Varsity - The Official Digital Magazine of Wisconsin Athletics

Even in rivalry, respect for Ball abounds LUCAS AT LARGE MIKE LUCAS • UWBADGERS.COM M ichigan State middle linebacker Max Bullough is old school; a third- generation Spartan following in the footsteps of his grandfather (Hank) and father (Shane). Bullough doesn't sugar-coat. So when MSU's leading tackler was asked direct questions at the recent Big Ten Media Days in Chicago, he gave straight-forward, no-nonsense answers. That was the case when he was asked about UW tailback Montee Ball. "He's a great running back; there's no doubt about it,'' said Bullough, who also had two uncles play at Michigan State, and one at Notre Dame. "He's in a great sys- tem over there (Wisconsin). "Running the ball that many times behind that offensive line is a great situation for any running back, and that's taking nothing away from him. He's just good; that's all there is to it.'' In five games against opponents that ranked in the Top 25 in to- tal defense, Ball averaged 143.4 rushing yards and scored 15 touch- downs. He ran for 115 and 137 yards against Sparty last year. "He can do a little bit of every- thing, that's the strength of a guy like Montee Ball,'' said Bullough, a junior from Traverse City. "He's a tough guy, he can run downhill. "But he can also do the change- of-pace stuff. That's why he's getting all the recognition because he's capable of doing all the things that a Heisman Trophy candidate would be able to do." 10 » VARSITY AUGUST 9, 2012 As the leading returning vote- getter in the Heisman, the 21-year- old Ball has already built equity with people like Big Ten Network analyst Howard Griffith, a former Illinois running back. "You have to put him near the top, maybe one or two,'' Griffith said of his preseason Heisman list. "The reason that I say that is be- cause he has national recognition and the stats to back it up. "Plus, he's on a team that is going to be in the national hunt — that will have national notoriety. Yes, they haven't won the big game in the Rose Bowl. But they've been on the national stage. That gives him an edge and an opportunity.'' Griffith played five seasons with the Denver Broncos before a neck injury ended his career. During that span, he was on two Super Bowl championship teams and blocked for tailback Terrell Davis. Ball reminds Griffith of Da- vis, the Broncos' all-time leading rusher with 7,607 yards and 60 TDs who also happens to be one of Ball's childhood idols. "One of the things that you have to do be able to do in a zone block- ing scheme is have patience, hit one cut and get the ball up field,'' Griffith said. "And Montee has great patience. "But if he doesn't meet those numbers that he had last year, I don't think that automatically means that he didn't have a great year. You have to remember James White is sitting there as well.'' One of Griffith's television part- ners, BTN analyst Gerry DiNardo, is a former head coach at Vander- bilt, LSU and Indiana. DiNardo knows what Ball is facing as a Heis- man frontrunner. "What we've learned the last couple of years is that anybody can win; you don't have to be on the (preseason) list,'' said DiNardo, who's a Heisman voter. "I've got a list, but there's not a priority to it. "If he's good enough, if he's the best player in the country, he'll win it whether he was on the list or not. Right now, I don't think there's a difference between who you think is No. 1 and No. 5. "I would suspect his numbers will be down but I don't necessarily think that will hurt him. Wisconsin being in big games, and Montee be- ing the difference is what will help him with the Heisman.'' No game may be bigger than yet another collision with Michigan State on Oct. 27 in Madison, the first time the Badgers have played the Spartans in Camp Randall Stadium since 2009. "It's not like the Michigan rivalry, that's kind of different, that's kind of a natural built-in one,'' Bullough said. "But the last few years, Wisconsin has been a budding rivalry for us. "That has come about purely because the games we've played against them have meant so much. That has really built up the an- ticipation. It's always a fun game against Wisconsin. "And I look forward to play Montee Ball every year.'' An ultimate sign of respect.

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