Devin Hester caught the ball on the far sideline, hesitated for a second, made one cut and was gone. No one touched him, no one had a chance to touch him and once again the Bears' return man had turned a punt return into a touchdown.
It's more than just the touchdowns, though. Had it not been for an irrelevant holding penalty on a kick return later in the game, Hester would have had two touchdowns Sunday. Still, one was enough because the Miami grad constantly put the offense in good field position - the best way to complement a great defense, especially when you have a terrible offense and Rex Grossman as your quarterback.
Now, why is this anecdote relevant here in Madison? Meet No. 85, David Gilreath from New Hope, Minn. Gilreath is one of a handful of true freshman making an immediate impact for the No. 9 Badgers. While freshman receiver Kyle Jefferson and freshman cornerback Aaron Henry have filled in for injured starters already, Gilreath has the chance to make the most impact out of any of the freshmen - and he already has.
People know who Devin Hester is, and Bears fans know that he could be the most valuable player on the team. Sunday, Hester returned five punts for an average of 28.6 yards per return. Those numbers are beyond ridiculous, and had Hester not played for some reason, the Bears might have lost to the lowly Chiefs. He was responsible for 10 points because on top of his touchdown, he also put the Bears in the red zone on another return, which led to a field goal. Take out the field position he gave the Bears on the other three returns, and the Chiefs may have gotten another field goal or two.
The Bears defense was dominating again, while the offense relied on a reserve offensive lineman to score the team's first and only offense touchdown of the season so far. Hester was the difference.
Which brings me back to the Badgers. I have found myself in a number of arguments the last few weeks about whether or not Bret Bielema needs a punt returner who can simply catch the ball or one who can be a difference maker who maybe fumbles the ball once or twice through the course of the season.
Essentially, this boils down to senior Luke Swan vs. Gilreath. After both got chances (and both fumbled) week one against Washington State, Bielema went with Swan against UNLV with the wind swirling in the desert. Gilreath returned all four punts Saturday against The Citadel, but had UW been backed up deep in its own territory, Swan supposedly would have been out there.
So what did Gilreath do? On four punts, Gilreath averaged 18.2 yards and almost broke one all the way. On three kick returns the freshman averaged 25 yards per return. He constantly gave UW great field position - helping the offense score more easily, but also helping a struggling defense when The Citadel would get the ball back deep in their own territory.
Then there is the fear factor. Gilreath was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week Monday, a good step in building a reputation. When you start averaging 15 yards per return and maybe take a few back for touchdowns, teams aren't going to kick the ball to you. They just hand you great field position and rely on their defense to step up.
With a harder schedule and a defense that isn't exactly all it was hyped up to be, Gilreath could be the Devin Hester of the Badgers and turn some games around with a big play.
Look, the Badgers are a top-10 team, but I can't remember a BCS championship team that didn't have a home run up its sleeve. UW is going to need to show some flashiness at some point, because that is what the pollsters notice.
David Gilreath doesn't need to have six returns for touchdowns, but a nice average and a couple touchdowns might help save the Badgers in some key situations as they play out a tough Big Ten schedule.
If you would like to build a shrine for Devin Hester with Adam, e-mail him at hoge@wisc.edu.
