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Badgers enjoy old, new Toons

MADISON — Mention the name "Toon," and one generation will draw memories of the great Al Toon, who dazzled University of Wisconsin football fans in the 1980s with his speed, length and pass-catching ability.

Mention the same name, and the next generation will draw pictures of what is yet to come for Badger sophomore Nick Toon, also an often-dazzling receiver.

It's no secret that the Wisconsin program's first priority is establishing the running game. Nick Toon knew that when he verbally committed in 2006 to play at his dad's alma mater. He saw the challenge—a hurdle that made him want to work that much harder to get over it.

"The running game complements the passing game, and vice-versa," Toon said. "When you're able to do both of them, it opens the other part of the game up.

"The more consistent I can be catching the football, the better our offense is going to be."

When No. 21 Wisconsin (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) hosts Michigan (5-5, 1-5 Big Ten) on Saturday, it will bookend a stellar one-year turnover for the Middleton High School graduate.

Last season in UW's shocking 27-25 loss at Michigan, Wisconsin's wide receivers had seven dropped passes, including a first-quarter drop by Toon in the end zone. Instead of getting seven points, the Badgers got none, as Philip Welch missed a 35-yard field-goal attempt.

"It's a play that I should have made," Toon recalled. "I hate watching the replay because I think I should have caught it."

So while some players took the summer to get away from football, Toon made conditioning his main focus. He simply wanted to get better and, literally, get more in tune with the offense and have more control over his body while still having room to grow.

The results show. After nine games, Toon is Wisconsin's leading receiver with 37 catches for 535 yards and two touchdowns. He also is coming off an Indiana game that UW coach Bret Bielema called "his most complete game since becoming a Badger."

Toon went over 100 yards receiving for the first time. He had five catches for 123 yards, leading the Badgers to a 31-28 victory over the Hoosiers.

"Obviously, I love to catch the ball. That's my job. That's what I do," Toon said. "Any time I can get a ball coming my way, that's good, too."

But it was the other things that separated Toon's performance from the others. On the first play from scrimmage, he cut down the defensive back guarding him, allowing Wisconsin to gain six yards on a John Clay run.

It's a characteristic that Toon has brought to his game. That commitment also goes back to a year ago and the play before his dropped pass at Michigan, when Toon missed a block on an option play that prevented what could have been a long gain.

"He's big. He's athletic. He's impressive," said Bielema. "Mom and dad, because of the way that they've brought him into this world, have taught him that hard work is going to pay off, that you can't get by on just what's been given to you, and I think Nick's beginning to see that."

Toon isn't trying to follow in the footsteps of his father, though. After all, in three productive varsity seasons, Al Toon caught 131 passes for 2,103 receiving yards (currently ranked fourth in UW history) and 19 touchdowns (third all time among receivers).

The only thing Nick Toon is trying to do is get the family name back on top of the record book.

With 252 receiving yards against Purdue in 1983, Al Toon set a Big Ten mark that stood on top of the UW record books for 20 years, until Lee Evans had 258 yards against Michigan State. Every time Nick Toon walks by the record boards in the McClain Center, he finds his motivation.

"That's one of my goals, to at least put the Toon name back on the top of the record board before I leave here," he said. "That would be pretty special."

And in Toon's eyes, that "pretty special" game is yet to come.

"I feel like I should have been doing it consistently this year, but obviously I was able to do it (against Indiana)," Toon said. "Hopefully, I can continue to do it throughout my career."

I know I can be a lot better."