Had Wisconsin running back James White played without his helmet, the Michigan defense could have had a good look at the Bucky Badger — Wisconsin’s mascot — shaved into the back of his head.

White and sophomore running back Montee Ball both ran for more than 150 yards in the Badgers' 48-28 victory over Michigan on Saturday. It was the first time two Wisconsin running backs gained that many yards since 1974 — and these were the backups to injured starter John Clay.

Wisconsin started the game with a heavy dose of Ball, who finished with four touchdowns. And in the second quarter, White took a handoff off the tackle to the left side, and sprinted through a big hole and easily into the endzone for a 61-yard touchdown run. He averaged nearly eight yards per carry and Ball managed six yards per clip.

“I think a defense gets into a rhythm, like they think, ‘Oh they’re running left, they’re running inside, they’re running right, they’re running inside' — then you hit it for outside and they’re not ready to respond to that,” Wisconsin guard John Moffitt said after the game.

Moffitt added that the Badgers’ zone run scheme and their runs to the outside were “open” against the Wolverines. Michigan (3-4 Big Ten, 7-4 overall) didn’t give Wisconsin as many different looks as the Badgers were expecting either. With the 3-3-5 defense, Wisconsin (6-1, 10-1) handled the Wolverines' defensive front and got offensive lineman out to lead block for its running backs.

“There’s going to be free people,” White said. “And that’s your job as a running back is to break tackles. So that’s what we went out there and did. And just made one person miss and just got to the endzone.”

To work on breaking tackles, White and Ball worked on their knee drive using rope drills in practice leading up to the game. When the running backs got through the first line of defense, Michigan missed several tackles at the second and third levels that let both backs run free.

“We’re not the spread, so we’re not sexy," Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema said. “It’s not on the front of everybody’s wish list, but I’ll tell you this, 48 points is fun.”

ALONE AT THE TOP: Lost amid the Badgers' success on the ground was a lofty achievement on the part of Michigan sophomore quarterback Denard Robinson.

He set the single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback. The previous record holder was former Air Force quarterback Beau Morgan.

And Robinson also became the first player in NCAA history to throw for more than 1,500 yards and run for more than 1,500 yards in a single season.

Robinson ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, bringing his season total to a FBS leading 1538 yards. He has 14 rushing touchdowns on the year.

INJURY BUG: Injuries are a part of the game. But Michigan is feeling the injury bug’s impact more than most teams heading into the Wolverines' final regular season game.

Sophomore defensive end Craig Roh suffered concussion-like symptoms during the loss. Neither junior running back Mike Shaw nor redshirt freshman left tackle Taylor Lewan played due to concussion-like symptoms. And junior wide receiver Darryl Stonum, who had four catches for 99 yards, was carted off the field in the fourth quarter with a right ankle injury.

Junior defensive tackle Mike Martin was also slowed by ankle injuries. It’s hard to find a healthy defensive player who was listed on the preseason roster.

“Craig Roh, Mike Martin, Darryl Stonum — the list goes on,” Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said. “It's just one of those crazy years. I've never had a year with this many guys (injured) in key positions in certain spots, but that's where you're at. The next guy in has to come in. For us, we're just not at the point where we can take an experienced player out and put an experienced player in. There's a lot of inexperience out there.”

LYTLE PASSES AWAY: Former Michigan All-American running back Rob Lytle passed away due to a heart attack on Saturday night in Fremont, Ohio. He was 56.

“Rob was a teammate and a terrific individual,” Michigan Athletic Director Dave Brandon said through a press release. “It's a sad day because we've lost someone who was a great example of a Michigan man.