They are two of the hottest names in University of Wisconsin athletics right now, homegrown stars who share plenty in common as they navigate stardom at a young age.
But what you may be surprised to learn about Braelon Allen and Johnny Davis is they’ve never met. Allen knows of Davis, and Davis knows of Allen, but not once have the freshman tailback on the UW football team and the sophomore wing on the Badgers men’s basketball team shared a conversation or even crossed paths on campus.
“If I were to see him around,” Davis said, “I’d definitely say what’s up to him.”
Prior to even knowing whether or not they knew one another, were good friends or something in between, I considered trying to arrange for Davis and Allen to sit down for a dual interview because having them in the same room could have sparked an interesting discussion. Alas, the combination of the football team’s Las Vegas Bowl preparations/travel schedule and the ongoing pandemic complicating the men’s basketball schedule made that possibility unrealistic.
Besides, it may have ended up being an awkward setting for a first meeting between Allen and Davis, neither of whom seems particularly outgoing. That’s not a knock, it’s just something I’ve noticed during my limited interactions with the two. Both are serious and don’t waste words while answering questions. Not unhelpful, by any means, just direct and, for the most part, expressionless.
“Down to business,” Davis said, “That’s all it’s about.”
Fair enough, and both have done plenty of business since arriving on campus.
Davis is in the midst of a breakthrough second season with the No. 24 Badgers (9-2), who are scheduled to host Illinois State on Wednesday night after having a game canceled last week due to COVID-19 protocols. He leads the team with 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game, putting himself on the radar of NBA scouts in the process.
Allen has rushed for 1,109 yards and 12 touchdowns as a true freshman for UW (8-4), which is scheduled to end its season on Thursday night against Arizona State (8-4) at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. He rushed for at least 100 yards in seven consecutive games at one point, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors despite registering only 12 carries over the first four games of the season.
From afar, they’ve admired each other’s performances.
“There’s not many freshmen, especially in football, that can just get in and make an impact the way he did, breaking records and stuff already,” Davis said. “He’s a really good player and I’m looking forward to seeing how he fills out the rest of his career.”
Davis, who was a standout quarterback at La Crosse Central, is like the rest of us in one regard: He’s been amazed at watching Allen, who won’t turn 18 until next month, excel in such a physical game at such a young age.
“It makes me feel old because I’m 19,” Davis said. “It’s definitely impressive. He’s not even an adult yet and he’s out here running over grown-ass men.”
Allen, meanwhile, appreciates the sport of basketball even though the only time he played it was on a sixth-grade travel team.
“It was fun. It just wasn’t my thing,” he said. “I was a wrestler. I was always taught the only thing that belongs on basketball court is wrestling mats.”
That said, Allen has enjoyed watching Davis on the court this season.
“I’ve definitely seen a lot of him this year,” Allen said. “Obviously he’s having a great season. It’s cool for Madison and the basketball team to have a guy like that.”
Arguably the coolest part about Allen and Davis blossoming into stars is that they are native sons.
The UW football program lost out on some of its high-priority in-state targets in the 2022 class and Allen could have gone almost anywhere he wanted a year ago after deciding to leave Fond du Lac High School early and reclassify into the 2021 class. But he chose to stay home.
“It’s always cool to be able to play for your home team and allow for your family to come out and see you play,” Allen said. “I wouldn’t say it was a huge factor in my decision, but it’s definitely cool and I’m glad that I did it.”
Davis had a lot of options as well during the 2020 recruiting cycle but decided he wanted to play at UW alongside his twin brother Jordan.
“I definitely appreciate being in the home state,” Davis said. “It makes things a lot easier and I really enjoy being able to rep Wisconsin.”
One thing that’s stood out from my vantage point is how well Allen and Davis have represented UW, not just in terms of being fun to watch but also in how they’ve carried themselves despite all the attention they’ve received.
Both gave similar answers when asked what’s allowed each of them to travel this road of fame while avoiding the pitfalls in that path.
“My parents raised me to be a kid with good manners,” Davis said. “Be humble through all my success and always give credit to other people more than myself because I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the people surrounding me.”
