It seems like there's been a lot of negative stuff hovering around our countdown lately and unfortunately that was a major part of the story of Wisconsin athletics in 2012. Not everything came up roses, especially for Montee Ball, who came up at No. 6 for being a victim of a 5-on-1 beatdown just before fall camp opnend up and then we followed that up with a look at the dramatic and heartbreaking Rose Bowl loss to Oregon to start off 2012 on a sour note.
Thankfully it's on to the positive side of things as we feature Montee Ball once again. However, it's for something completely awesome and hopefully forever memorable as he set the all-time career TD record, which currently stands at 82 touchdowns ahead of the Rose Bowl. It's one of just many records, but it's perhaps the one that will be the hardest of his career marks to break.
What Happened: Ball's story at Wisconsin almost never got off the ground as he wasn't even used in a blow out of Iowa in 2009 and he admittedly thought of transfering. However, fast forward three more seasons and his story is of a Heisman Trophy finalist, an NCAA record holder on multiple fronts, and a B1G record holder on multiple fronts.
Ball came into the season needing 17 touchdowns to tie the record and 18 to break it. Clearly Ball did that and of course would do it on a 16 yard run against Penn State to close out the regular season. It was a thing of beauty, just take a look for yourself:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=IKKuP5lZURk
Why it appears at this spot: The TD record capped off a career that saw Ball tie Barry Sanders' single season TD record with 39 in 2011 as well and the list of records and accomplishments for Ball is still going as he's got a legit shot to break the all-time record for most rushing yards in a career at the Rose Bowl.
It would've been higher up on this list if not for some other crazy things happening after Ball broke the record. Honestly, it would've been No. 1 on our list because it's a record that's so hard to obtain. You have to be on the field a lot and you actually have to stay in school for all four years, a feat most top level running backs aren't willing to do with the riches of the NFL in front of them.
When we look back at Montee Ball's career could we remember him as the best running back in Wisconsin history? A Rose Bowl win would really help, huh?
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