ready to face the Miami Hurricanes. White, then a high school senior, was getting ready to verbally commit to the Badgers. "I knew he was a good athlete from where he was from,'' said Ball, knowing White had been groomed in one of the nation's heavyweight pro- grams, St. Thomas Aquinas in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. "After I heard about him, I watched a little film on him, and I knew that he'd be good for our system.''
M
ontee Ball and James White first crossed paths in Orlando, Fla., before the 2009 Champs Sports Bowl. Ball, then a Wis- consin freshman, was getting
After the Badgers beat the 'Canes behind the running of John Clay and Ball — Clay had 121 yards, Ball had 61 — White drew some conclu- sions. For starters, he said, "I knew Wisconsin had a great tradition of running backs.'' Secondly, he knew "it would be a healthy competition when I got there.''
That competitive bond between Ball and White
has never been stronger than it is today. After combining for 712 rushing yards over the last two games, the argument can be made that they pres- ently make up the most productive one-two punch in college football. That was reinforced last Saturday against Min-
30 » VARSITY OCTOBER 25, 2012
