Calhoun’s great game in 2005 stands test of time
MADISON – When Jonathan Taylor was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft, he became the eighth UW tailback drafted since 2000.
Taylor, the only runner in FBS history to amass more than 6,000 rushing yards in three seasons and a two-time winner of the Doak Walker Award, has a legitimate case to be considered the best tailback UW has produced.
That is a debate for another day, however.
Yet while reliving the many highlights Taylor produced during his 41-game run at UW, a question popped into my head.
That is: What is the best single-game performance by a UW tailback I have covered?
UW rushed for only 1,418 yards, an average of 128.9 yards per game in 1995, my first season on that beat.
Naturally, that season is out of the running.
After weighing several factors and
studying the numbers of those eight tailbacks – Ron Dayne, Michael Bennett, Anthony Davis, Brian Calhoun, Montee Ball, James White, Melvin Gordon and Taylor – our committee of one arrived at a surprising result.
The No. 1 single-game performance on my list was given by Brian Calhoun in UW’s 23-20 victory over Michigan in the 2005 Big Ten opener.
“Brian was the best player on the field that night,” said current Colorado State assistant Brian White, who was UW’s running backs coach and co-offensive coordinator in ’05.
In the interest of full disclosure, Calhoun’s performance that night didn’t crack the top 20 for yards gained by a UW runner. He scored only one touchdown and his per-carry average of 4.4 yards per carry wasn’t remarkable.
Here is why Calhoun’s performance stands out in my mind:
The standout from Oak Creek High School finished with 214 total yards – 155 rushing on 35 carries and 59 yards on seven receptions.
Calhoun generated 214 of UW’s 287 yards, a whopping 75%.
“Unbelievable,” White said when reminded of Calhoun’s numbers. “Oh God.”
UW finished with 21 first downs, 12 rushing and nine passing.
Calhoun had a hand in 14 of those first downs – 10 rushing and four receiving.
Calhoun’s rushing and total offense numbers pale in comparison to several other performances by UW tailbacks.
Those include:
Gordon’s 408 rushing yards and four touchdowns – in three quarters and just 25 carries – in a 59-24 victory over Nebraska in 2014.
Taylor’s 321 yards and three touchdowns in UW’s 47-44 tripleovertime victory over Purdue in 2018.
Davis’ 301 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-31 victory over Minnesota in 2002.
Bennett’s 290 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-23 victory over Oregon in 2000.
Yet anyone who watched Calhoun lead UW past Michigan in 2005 recalls that there were no gaping holes through which to scamper.
Michigan, which held Dayne in check in victories over UW in 1998 and ’99, brought a fast and physical defense to Camp Randall Stadium in ’05.
Calhoun, 5-foot-10 and 194 pounds, possessed the necessary blend of strength and quickness to gain critical yards between the tackles and in the open field.
“He was a complete back,” White said. “He was great in protection. He was a great receiver. He was an unbelievable route runner. He could make you miss and he was a physical, short-yardage back as well.
“That night against Michigan was a magical night, one of those nights you never forget.
“It just brings back so many wonderful memories that I had at Wisconsin. And that is one of the top ones.”
Calhoun was magnificent on UW’s game-winning drive.
He picked up three of the four first downs to help the Badgers move 52 yards in 11 plays for the winning touchdown.
That came on a 4-yard draw by John Stocco and Calhoun threw a key block on the play.
Calhoun, who redshirted in 2004 after transferring to UW from Colorado, finished the ’05 season with 1,636 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns and 53 catches for 571 yards and two touchdowns.
No other UW back has recorded at least 1,500 rushing yards and 50 catches in a single season.
Calhoun’s final game at UW came in the 2006 Capital One Bowl. He rushed 30 times for 216 yards and a touchdown as UW upset No. 7 Auburn, 24-10.
“Let me tell you something,” White said. “That year he had – that
year – is probably one of the most underappreciated years for a Badger running back in the history of the school.”