Wisconsin’s Clay catches up fast

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

Once Wisconsin fans got a taste of John Clay running the football this fall, they immediately asked for extra helpings.

It was easy to see why.

	Jeff Hanisch/US Presswire
	John Clay, widely considered the Badgers’ running back of the future, averaged 5.7 yards a carry in the last six regular-season games this season.

At 6-foot-2 and 237 pounds, Clay might fit the Wisconsin running back mold better than any player this decade. He runs like he’s ticked off and brings an impressive mix of speed and power to the backfield.

Better yet, he’s a homegrown product, an all-state player from Racine.

But for much of the season, Clay was delivered only in small doses, frustrating much of Badger Nation who wanted to see more.

Brilliant with the ball in his hands and an open field before him, Clay struggled with some of the other aspects that go into being a successful Big Ten running back.

He needed time to fine-tune his alignment, master his blocking assignments and improve his ability to read defenses. In a preseason practice I attended, Clay would often line up incorrectly and still break off big gains. The ability was there, but the know-how needed work.

Clay redshirted the 2007 season after academic issues initially delayed his arrival to training camp.

“Coming in late hindered me a lot,” Clay said this week. “I wasn’t with the team for three weeks before the season started and they tried to throw me in there right away and I didn’t pick it up fast enough. So redshirting, sitting out helped me out. I knew I had to focus on my academics. Everything fell into place after that.”

Clay showed flashes early this fall, scoring a touchdown at Michigan following an electrying 46-yard dash. But he spent most of the second half on the sideline as Michigan rallied for a 27-25 win.

The redshirt freshman began to get more opportunities in the second half of the season, as Wisconsin closed with wins in four of its final five games. Sharing carries with starter P.J. Hill and fellow reserve Zach Brown, Clay rushed for 100 yards or more in three of his final four games and averaged 5.7 yards per carry in the last six regular-season contests.

“We feed off of each other,” Clay said of himself, Hill and Brown. “When somebody does something good, we’re the first ones there to congratulate each other. If we mess up, we’re right there to tell each other what we should have did or what it should have looked like.”

Clay and Hill lead Wisconsin’s offense into the Champs Sports Bowl against Florida State and will anchor one of the Big Ten’s deepest rushing attacks in 2009.

Considered the Badgers’ running back of the future, Clay knows his time is coming.

“I’m more confident in myself, trusting my ability and trusting my alignment, knowing my reads,” he said. “I feel good that they count on me and I can do that for the team.”

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