It sounds almost heretical to suggest the University of Wisconsin football team could lose Montee Ball and be just as good ? and possibly better ? at running back this season.
But that?s the goal of senior James White and sophomore Melvin Gordon, who are undaunted by the challenge facing them.
?Whenever somebody leaves, or it?s the next year, you always try to be better than the year before,? White said. ?We have a lot of talent still here.?
?I?m definitely excited,? Gordon said. ?With Montee leaving, we have to step up. My teammates, they?re probably worried, Montee?s gone. But that?s how it is when great players leave.
?I want to show them, me and James and the running back group we have now can handle the load.?
The Badgers had one of the best running back groups in the nation last season. Ball?s 1,830 rushing yards ranked third overall, while White finished with 806 and Gordon chipped in 621, with a 10.0 average per carry.
Despite some early problems in the offensive line, the Badgers ranked 13th nationally in rushing, averaging 236.4 yards per game.
Ball was a Heisman finalist in 2011 and won the Doak Walker Award as the nation?s best back in 2012. He broke the NCAA?s career record for touchdowns (83), and ranks second in school history in career rushing yards (5,140) and third in career average per carry (5.6).
Running backs coach Thomas Hammock is the one responsible for making sure nobody lowers the bar with Ball gone.
?He?s pushing all of us pretty hard,? Gordon said. ?He wants us to be the best group in the nation. We were, I feel, one of the best groups last year and we want to continue that as long as I?m here, as long as (Hammock?s) here and whoever comes in.
?He knows how he has to coach us to get there. It?s not easy. It?s difficult, obviously, but it pays off on game days.?
Ball was the hardest worker in the group the past two years, and the rest fell in line. Now, it?s up to White to lead the way.
White?s approach was so focused in the spring, Hammock had a hard time finding things to criticize. Given what a stickler Hammock is for the smallest details, that?s saying something.
?I call him a pro,? Hammock said. ?He?s a consistent pro, in my opinion. He shows up for work, he knows his assignments, he knows his job, he knows the details and he takes it seriously.
?I?m sure I?ve yelled at him once or twice, but I can?t remember the last time I really got on him.?
White is not the most vocal guy, so he is doing everything he can to lead by example.
?A lot of guys look up to me,? he said. ?I can?t be slacking off during any drills, because people are looking at me to see how to work. Practicing hard each and every day, consistency, is the best way to go.?
Gordon is like a young colt, brimming with possibilities and itching to run. While he was effective last season running jet sweeps, he?s excited about getting more work at tailback.
?There?s a big difference, going from a guy who plays a certain number of plays, to trying to be ?the guy? of the program,? Hammock said. ?There are a lot of expectations.?
One positive sign was how Gordon fought through an ankle injury to play in the spring game.
?It didn?t slow him down mentally, which really was impressive to me,? UW coach Gary Andersen said. ?The day he came back ? he knew the offense. There weren?t missed assignments, which is a credit to him and his ability to prepare when he?s going through an injury.?
With redshirt freshman Vonte Jackson out for the year with a third torn ACL and junior Jeff Lewis moving to safety, freshman Corey Clement will be asked to step in right away as the third back.
Clement, from Glassboro, N.J., finished high school with 6,245 rushing yards, 34 rushing touchdowns and 90 total TDs. He rushed for 2,323 yards and 33 touchdowns as a senior.
One way in which this year?s backs compare favorably with almost any other year is in the speed department. Gone are the days when UW was known for power backs who were almost the size of offensive linemen.
?I think we?ll probably have the fastest backfield we?ve had at Wisconsin in quite a while,? White said. ?I think that will allow our offense to make a lot of explosive plays down the field in the run game and the pass game.
?We?ll be able to do a lot of things, put me and Melvin in the backfield at the same time. You never know who?s going to get the football.?
The new coaches didn?t use two tailbacks together much in the spring, but that doesn?t mean it has been scrapped after the success it had last season
Look for the backs to also be heavily involved in the passing game. Sophomore Derek Watt, the returning starter at fullback, led all off the backs last season with 12 catches for 150 yards. Catching more passes is another way for the backs to increase their overall impact on the game.
?I?ve been doing this for four years now,? White said. ?I?m well-rounded. I feel I can catch out of the backfield, block, run between the tackle, pretty much do anything they put me out there to do.?
jason aldean Brigitte Nielsen Geno Smith ny giants brandon marshall ryder cup Kate Middleton Bottomless
. I like to think of it as Cowboys and Indians meet Mafia in card game form. I'm pretty sure we'll be obtaining our own copy before the year is out.
