It does not come as shock to the players, fans or coaching staff of the Wisconsin football team that the Badgers are off to a 2-0 start. However, despite what some members of the team might say, the fact that there are two legitimate Heisman Trophy candidates on the squad is quite a pleasant surprise.
Junior running back Anthony Davis and senior wide receiver Lee Evans have demonstrated that they will be two of the most prolific offense weapons in the country this season. Neither Davis nor Evans are new to this success, especially when it comes to performing on the football field.
After carrying on Wisconsin's legacy of 1,000-yard rushers, Davis has wasted little time showing the nation that is a force to be reckoned with once again this season. The 5'8' 191-pound running back is in elite company with Ron Dayne as the only running backs in Wisconsin school history to rush more than 1,000 yards their first two seasons. He is also one of four running backs at UW who have rushed for 1,000 yards in multiple seasons.
\Carry in and carry out, no one that I have personally coached runs harder than Anthony,"" said Offensive Coordinator Brian White. ""He is really a relentless player.""
Davis began the season with an impressive rushing performance against West Virginia during which he rushed for 167 yards, including the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Saturday the story was no different, as Davis found his way through the Akron defensive line and into the end zone three times in the first half. He went on to rush for 247 yards on the day with three touchdowns which were the second highest marks in both categories throughout his career at UW.
""I am going to tell you right now, we have been around a lot of good backs, and I do not know if we have had [a running back] as good as Anthony [Davis] is playing right now,"" Alvarez said of his starting running back. ""He is truly a special player. He is really playing at a level that I don't think we have had a back play at.""
And as if one explosive offensive weapon was not enough, Wisconsin also boasts a wide receiver, Lee Evans, that looks to be back to the all-American caliber that he was in the 2001 season when he had 1,545 yards receiving. On Saturday, Evans found himself back at home on the field where he has had so much success, and he looked like his old self.
""Lee's legs were fresh today,"" Alvarez said. ""I thought he got stronger in the fourth quarter last week and he picked up right up where he left off. Lee's big time and I don't think that I will have to answer any more questions about, 'Do you feel that Lee's at full strength' or 'back to where he was.' I believe he is.""
He helped give Wisconsin a 24-10 lead, when he caught a six-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Jim Sorgi in the second quarter. However, it was his 99- yard touchdown reception with less than seven minutes remaining in the game that was the defining moment of the afternoon for Evans.
""Scoring a touchdown right in front of the student section was great,"" Evans said, obviously still excited about being back in uniform at Camp Randall.
The 200-yard rushing and 200-yard receiving day by Evans and Davis marked the first time that both a running back and receiver had 200-yard days in the same game.
