By: Doug Lesmerises(Cleveland Plain Dealer) –

Columbus- At some point Saturday, 248-pound Wis consin running back John Clay is going to barrel through a hole and an Ohio State linebacker like Austin Spitler (14 pounds lighter than Clay), Ross Homan (19 pounds lighter) or Brian Rolle (27 pounds lighter) is going to be waiting for him. The collision will match the Big Ten’s best rushing offense against the Big Ten’s best rushing defense.

Or maybe collision isn’t the right word. Once the nation’s fifth-leading rusher gets through the line, the best plan might be to go low and get help.

“I don’t know if you want to take his knees out or take him up high,” Spitler said. “I’m sure some guys want to take his knees out, because that’s a big boy coming through the hole.”

In some ways, it’s like Clay is running out of the past, the sophomore expected to be the next big-back 1,000-yard rusher for the Badgers. Comparisons to Heisman Trophy winners are dangerous, but at the very least, he’s the largest back from Madison, Wis., since Ron Dayne emerged as the country’s best player 10 years ago.

“I think back to Ron Dayne, the guy they had last year, P.J. Hill, they always have a big back,” Spitler said.

“I think they pride themselves on running the football and we pride ourselves on stopping the run.”

If there’s a danger for the Big Ten’s best defense, it’s the Buckeyes’ one mark in the past two seasons has been giving up crucial drives late in games. In Clay, the Badgers have a back they like to use to wear down teams, just like Ohio State used to do with Beanie Wells. And the sophomore is just hitting his stride after some fumbling problems earlier in the season.

Clay has only started once in five games, listed behind junior Zach Brown on the depth chart, but Clay definitely finishes. Last week, he ran for a career-high 184 yards on 32 carries in a win over Minnesota, with 26 carries and 159 yards coming in the second half. Of the Badgers’ final 39 offensive plays, 24 were Clay runs.

“After getting hit by a 300-pound lineman, you’ve got me coming out the backfield, so it wears down the defense and we can see it in their eyes,” Clay said on a conference call this week. “That’s when we jump on every opportunity we can when we run the ball.”

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