants to be the feature back as well. I feel like I worked extremely hard in the offseason and carried it forward to this season.”

In adapting to a role requiring more responsibility and accountability, Ball has proven a heightened sense of leadership that Wisconsin’s offense surely needed once Clay decided to leave early for the NFL after last season.

“It’s always a transition from being one of a couple guys with an upperclassman above you to being the guy,” Hammock said. “I think he’s taken that responsibility, he’s taken that ownership. You can see it in practice, the way he works he says, ‘I’m going to lead by the way I work, and I want you guys to follow me.’ He’s done a great job with doing that.”

Advertisements
Leave a Comment
Donate to The Badger Herald

Your donation will support the student journalists of University of Wisconsin-Madison. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to The Badger Herald

Comments (0)

All The Badger Herald Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *