It wasn't too long ago when the Badgers played by the maxim that they would run the ball down their opponent's throat because they knew they couldn't be stopped, and opposing defenses knew their chances of stopping Wisconsin were slim.
Then Ron Dayne graduated.
The emergence of a formidable passing game and early ball control problems led some to suggest that offensive coordinator Paul Chryst may be taking the Wisconsin offense in a new, more passing-friendly direction.
If this postulation remained after last week's win over Michigan State, John Clay's second half demolition of the Minnesota defense Saturday signifies that the good old days of physical Wisconsin football have not gone by the wayside quite yet.
""[Clay] was just a workhorse [Saturday], he was a load,"" junior quarterback Scott Tolzien said. ""He was finishing runs and we all know he was tired, he was winded, but he just kept fighting and clawing.""
Clay bulldozed for 159 yards and two touchdowns in the second half of the Badgers' 31-28 victory over Minnesota, wearing down the speedy Gopher defense with his punishing upright running style. The sophomore finished the game with three touchdowns and a career-high 184 yards on 32 carries, the second consecutive week he has received over 30 carriers.
""It's kind of like watching a heavyweight boxing match. The guys that are coming up trying to tackle [Clay] in the third and fourth quarter aren't doing it the same way they were in that first half,"" coach Bret Bielema said. ""He has an effect on the game and just wears you down.""
In a sense John Clay's effort Saturday epitomized the toughness shown all season by a much-improved Wisconsin team.
Every time the Badgers have been ""punched in the mouth"" by opponents this season, they have come back and punched harder.
When the Badgers, trailing 13-10, started the second half with a fumble in their own territory, the defense refused to roll over and give Minnesota any easy points to add to its lead. Instead, an interception by sophomore defensive tackle Patrick Butrym set up a 70-yard touchdown drive that put the Badgers up 17-13, and Minnesota never led for the rest of the game.
Having Clay scrape for every yard he could also helped the Badgers eat up valuable chunks of minutes in the second half. It seemed like every time a Gopher defender met Clay at the line of scrimmage, the 245-pound running back would put his head down and find a way to carry that defender—and at times many more—for a three- or four-yard gain.
""The great thing about [Clay] is you [could] miss a block, you don't want to, but he might break that and still get five yards off of it,"" junior guard John Moffitt said. ""The first hit's not going to take Clay down.""
Clay attributes the yards after contact to constantly keeping his feet moving and in turn creating the momentum that allows him to produce those second, third and sometimes fourth efforts.
""I'm determined to fall forward. I try to punish the defenders as much as they punish me,"" Clay said. ""[I] try to wear them down as much as possible, and then they try to arm tackle or leg tackle me and that's when I try to break away and run.""
As long as John Clay keeps his momentum rolling through the Big Ten season, Wisconsin will continue to be a tough opponent to take down.
