Freshmen facing big test as stand-ins for injured Hill
By JEFF POTRYKUS
jpotrykus@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Oct. 30, 2007
Madison - Barring dramatic improvement in his bruised left leg during the next few days, tailback P.J. Hill probably won't be healthy enough to play Saturday when the University of Wisconsin faces top-ranked Ohio State.
Hill, who suffered the injury with 3 minutes 42 seconds left in the first quarter of UW's victory over Indiana last week and sat out the rest of the day, was not available for interviews Tuesday night after practice.
However, Hill was favoring his injured leg and didn't appear capable of playing in a game.
When asked whether Hill was able to practice Tuesday, offensive coordinator Paul Chryst said:
"He did some stuff, a typical Tuesday. . . . You wish he would do a lot more but that is kind of where we're at right now."
That means UW (7-2, 3-2) likely will face a defense that is No. 4 nationally against the run (70.9 yards per game) and No. 1 nationally in yards allowed (214.6 per game) with freshmen Zach Brown and Quincy Landingham as the top two tailbacks.
"I'm ready," Brown said after practice Tuesday. "Every week you've got to practice hard because you never know who is going to get hurt.
"When the time comes, you've got to take advantage."
Brown rushed 14 times for 40 yards and a touchdown against Indiana. In eight games, he has rushed 35 times for 118 yards, 3.4 yards per carry.
"I'm not nervous at all," Brown added. "I think I've played enough and practiced hard so I feel confident when I get in the game.
"I'm a freshman in school but on that field it seems like I'm a vet."
Landingham, who was moved to tailback from safety in preseason camp and missed almost a month after suffering a knee injury, has three carries for 16 yards.
Sophomore tailback Lance Smith, who has a team-high 6.4-yard average per carry and is second on the team in rushing with 354 yards in six games, won't be available. Smith is suspended for UW's five regular-season road games because of his involvement in a July fight with his girlfriend.
UW could utilize fullbacks Chris Pressley and Bill Rentmeester, both of whom are capable north-south runners, before turning to the inexperienced Landingham.
Pressley, who played tailback as a freshman, can be an effective runner from the fullback spot. He rushed twice for 20 yards against Indiana and has eight carries for 56 yards (6.2 yards per carry) and a touchdown this season.
Rentmeester has gotten work at tailback during practice throughout the season. He rushed twice for 25 yards against Indiana and could be paired with Pressley or used in a single-back set.
"They need to (be) ready," Chryst said. "We'll use everyone we have."
Penn State rushed 23 times for 139 yards in a loss to the Buckeyes last week and most of the yards came between the tackles as the Nittany Lions attacked the heart of the Ohio State defense.
Getting to the perimeter against Ohio State's speed is difficult and the Buckeyes have disrupted running plays with timely blitzes.
However, both tackles (Doug Worthington and Todd Denlinger) are sophomores and first-year starters who don't always hold the point of attack.
Like Pressley and Rentmeester, Brown is a north-south runner who generally hits the hole quickly.
Although Brown is averaging fewer than 4 yards per carry, UW coach Bret Bielema expressed confidence in his ability to prepare and execute the offense.
"We're very excited about Zach," Bielema said earlier this week "I think he is a young man that has gotten better every week.
"In high school, a lot of times, kids just play ball. They don't watch much film. You really see Zach buying into . . . he's up in the office (Sunday) watching film, understanding that he can gain an advantage by film preparation.
"Whether he gets 1 rep, 30 carries, whatever it is, he's going to be going at it full go."
Unless Hill experiences a dramatic recovery, UW will need to rely on Brown and others more heavily than it has at any point this season.