“I guess you could say it’s from my upbringing,” Allen said. “My parents, the most important thing to them is humility. They’ve preached that to me since I was 4 years old, whenever I started playing sports. They preached that to me forever. I really don’t have to reach out and ask for advice about it. It’s just kind of what I was brought up to do and who I was brought up to be.”
If it ever gets to be too much for Allen and Davis and they want to chat with somebody who’s walking in their same shoes, they could always seek out one another. Their official introduction is long overdue.
Jim Polzin: Ranking every bowl in Wisconsin football's 20-year streak from 'Yes!' to 'Yaaawn'
1 – 2011 Rose Bowl: No. 3 TCU 21, No. 4 UW 19
Was it strange playing a Mountain West team in Pasadena? Yes. But considering it had been more than a decade since the Badgers played in the “Granddaddy of Them All” and this was the only top-5 matchup in UW’s bowl run, it deserves the top spot.
2 – 2012 Rose Bowl: No. 6 Oregon 45, No. 9 UW 38
The what-might-have been season that included back-to-back heartbreaking defeats to Michigan State and Ohio State midway through the campaign ended with a return trip to Pasadena. That’s always a pleasant experience and this trip meant one last chance for UW fans to watch Russell Wilson work his magic.
3 – 2013 Rose Bowl: No. 6 Stanford 20, UW 14
Going to Pasadena should never get old, even if it happens in three consecutive seasons. This one lost a little bit of luster with the Badgers arriving as an 8-5 team and would have been even less appealing had Bret Bielema still been the coach. But Bielema’s shocking departure to Arkansas only a few days after UW hammered Nebraska in the Big Ten title game opened the door for Barry Alvarez to make his return to the sidelines.
4 – 2017 Orange Bowl: No. 6 UW 34, No. 11 Miami (Fla.) 24
The Badgers’ best chance to make the College Football Playoff ended with a 27-21 loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten title game. Four weeks later, they were playing a major bowl game in the Miami area for the first time against a brand-name opponent. Not too shabby.
5 – 2020 Rose Bowl: No. 7 Oregon 28, No. 11 UW 27
Ending up in Pasadena after coming up short against Ohio State in the Big Ten title game felt weird, but it’s still the doggone Rose Bowl and that experience never should be taken for granted.
6 – 2006 Capital One Bowl: No. 21 UW 24, No. 7 Auburn 10
The Badgers were in the Big Ten title hunt until opening November with back-to-back losses to Penn State and Iowa. Still, the buildup to this one was exciting because it was a farewell to Barry Alvarez and he’d never ever coach another game for the Badgers, right? Oops. Orlando would end up being my least-favorite bowl destination but I didn’t know that before this trip, so it had no impact on my grade.
7 – 2017 Cotton Bowl: No. 8 UW 24, No. 12 Western Michigan 12
The Badgers were still stinging from wasting a 21-point lead in a 38-31 loss to Penn State in the Big Ten title game, but they still earned an invitation to a New Year’s Six bowl. There wasn’t anything sexy about playing an opponent from the MAC, but the Broncos were unbeaten and had a coach that liked to talk. Perhaps too much, in fact, and UW fans by the end of the week were happy they’d never have to hear from P.J. Fleck again. Four days later, Fleck row, row, rowed his boat to Minnesota.
8 – 2007 Capital One Bowl: No. 6 UW 17, No. 12 Arkansas 14
Bret Bielema’s fabulous debut season — the only loss came at Michigan in Week 4 — ending with a game against an intriguing top-15 team from the SEC? A lot to like there, even if it did mean going back to Orlando for a second consecutive season.
9 – 2015 Outback Bowl: No. 17 UW 34, No. 19 Auburn 31 (OT)
UW’s Big Ten title hopes came crashing back to earth with a 59-0 loss to Ohio State in the title game and its consolation prize was a trip back to Tampa, where it was matched up against a team that was 8-4 and a frequent opponent for the Badgers. Not much intrigue there on bowl selection day. But then Gary Andersen bolted to Oregon State and, once again, there just happened to be an athletic director who was more than happy to coach the team against the Tigers.
