Tag: Montee Ball

Wisconsin Badgers legend: Heisman Trophy ‘lost its legitimacy when Melvin Gordon lost’

Wisconsin Badgers legend: Heisman Trophy ‘lost its legitimacy when Melvin Gordon lost’

Wisconsin Badgers running back legend Montee Ball commented on the 2024 Heisman Trophy race on Sunday.

With the college football regular season officially in the books, the conversation surrounding the 2024 Heisman Trophy race has started to ramp up.

As of Dec. 1, Colorado Buffaloes’ wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter is the heavy favorite to pocket the award. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, who has registered 2,288 rushing yards and 28 rushing touchdowns, is considered to be firmly in second.

Hunter, who projects to land in the top five of the 2025 NFL draft, is responsible for 92 catches, 1,152 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns this season. On defense, he recorded four interceptions, 11 pass deflections and 31 total tackles.

Ball sides with Jeanty, but connects it back to Melvin Gordon not receiving award in 2014:

“Jeanty deserves the Heisman but it is a popularity contest,” Ball said. “The award lost its legitimacy when Melvin Gordon lost.”

Most notably, the UW alumnus played alongside fellow running back legend Gordon from 2011-2012.

Gordon, who enjoyed a multi-year NFL career with the Chargers and Broncos, finished second to Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota for the Hesiman Trophy in 2014. That season, the Badger star tallied 2,587 rushing yards and led nation in rushing at 184.8 yards per game.

In retrospect, Gordon may have been snubbed. Only Oklahoma State legend Barry Sanders rushed for more yards in a single season. Mariota led the Football Bowl Subdivision in virtually every major statistic for a quarterback, but Gordon produced arguably the greatest season by any running back in college football history.

We’re seeing a similar situation with Hunter and Jeanty. The precedent heavily favors the more popular player. In this case, that’s Hunter.

The Heisman Trophy ceremony is slated for Dec. 14 in New York City.

Wisconsin’s 2012 running back room might be the best of all-time

Wisconsin’s 2012 running back room might be the best all-time

The Wisconsin Badgers’ 2012 running back room may go down as one of the greatest in college football history.

That season, the Badgers rostered Melvin Gordon, Montee Ball and James White. Both Ball (2012) and Gordon (2014) would go on to win a Doak Walker Award, an honor annually awarded to the nation’s top running back, while White left Wisconsin ranked No. 4 all-time in rushing yards.

When considering the best backfields ever, one typically envisions USC’s duo of Reggie Bush and LenDale White in 2005, Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy on the 2010 Alabama Crimson Tide, or even Todd Gurley, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel on the 2014 Georgia Bulldogs.

While the debate surrounding the most prestigious college football backfield may be unanswered, the trio’s most dominant output in a single game is unrivaled.

In the Badgers’ 71-30 victory over Nebraska at the 2012 Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the three combined for 524 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns.

Gordon, who would become the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in 2014, tallied nine carries for a team-high 219 yards and one 56-yard touchdown.

Ball, who received the Doak Walker Award just five days after the blowout win, registered 21 touches for 202 yards and three touchdowns. Like Gordon, he also ripped off a 50-yard score.

White, Wisconsin’s all-purpose back, accounted for 119 rushing yards and four touchdowns with a long run of 68 yards in the third quarter.

All three would go on to play in the NFL, with White winning three Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots.

Now, Wisconsin deploys running back Tawee Walker, a veteran back with the sixth-most rushing yards in the Big Ten. Wisconsin running backs have a long history of dominance over the rival Nebraska Cornhuskers.

The Badgers need Walker to channel that form for the team to pull off a much-needed victory on Saturday.

Wisconsin legend to serve as honorary captain for Badgers vs. Penn State on Saturday

Wisconsin legend to serve as honorary captain for Badgers vs. Penn State on Saturday

Wisconsin running back icon Montee Ball will serve as the Badgers’ honorary captain vs. Penn State on Saturday.

Ball, who was inducted into the UW Athletic Hall of Fame in 2023, will return to Madison for Wisconsin’s most significant contest at Camp Randall in years.

The 2013 NFL draftee departed Wisconsin as one of the most accomplished athletes in school history. Ball finished fourth in the 2011 Heisman Trophy voting behind Baylor QB Robert Griffin III, Stanford QB Andrew Luck and Alabama RB Trent Richardson. When he left campus, he also set the NCAA record for career touchdowns with 83.

