With the departure of Brian Calhoun and Booker Stanley from the Badger backfield, the running back situation heading into the 2006 season for Wisconsin is left marred with uncertainty. Calhoun and Stanley will take 1,976 yards rushing and 635 receiving with them, good for over 94 percent of the entire Badger running backs' production last season.
As spring practice rolls past the halfway point, the search continues for the next model to roll off the line at the running back factory that is UW. The only two Badger backs with any game action, senior Dywon Rowan and junior Jamil Walker, have both shown flashes in practice, but the success of the Wisconsin running game next season will largely depend on the development of the team's talented trio of redshirt freshman.
While the Badgers as a team enjoyed a great deal of success last year, an absence of playing time and numerous injuries made the season a very trying experience for the youngsters.
It was pretty hard because I was young, but most of it came from my injury,\ P.J. Hill said of a preseason setback. ""Having a good preseason and being around the players and getting comfortable and then having everything go downhill ... I was pretty upset about it, but you just have to keep a positive mindset and move on.""
""It was hard watching from the sidelines,"" said Jerry Butler, who also found himself plagued by injuries, ""But you have to be mature with it because if you're not mature and can't handle it, then you won't learn anything at all.""
Dion Foster, while enjoying good health during the season, found himself buried behind Calhoun, who then- head coach Barry Alvarez called the most talented back he has ever coached after his team's Capital One Bowl victory over Auburn.
""It was real tough for me looking on the field knowing I couldn't play,"" Foster said. ""I never missed a down since I've been playing football, but last year with [Calhoun] I had to redshirt. It was pretty tough for me.""
But with the running back situation this season wide open and the upbeat trio eager to show what they can bring to the field, the prospects this year look significantly brighter.
Hill in particular has impressed so far this spring and relies on a power game as his biggest asset. Judging by the 235 lbs. he packs onto his 5'11', that would be hard to argue.
""I'm a very physical runner, I like to use my strength a lot,"" Hill said. ""I want to do more of the punishing than let them beat up on me.""
At the opposite end of the spectrum is the speedy Pennsylvania native Butler, who was the 100-meter champion in Philadelphia during high school. Butler also possesses arguably the best hands of the trio, giving the Wisconsin coaches a chance to utilize him in the passing game as they did Calhoun a year ago.
""I think the coaches are definitely looking forward to giving me the opportunity, but it's my job to step up and take advantage of it,"" Butler said.
Foster, who stands just 5'8', has shown good speed and elusiveness in evading would-be tacklers, and in the past has drawn comparisons to a former Badger back.
""I was always compared to [Bennett] because when I was younger I was real little,"" Foster said. ""In high school I was real quick. But since I've come here I've gained 25 pounds.""
When asked if that extra weight would slow him down, Foster replied with a laugh, ""Yeah, I still got a little quickness left.""
While Hill has put a little distance between himself and his two freshman counterparts, Butler stressed that the competition is far from over.
""Right now everyone is still at the learning stage. Right now it's still open. But it doesn't matter if you go into camp at No. 1. It's who finishes the season.""
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