In one of the most exciting and craziest days of my life, I witnessed the Wisconsin Badgers upset top-ranked Ohio State in a nationally televised football game last fall, under the lights at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.
From David Gilreath’s return of the opening kickoff until the final whistle prompted the student body to storm the field, the atmosphere was absolutely electric.
The Badgers had a dominant backfield with the reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in John Clay as well as an excellent change-of-pace back in sophomore James White. The duo combined for 38 carries on 179 yards in helping to lead UW to a 31-18 upset of the Buckeyes on their way to a Rose Bowl berth.
Toiling on that depth chart was Montee Ball, who used that game as a breakout party, of sorts.
It was a breakout in the fact that he didn’t play a single snap against Ohio State, but played the rest of the season with a chip on his shoulder, rushing for over 800 yards in the last six games of the season and stealing the starting job from Clay in the process. Ball had twice as many carries as Clay in the Rose Bowl, forcing Clay into the NFL Draft (where he was not drafted) and establishing Ball as the lead back for this year’s incarnation of the Badgers’ rushing attack.
It baffles me that Montee Ball hasn’t gotten much Heisman love for his 2011 season. I’ve seen him fifth out of five in some lists, or just receiving “honorable mention” in others.
Have these people seen this guy play?
He’s been remarkably consistent week in and week out. His lowest yardage total (rushing and receiving combined) this season is 109 yards, in the Badgers’ 48-17 rout of Nebraska on October 1.
Ball is averaging 156 total yards per game, and will certainly surpass 2,000 yards from scrimmage by the end of the season. His 1,622 rushing yards rank second nationally, and we haven’t even talked about the touchdowns yet.
Ball has 34 touchdowns on the season with two games to play, giving him a great chance to tie or break Barry Sanders’ record of 39. Considering Ball is averaging 2.8 touchdowns per game, I’d say he’s got a decent shot.
Guys like Sanders are talked about in the same breath with the greatest college football players of all time. I’m not saying Ball is there, or really anywhere close, but putting up those kinds of stats is no fluke. And it’s not like the Badgers are some chump team either. They’re a pair of Hail Mary losses away from playing LSU for the national title.
Earlier this season, Russell Wilson was getting some Heisman love, and rightfully so. He’s been fantastic. But he walked into an ideal situation, with an established line and an excellent core of running backs. And as the season has progressed, it’s become apparent that Wilson wouldn’t be having the success he’s having without Montee Ball, even if Ball thinks it should be Wilson who deserves the Heisman.
The detractors will say that he’s a system running back who benefits from mammoth lineman playing against inferior opponents.
My counter: So what?
It’s not like he’s only beating up on the Indianas of the world (Sorry, Jerod). Just take a look at his 156-yard, four-touchdown performance against Penn State this past weekend.
Should Trent Richardson be the front runner? Yeah, probably. Do the other four finalists need to be quarterbacks? Absolutely not.
I think Matt Barkley, Case Keenum and Robert Griffin III (that’s right, not Andrew Luck, but that’s a whole different story) deserve a spot at the Heisman ceremony too; as well as Montee Ball.
About Chris Callaway
