BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer

MADISON, Wis. — As a product of the Kenosha Boys and Girls Club culture, Melvin Gordon always respected the influence of role models. He also recognized the potential impact that his rushing exploits in a Badger uniform might have on aspiring youngsters around the state of Wisconsin.

One such player was 10-year-old Braelon Allen.

"He kind of brought my attention back to the game," Allen said. "I was more of a wrestler growing up. I didn't start playing football until like the fifth grade. I didn't like it at first. I played fullback and middle linebacker and I really wasn't that interested. I just wanted to wrestle.

"Then I saw him in the Nebraska game that year — you know, 408 in the snow.

"I was like, 'It's kind of cool.' So here I am."

Here was the McClain Center late Monday morning. Allen was taking part in a media availability and drew a crowd of beat reporters and sportscasters matching the size of the weekly camera scrums around quarterback Graham Mertz. This was all new for the 17-year-old Allen. Outside of signing day.

"As a kid, you'd watch guys to do that," he said of the give-and-take Q &A between players and the media. "And it looked cool. Until you're up there. It's not as cool. But I don't mind that. You have to think of answers quick, and some have to be more in-depth than others. You have to be careful."
 

Measured, he nodded, was a better word for his approach in this setting. After breaking away from the cluster of interviewers, he spoke of his respect for Gordon, the former UW tailback who rushed for an NCAA-record 408 yards in just three quarters during a 2014 dismantling of Nebraska.

As the falling snow made for a picture-postcard on that mid-November day at Camp Randall, Gordon's dynamic performance expressed a "Wish you were here" sentiment to the impressionable Allen. On one of his long runs, Gordon executed a perfect stiff-arm in the face of safety Corey Cooper.

While Gordon used his right arm to ward off the would-be tackler in Cooper, Allen planted his left arm in the chest of 315-pound Illinois nose guard Roderick Perry in the third quarter of Saturday's game in Champaign. It was a quick jab from which Allen bounced outside and scored on a 23-yard run.

"Honestly, I didn't expect it to work," he admitted. "I expected to get off the tackler but I didn't expect it to be as wide open to that side of the field. But it was. I felt like I got good contact and extension. It's definitely about timing, hand placement and power."

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All of Allen's estimable running tools were on display in his breakout moment. In three previous appearances combined — he was not active for the Notre Dame game due to injury — he had 12 carries for 49 yards (30 in the Eastern Michigan win). Against the Illini, he rushed 18 times for 131 yards, a 7.3 average.

"It definitely felt good," Allen said. "There were a lot of questions about me playing running back and I felt like on Saturday, I needed to show what I could do — and what I'm going to do. I kind of felt like I had my arrival, so to speak. This is where I belong.

"I just have to keep working and working and working and evolving my game to a point where there's no doubt that this is the position that I'm supposed to play."

College recruiters had initially projected Allen for safety or linebacker. Last spring, though, during the WIAA's alternate fall season due to the pandemic, Allen had excelled as a running back in sparking Fond du Lac High School to a 7-0 record. He rushed for 1,039 yards (14.6) and 23 scores.

"Braelon is a heck of a football player," UW head coach Paul Chryst said Monday. "Good football players can play a lot of positions. Even in just the last year-and-a-half his body changed, and I think you saw reasons why in the time that he's had (at tailback) that he can be a good back.

"You see it on special teams and what he has given to us. That's why we're excited about Braelon. I appreciate the fact that he wants to keep studying it, keep learning it, and he's going to continue to grow with the snaps that he gets, not just in games but in practices."

Last Friday night, Allen was in a Champaign hotel room preparing mentally for what he knew to be an expanded assignment at tailback the following day against Illinois. At the same time, Appleton North was pounding Fond du Lac, 47-7. "They lost on senior night, it was kind of tough," Allen said.

