Ron Dayne celebrated with the crowd as the Badgers left Camp Randall Stadium.

Presumably, this trend will not continue.

Coaches being the copy-cats that they are, when one finds a formula for success, others are quick to embrace the concept.

Whether it's the press man-to-man coverage and stacking the line of scrimmage on defense or spreading the field and throwing to four and five receivers of offense, if the style works, other coaches will line up to learn it.

But don't expect college coaches across the country to go out and look for the tailback of their dreams who can carry the load 25 to 30 times per game for four years.

Oh, they'd love to have someone with Dayne's ability. Or Williams. They would love to have such durability and explosiveness at the position. Just don't think they will change their offensive philosophy to accommodate someone with those skills, if they even find him.

"What Williams and Dayne have done is very unusual. It's got to be a coincidence," said ABC-TV analyst and former Auburn coach Terry Bowden. "My hobby is studying NCAA statistics. Rushing statistics are going down. Defensive rushing statistics are getting better and better. Defenses are stacking the line, daring teams to throw. They are trying to take away the run.

"And Ricky Williams is completely different than Ron Dayne. He didn't even start out as a tailback. Wisconsin is a classic I-formation team that feeds the ball to the tailback 35 times a game. That these guys have done this is very ironic in the day of the pass."

A year ago, Williams broke Dorsett's 22-year-old record, finishing his career with 6,279 yards to set the NCAA mark. He went on to win the Heisman Trophy.

That he managed to do so was remarkable for several reasons. As a freshman and sophomore, Williams played fullback for a team that underachieved. He then had a breakout season as a junior before considering turning pro before sticking around for his senior year under first-year coach Mack Brown.

Dayne also overcame big odds. He didn't start as a freshman until the sixth game, but still managed to gain 1,863 yards. A fullback in high school, Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez saw tailback potential, even though Dayne was pushing 275 pounds.

This year, he weighs 254 pounds and punishes tacklers. Teams know he is going to get the ball, and still can't stop him. He is just one of three players in NCAA history to rush for more than 6,000 yards. Saturday he needed 99 yards against Iowa to set the record, and had the record in the second quarter. He finished the game with 216 rushing yards.

"I admire what Barry has done with him," said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. "They've stuck to their guns. They know who they are. They're very confident with what they are philosophically."

In today's college game, offenses that run up and down the field are typically the most successful. Look at Florida and Florida State, always near the top of NCAA total offense and points stats. Tennessee had a high-powered offense a year ago in winning the national title and in seasons past with quarterback Peyton Manning. Purdue has become a threat under coach Joe Tiller, with quarterback Drew Brees throwing on almost every down.

Even Nebraska, which won three national titles in the 1990s, did it with a running attack that spread the ball around to several players. The Cornhuskers never relied on just one superstar.

Alvarez wanted a rough-and-tumble team, one that was committed to a physical brand of football. He didn't much care if anybody else knew what was coming.

"That was my formula," he said. "You know what? Joe Tiller thinks it's different. And that's okay. There are different ways to get it done. But that's what I know.

"And Ron really exemplifies our program. He's a no-frills guy. Blue-collar, talks about having fun, going to work, playing hard, doing all those things and just being hard-nosed."

Sounds simple. but it's not. Williams and Dayne are special players who happened to come along a year apart. And as much as coaches might enjoy having backs with their skills, most are afraid to trust too much of their offense to one player.

So much has to fall into place for it to work. You need a solid offensive line, an unselfish quarterback and receivers who don't turn the ball over. You need good special teams for field position and a strong defense to keep you from getting behind.

"Wisconsin is very good at what they do, but they have to do everything right for it to be successful," Bowden said. "If you have too many turnovers, you can't throw the ball to catch up. You have to have good field position to run the ball. You better not have penalties, because you won't be able to overcome them running the ball.

"If they were to get to a national championship game, and play a Tennessee defense, or Virginia Tech, or Florida or Florida State, it might be different. If their running game were shut down, their weaknesses are exposed. And that's why very few teams will commit to an offense like this."