Related Links: Wisconsin rolls past Michigan State 40-10 Game summary Top 25 roundup Big Ten roundup Forum: Should Ropn Dayne win the Heisman?
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And when it comes to slights against Dayne, Badgers offensive coordinator Brian White apparently has that covered, too.

"It's been a travesty the way he's been perceived by the national press, an absolute travesty," White said after Dayne rushed for 214 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-10 victory over No. 11 Michigan State on Saturday. "To be considered one of the top 10 disappointments in college football in Sports Illustrated, it's ridiculous. It's asinine.

"That's one of the greatest -- if not the greatest -- tailback and runner in college football history. We've said all along that if he stays healthy for 11 games, he's going to break the record. He will. If he stays healthy for the next three games, he'll break the record."

Dayne needs to average at least 161 yards to break the NCAA Division I-A record for career rushing yards set last year by Ricky Williams of Texas. The No. 17 Badgers finish the season at Northwestern, at Purdue and home against Iowa.

The record is well within reach. Dayne should be back on the Heisman radar, too, although White said sarcastically his player might need tattoos, body piercing and dreadlocks to stay there.

Regardless of what anyone thinks about his performances earlier in the season, for a day, at least, Dayne looked like a Heisman winner against Michigan State, which went into the game ranked first in the country in run defense. By the middle of the second quarter, Dayne had more yards than any team had against the Spartans this season.

On a windy day that ruined Michigan State's passing game, Wisconsin dominated on the ground. The Spartans had only three plays from scrimmage in the third quarter. Dayne, who had touchdown runs of 51 and 15 yards, left the game for good early in the fourth quarter.

His coaches bristled at the notion Dayne's performance was a "statement."

"I'm going to tell you something," Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez said. "Every week, somebody seems to find some reason to criticize him. The guy has proven himself to me and everybody in the state for the last four years."

Wisconsin is so sensitive about Dayne, it includes a page titled "What's Myth and What's Fact?" in its publicity materials about the running back.

The myths include "Ron Dayne turns the ball over," "Ron Dayne doesn't play hurt," and "Ron Dayne hasn't gained yardage vs. quality opposition."

What isn't a myth, though, is his zero yards rushing in the second half of a home loss to Michigan.

"You want to talk about the Michigan game?" White said. "Everyone talks about the zero yards. How about the 88 he had in the first half -- a 34-yard-run, breaking three tackles? No one mentions that."

What isn't a myth is 80 yards against Minnesota. What isn't a myth is Dayne's utter lack of charisma, which, fair or not, comes into play with the Heisman. His only exposure to the media after home games is a news conference with Alvarez sitting next to him, which looks an awful lot like a guy who's being protected.

Ron Dayne breaks away from the defense on a 51-yard touchdown run.(AP)

Even Alvarez admitted Michigan State's status as first in the nation against the run wasn't what it appeared to be.

"I felt that was a little misleading," Alvarez said. "If you look, most of those teams didn't even try (to run against the Spartans)."

In Dayne's defense, he hasn't run up his statistics on opponents already badly beaten. He had only 17 carries against hapless Indiana and 20 against overmatched Murray State.

If Dayne has been campaigning for anything, it was out of obligation, not because he loves the attention.

"I was just out there having fun," Dayne said after Saturday's game. "The line was having fun. Everyone was out there making jokes in the huddle."

What a concept -- fun. Junior center Casey Rabach noticed the difference.

"He looked like the Ron of old," Rabach said. "Ron was out there having fun. All the pressure on him gets to a guy. He's got to let it go. Today I think he did. He just went out and played and had a great time doing it."