10 – 2005 Outback Bowl: No. 7 Georgia 24, No. 16 UW 21
Back-to-back losses to Michigan State and Iowa ruined a 9-0 start and cost the Badgers a shot at a 2004 Big Ten title, and perhaps more. Still, it was the program’s first trip to Tampa in seven years and an opportunity to end the season on a high note with a win over a top-10 opponent. So much for that idea.
11 – 2008 Outback Bowl: No. 16 Tennessee 21, No. 18 UW 17
The Badgers, who were ranked as high as No. 5 during the season, landed back in Tampa after finishing fourth in the Big Ten. But this was only their second all-time meeting with the Volunteers and Tennessee came in after losing a one-score game to LSU for the SEC championship.
12 – 2014 Capital One Bowl: No. 8 South Carolina 34, No. 8 UW 24
This is a second-tier bowl — good, but not great — and not helping matters was that UW had made so many trips to Orlando by that point. The Gamecocks themselves weren’t all that interesting but they did have the “Ol’ Ball Coach” Steve Spurrier leading them and that counts for something.
13 – 2002 Alamo Bowl: UW 31, No. 14 Colorado 28 (OT)
It was a strange season for UW, which won its first five games to climb to No. 19 in the rankings before dropping six of its next seven. They needed a 49-31 victory over Minnesota in the finale just to finish the regular season with a winning record. This Brooks Bollinger-led victory was a thriller but, again, these rankings are about the lead-up to the bowl and not the actual game. Bonus points for San Antonio, a great city, and the fact UW was back in a bowl game after missing out in 2001.
14 – 2003 Music City Bowl: Auburn 28, UW 14
UW limped into the postseason with four defeats in its final five games of the regular season after a 6-1 start. But at least Auburn was a name opponent that had opened the year ranked No. 6 in the country. And, while the Badgers and Tigers would match up three times in a span of 12 bowl seasons, this was the schools’ first meeting since 1931. Nashville lived up to its reputation and, frankly, I was hoping that’s where UW would end up in this bowl cycle.
15 – 2015 Holiday Bowl: No. 23 UW 23, USC 21
Great location (San Diego) and a blueblood opponent, even if the Trojans were 8-5 entering this contest. Besides, it presented a great opportunity to revisit the classic Rose Bowl clash between these two programs from 53 years earlier.
16 – 2009 Champs Sports Bowl: No. 24 UW 20, No. 14 Miami (Fla.) 14
17 – 2018 Pinstripe Bowl: UW 35, Miami (Fla). 3
About the only thing this game had going for it was a unique venue and an easy chance for alumni in the New York area to see the Badgers. Other than that, not much charm. A cold-weather city and a bowl rematch from the previous season? Not many people wanted a bite out of that Big Apple.
18 – 2008 Champs Sports Bowl: Florida State 42, UW 13
The only thing worse than going back to Orlando for the third time in four seasons was a trip there for a third-tier bowl. This is the only time the Badgers and Seminoles have played, so there’s that. But this was a disappointing way to end a bummer season and the Badgers ended up playing like they didn’t want to be there.
19 – 2020 Duke’s Mayo Bowl: UW 42, Wake Forest 28
Considering the entire 2020 season was in jeopardy of not being played due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fact the Badgers were even playing a postseason game deserved some amount of attention. A clash of styles made this matchup semi-interesting. But when the bowl’s sponsor is more interesting than the actual game, that tells you where this one fell on the hype-meter.
20 – 2021: Las Vegas Bowl: UW vs. Arizona State
Vegas is a good place to spend some time between the holidays and accessible for UW fans on the West Coast. Other than that, what is there that makes this game exciting? Certainly not the opponent, a shady program whose best player will be skipping the game to prepare for the NFL draft. Plus, flights are ridiculously expensive out of the Madison area and kickoff is set for 9:30 p.m. CT. Sin City? More like Snooze City.
Contact Jim Polzin at jpolzin@madison.com.
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