The irony was not lost on Allen, who would have been one of those seniors if he had not reclassified to Wisconsin's 2021 recruiting class. Last April 30, Fond du Lac crushed Appleton North, 42-7, behind Allen, who rushed for 119 yards to go along with 10 tackles, 2 TFLs and a forced fumble.

"I was just playing five months ago in Fond du Lac, it's definitely crazy," Allen said of his journey from prep to collegian, from the Fox Valley Association to the Big Ten. "I feel like if I was back in high school now with the knowledge that I have of the game, all the stuff I've learned here…"

At that, he was more than a handful even without that specialized training in the running back room that he's getting now under the tutelage of UW assistant coach Gary Brown. Truth is, Allen is the first to concede that he's still learning how to maximize his skills and play the position.

"I definitely can't just run guys over anymore," said the 6-foot-2, 238-pound Allen, a weight room warrior. "I want to make people miss. I want to the protect the quarterback and catch the ball out of the backfield. All of that stuff is still coming. It's coming quick. I feel like I'm picking it up pretty well.

"I've got the running part down and I'm adding stuff to my game to make it more dynamic … For my carries, it's definitely more vertical type runs. I bounce a few to the outside. They were OK runs. But it's stuff I've got to work on to become more of an elusive back rather than just north-south."

On one run that he tried to bounce to the perimeter, an Illinois defensive back chopped his legs out from under him. And it made an impression on Allen, who said, "That's definitely in my mind heading into next week. I know they're going to go low. Nobody is going to try and tackle me high."

On another run, he took on a linebacker and rolled over the top of him. He didn't stop running.

"That was a quick whistle, an inadvertent whistle," he lamented. "The only thing that touched the ground was my hand and they took 10 to 11 yards off the run. It's more luck rolling over a guy like that. But it's instincts, too, knowing I didn't hit the ground and I got up and kept running."

It speaks to his aggressiveness and staying in attack mode. Wisconsin tailback Chez Mellusi is of the same mindset. And the results Saturday validated his preparation, and attitude. Mellusi had 21 carries for 145 yards (6.9) and one touchdown. His long run, like Allen's, was for 23 yards.

During his Monday interview session, the 5-11, 204-pound Mellusi brought up the complementary nature of his emerging tag-team partnership with Allen. He went so far as to label it as a "Thunder and Lightning" pairing because of their distinct running styles.

"Chez had some real powerful runs," Allen said. "It's speed and power, Thunder and Lightning, to a certain extent. I'm going to be the guy on short yardage stuff. He's the more speedy, quick, make-you-miss type. I usually run guys over.

"But I've taken on a bigger role and I'm not just in there on short yardage and goal line. I'm there for whole drives now."

Although he has yet to catch a pass, Allen believes that it's just a matter of time.

"It's more about protections," said Allen, who got some limited experience at wide receiver as a prep. "You're not going to be in on passing downs, if you don't get all the protections down. You have to protect the quarterback.

"Once I get them down, and I'm comfortable with them, people will see that side of me."

Allen credited Mertz for helping him with his confidence as a tailback. From the time that Allen arrived on campus, Mertz has been encouraging him. His words have gone a long way in making for a smoother transition. Meanwhile, Allen's mom has been a motivating force in shaping his demeanor.

"As a freshman, it can be frustrating going through the summer and the first couple of weeks of the season, and not getting the reps I wanted obviously," Allen said. "But she just kept saying, 'Stay the course. Stay patient and keep working.' Which is no problem for me. Work is the easy part."

In high school, when he was attracting recruiters with his play at safety, he looked up to NFL stars like Jamal Adams and Derwin James because they were the gold standard. He has since readjusted his focus to running backs like Gordon, Jonathan Taylor, Saquon Barkley and Derek Henry.

"JT is one of the best to ever do it here — I watch a lot of him," said Allen, who then confided, "My favorite NFL player is still a defensive player, Fred Warner (49ers). When he first came into the league, I liked him and now he's considered the best linebacker in the league."

Old habits are hard to break. But Allen is working on that, too, with each carry and stiff-arm.