‘Heinz 57’ look to spice up run game
MADISON - Looking to spice up a recent photo shoot, Wisconsin tailbacks Chris James and Bradrick Shaw explored different poses for a twoshot.
They settled on James, wearing No. 5, standing on the left side from the view of the photographer, his helmet in his right hand. Shaw, wearing No. 7, was to the left of James, holding a football in his left hand.
James dubbed the shot Heinz 57.
That seemed natural since James, who played two seasons at Pittsburgh before transferring to UW, played his home games at Heinz Field.
But that wasn’t the reason for the title.
“We say we’ve got sauce,” Shaw, a redshirt sophomore, explained after practice Tuesday. And yes, sauce = swag. “Yea, we’ve got a little
swagger,” said James, a redshirt junior.
UW’s coaches hope James and Shaw, who have been splitting time with the No. 1 offense through the first four days of camp, can lead a tailback rotation that could go four deep.
Redshirt junior Taiwan Deal, who appears quicker and more explosive after undergoing ankle surgery, is the No. 3 back. Rachid Ibrahim, a graduate transfer from Pittsburgh, appears good enough to vie for a role. That could be as a third-down specialist.
James and Shaw experienced similar growing pains in 2016.
James redshirted after transferring. Shaw was No. 3 on the depth chart and was limited to 88 carries in 11 games. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry and scored five touchdowns.
“For me, practice was my game,” James explained when asked about last season. “On Saturdays, I was at home with wings watching the game.”
James was the No. 2 tailback at Pittsburgh as a freshman in 2014 when Paul Chryst was in his third season as head coach, Joe Rudolph coached the offensive line and John Settle handled the running backs.
That trio is back for its third season at UW and James, from Chicago, is eager to return to the field and vie for the starting job in 2017.
“I didn’t try to see it as a year off,” he said, referring to last season. “I tried to see it as a year of work. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that football is mostly mental.
“I tried to prepare every single week as if I was going to play. Deep down inside I knew I wasn’t going to play but that is how I got through it.”
Shaw last season tried to prepare to play every week, even though he understood Corey Clement and Dare Ogunbowale would get the bulk of the work.
“Last year I knew I had to make the most of my opportunities,” Shaw said. “When I got in I just tried to be at my best and do something. It helped me, even though I didn’t play a lot.
“I want to prove to coach that I am an everydown back. I feel like I can do a lot of things on the field. This year should be a good year for me to prove myself.”
James, 5-foot-10 and 219 pounds, can use his quickness and speed to elude would-be tacklers in the open field. However, he appears strong enough to run between the tackles with power.
Shaw, 6-1 and 220, last season displayed power to
run through tackles. He isn’t as quick in tight spaces as James is but can run away from defenders if he gets into the open.
“I guess we complement each other,” James said.
Their personalities are also complementary.
Shaw is more introverted and is judicious with his words.
“I’m a little more quiet, more serious,” Shaw said. “I always have fun but when I’m competing I like to have my mouth closed.”
James is more animated, more loquacious.
“Once he starts talking,” Shaw said, “he’s not going to stop.”
James works at his craft but isn’t afraid to sing or dance on the field. But don’t let that joy fool you. His competitive fire never dies and it came out on the practice field last season when he worked on the scout team and went against the No. 1 defense.