Ball also pocketed two consensus first-team All-American honors, a pair of first-team All-Big Ten selections in 2011 and 2012, the 2011 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and the Doak Walker Award as a senior in 2012.

Wisconsin honored another running back legend, Ron Dayne, with a halftime ceremony against the Crimson Tide on Sept. 14.

In its storied history, UW has produced a collection of the greatest college running backs of all time. Dayne, Ball, Jonathan Taylor, Melvin Gordon, James White, Braelon Allen and Corey Clement are among the most notable playmakers to come through the Bdagers’ running back room over the past 30 years.

Wisconsin tied for all-time lead in Doak Walker Award winners

More proof that Wisconsin is “Running Back University”

The Doak Walker Award is given to the top running back in college football each season and the Wisconsin Badgers football program is tied for the all-time lead in athletes receiving the award.

Entering the 2023-2024 season, Wisconsin has had four different athletes win the award for a total of five winners in the program’s history. Ron Dayne became the first Badger to win the Doak Walker in 1999. During that season, Dayne rushed for 1,834 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground, winning the Heisman Trophy as well as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.

The next Badger to win the award was Montee Ball, who did so after the 2012 campaign. The running back churned out 1,830 yards and 22 scores as a runner. Although it was his second-best season as a member of Wisconsin’s roster, it was his only time winning the Doak Walker.

Just two years later, Melvin Gordon became the third Badgers running back to be selected as the best in the nation. In 2014, Gordon rushed for 2,587 yards and 29 touchdowns while adding 19 catches for 153 yards and three scores.

Finally, Jonathan Taylor won the Doak Walker Award in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019. Over those two campaigns, the running back had 4,197 combined rushing yards and 37 total rushing touchdowns. He was just the third player ever to win consecutive Doak Walker Awards.

Texas is tied with Wisconsin for the most Doak Walker Award winners with five, but they also had four players tally those wins. Ricky Williams (1997-1998),  Cedric Benson (2003), D’Onta Foreman (2016) and Bijan Robinson (2022) have won as members of the Longhorns.

Alabama (3) sits at third all-time while Arkansas, Iowa, Stanford and Texas Tech are all tied for fifth with two Doak Walker Awards per program.

2 former Broncos are on the ballot for 2025 College Football Hall of Fame

Former Broncos Montee Ball and Simeon Rice are on the ballot for the 2025 College Hall of Fame class.

Two former Denver Broncos players are on the ballot for the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame class.

Former Wisconsin running back Montee Ball and Illinois linebacker Simeon Rice are candidates for next year’s class, the National Football Foundation announced Tuesday.

Ball was a two-time consensus first-team All-American who tied Barry Sanders for the most touchdowns in a single season (39). Rice was also a two-time first-team All-American, and he holds a conference record for the most career sacks (44.5).

Ball was picked by the Broncos in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft. He spent two years in Denver and has a great comeback story.

Simeon Rice was picked by the Arizona Cardinals in the first round of the 1996 NFL draft and he later won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent six games with the Broncos in his final season in 2007.

Recent players and coaches with Broncos connections to reach the CFHOF include Bill Kollar and Tim Tebow (2023), Champ Bailey (2022), Al Wilson (2021) and Peyton Manning (2017).

Member voting for the 2025 Hall of Fame class runs through July 1.

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Former Wisconsin football superstar appears on 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot

Former Wisconsin football superstar appears on 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot

Former Wisconsin star running back Montee Ball earned a spot on the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot on Monday, per an announcement from the National Football Foundation.

Over his three-year career in Madison, Ball was a two-time All-American and the 2011 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. The Wentzville, Missouri native totaled a staggering 4,749 yards, 73 touchdowns and 118.7 yards per appearance in 40 games at UW.

Among the superstar outputs, perhaps his most memorable performance arrived in Wisconsin’s 70-31 victory in the 2012 Big Ten title game. Ball rushed 21 times for 202 yards and three touchdowns to seal the deal, a year after the Badgers’ Rose Bowl appearance in 2011.

Ball would go on to play in 21 games for the Denver Broncos after being drafted 58th overall in the 2013 NFL Draft.

The legendary running back was inducted into the UW Hall of Fame in 2023. Regardless of the College Football Hall of Fame outcome, he will forever be cemented as one of the greatest running backs in Wisconsin history.

