Still, Badgers coach Barry Alvarez is bitter, lashing out at the NCAA even after his team's 27-23 victory over Oregon. That was the case even though it appears that the worst is over for Wisconsin in the wake of NCAA sanctions.

Michael Bennett (29) celebrates with his teammates, Chad Kuhn (41) and John Sigmund, after scoring a touchdown.(AP)

The one- and three-game suspensions given to 26 players for having received "extra benefits" from a local shoe store will linger into the next two games. But after defeating the Ducks, who were on the brink of the Top 25, the fifth-ranked Badgers can look forward to games against Cincinnati and Northwestern -- both at home -- before hitting the meat of the Big Ten schedule.

And on Saturday afternoon, they found a sprinter doing an imitation of Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne.

Michael Bennett, the Big Ten champion in the 100 and 200 meters, rushed for 290 yards, fourth-most in school history. That included touchdown runs of 59 and 75 yards, plus an 83-yarder that set up the game-winning touchdown.

It was an emphatic answer to the question, "Who's going to replace Ron Dayne?"

"It's kind of a sigh of relief," Bennett said, "but there's a long season to go."

For Bennett, the season isn't as long as it might have been. He is one of Alvarez's discount shoppers who has a one-game suspension to serve. He played in the season-opener against Western Michigan, gaining 128 yards in a victory for the Badgers.

Bennett prefers to sit out the Northwestern game.

"Right now, I'm on a roll, and I want to keep going," he said.

Wisconsin's offensive line had one starter missing because of a suspension, so senior guard Dave Costa, a three-year starter, moved to tackle. But Costa seemed almost reluctant to accept plaudits for helping open holes, even for a guy who put up Dayne-sized numbers.

That's because the Badgers rushed for only 24 yards in the first half. The second half, however, answered questions about the line and about the track star-running back.

"If there was one question about Michael, it was how tough he was going to be, especially after losing Ron, the toughest back in the country," Costa said. "But he's tough. He can do it. He can definitely do it."

Alvarez also sensed a landmark of sorts.

"You could just see him get a little more patient, letting things happen and accelerating instead of just putting his head down once there's a little congestion," Alvarez said. "He may have just grown up to be a great running back."

Bennett, a junior from Milwaukee and nephew of former NFL linebacker Tony Bennett, has heard the knock on him.

"A lot of people say, 'He's just a track guy,' " Bennett said. "But I just brush that stuff off. I'm a die-hard football fan. I just have to work on being a student the game."

If Bennett breaks a tackle or two, good luck catching up to him. On Saturday, he even overshadowed the performance of Badgers cornerback Jamar Fletcher, recipient of considerable preseason attention.

Fletcher had to make the game count, and he did, intercepting three passes. But he won't play again until Sept. 30 at Michigan. Fletcher's shoe-shopping cost him three games -- the opener and the next two games.

But he said he is unconcerned about how the missed games will affect his postseason honors.

"I think everybody knows who the best corner is," Fletcher said. "If you know football, you know."

The Badgers, two-time defending Rose Bowl champions, can't be quite as sure about how good they as a team.

"We're not going to be over the hump until we get everybody back," Alvarez said. "It's sure going to be nice to line up with our football team."

With that comment, Alvarez launched into a story about how the school tried to appeal a one-game suspension for cornerback Mike Echols. Wisconsin felt it had an extremely solid case that should have been settled by the NCAA Friday. But it wasn't.

So Echols sat, because the Badgers wanted to make sure he was around for when Fletcher couldn't play. Oregon responded by picking on the cornerback opposite Fletcher, and might have won if the receivers didn't drop so many passes.

"I'm not confident about anything they do," Alvarez said of the NCAA. "Anything. I have no confidence in them. I shouldn't be that abrupt, but I don't have any confidence in them whatsoever because I don't know if they understand kids or care about kids. I'm going to quit on that before I get in trouble."

It's hard to be too sympathetic. The Badgers are allowed to choose what games the players miss among the first four games. It isn't exactly a killer schedule. The violations were widespread among athletes. The athletic department sent a representative to the shoe store during last season to investigate.

And guess what? The person didn't find anything wrong.

"There isn't a program in the country that has gone through the adversity we've gone through the last couple years," said offensive coordinator Brian White, referring also to surgery that kept Alvarez off the sideline for a while. "It speaks to the values coach Alvarez has instilled in these young men."

At least Wisconsin has a running back who is averaging more than 200 yards per game.

A track guy.