The group on the 2025 ballot , which was compiled by the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame, includes 178 total players and 43 total coaches from both the FBS and FCS ranks.

The 2025 ballot was emailed to more than 12,000 NFF members and current Hall of Famers who will submit votes to the NFF’s Honors Court through July 1. The Court will then deliberate and select the class.

Braelon Allen gives his all-time Wisconsin running back Mount Rushmore

What is your Mount Rushmore of Wisconsin running backs?

Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen turned heads at the NFL combine last week. He towered over every other player at the position, prompting NFL fans and NFL draft pundits to ask why he didn’t play middle linebacker.

Badgers fans know Allen’s stature and running style all too well. The three-year starter finished his college career with 597 total carries, 3,494 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns. Wisconsin struggled on offense for the majority of his collegiate career, though Allen always seemed to be the steady force propelling the team forward.

Related: Where Wisconsin QB Tyler Van Dyke falls on Fanduel’s 2024 Heisman Trophy odds

Naturally, media at the NFL combine were interested in Allen’s place among the program’s greats at the position. The list is extensive, which is why he was asked for his Mount Rushmore of Wisconsin running backs: the four greatest players from the large group of exceptional talents.

Here is who the now-former Wisconsin running back included:

PHOTOS: Badgers versus Ohio State All-time series

Will Badgers get first win over Buckeyes since 2010?

The Badgers football team (5-2) will host Ohio State (7-0) on Saturday at 6:30PM. The two programs have faced each other 85 times throughout their football history with Wisconsin owning a 18-62-5 overall record against their Big Ten foe.

Over the last 10 matchups, the Badgers have gone 1-9, losing nine in a row. The team’s last win came at home in 2010, defeating the Buckeyes 31-18. Last season, Ohio State won in Columbus by a score of 52-21.

The most notable storyline for the contest is head coach Luke Fickell, who played college football with Ohio State as a defensive end (1993-1996) before joining the coaching staff from 2002-2016.

The Badgers are very much back in the thick of it in the Big Ten West and Luke Fickell and his squad will look to pull off the upset versus the third-ranked Buckeyes.

Here’s a couple pics from their last 10 matchups:

PHOTOS: Badgers versus Purdue All-time series

Can Fickell and Mordecai continue Badgers’ success versus Big 10 rival

The Badgers football team (2-1) will take on Purdue (1-2) on the road in West Lafayette, Indiana on Friday at 6PM. The two programs have faced each other 89 times throughout their football history with Wisconsin leading the all-time series at 52-29-8 overall.

Not only has Wisconsin won more games, but they’ve won 16 straight matchups dating back to 2003. When the two teams met in 2022, the Badgers came out on top 35-24 in Madison.

The last time the Badgers lost on the road in West Lafayette was in 1997, a contest that the Boilermakers won 45-20.

In 2023, both teams have new quarterbacks that will be making their first Big Ten starts. Tanner Mordecai transferred to Madison this offseason from SMU while Hudson Card joined the Boilermakers after beginning his career with Texas.

Head coach Luke Fickell will look to get a win in his first Big Ten contest as the head coach of the Badgers.

Here is a pic from each of their last 10 matchups:

Badger Countdown: Best to ever wear number 28 in Madison

The college football season is just a few weeks away and the Badgers are now 28 days from their opener versus Buffalo at home on Sept. 2.

The college football season is just a few weeks away and the Badgers are now 28 days from their opener versus Buffalo at home on Sept. 2. The number 28 is special one since it was worn by one of the best Wisconsin football athletes ever.

From 2009-2012, running back Montee Ball was a member of the Badgers. After a limited freshman season, he blossomed into a star and then a superstar!

In his sophomore campaign, Ball produced a respectable 996 yards and an impressive 18 touchdowns on just 163 carries. He kicked into into the highest gear in year three though.

The running back turned in an incredible season in 2011, producing 1,923 rushing yards and an all-time Badger record 33 scores on ground. That touchdown total is the second highest in NCAA history (Barry Sanders – 37 – 1988).

Ball also added 24 catches for 306 yards and six scores while also throwing a touchdown that season, finishing the year with 40 total scores. He ended up finishing fourth in the Heisman voting.

His senior season wasn’t quite as spectacular but he still churned out 1,830 rushing yards and 22 scores.

Ball’s 5,140 career rushing yards rank third all-time in program history while his 77 rushing touchdowns are the highest ever.

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