Wisconsin football: Chez Mellusi and Isaac Guerendo at full speed in fall camp

Since that practice, Mellusi has continued to flash in fall camp and passed every hurdle or benchmark the staff had hoped to see. 

After running for 815 yards and five touchdowns last season, expectations are very high for what he could bring to the offense inside and outside the program. One area in which Mellusi has impressed the coaching staff is his physicality this fall after adding some upper-body strength in the off-season. "I think he has been working his way back in and working hard. I think what you see with Chez is you see a guy who is willing to be a physical runner. That's the one thing that's really jumped out to me," offensive coordinator Bobby Engram told All Badgers last Saturday. 

Mellusi is not the only ball carrier back in the fold after missing time last season and in the spring. Senior Isaac Guerendo is back to 100% after being limited to only four games a year ago because of a foot injury. 

The Indiana native is arguably the fastest player on the entire roster, and he has quickly reasserted himself in the running back rotation as well in fall camp. Fans will remember his breathtaking 82-yard touchdown run against Eastern Michigan last September, and through the first few weeks of practice, he has once again shown that speed, but also some added power of his own. 

"I'm excited for Isaac. He is a big, strong, explosive guy. He's another piece that he's a running back who has some receiving skills, so No. 1 he has worked really hard to get back, and he's a consistent worker that can help us win some games for sure," coordinator Bobby Engram said of the fifth-year senior. 

"Isaac is more than just a speed guy," Paul Chryst noted to local reporters on Monday, acknowledging that Guerendo has improved as a runner between the tackles and in other nuances of the game such as pass protection. 

As a former wide receiver recruit, Guerendo is finally settled in at running back, and he has strung together some great practices. On Saturday, he caught a crossing route out of the backfield and was able to beat the linebacker in coverage to the corner and turn up field for a significant gain. He also broke off a couple of great runs in the team portion of practice. 

Entering 2022, now with a three-headed rushing attack, there is no one more excited than starter Braelon Allen who was admittedly worn down physically at the tail-end of last season. When asked about the importance of Mellusi to the offense, Allen said, "Chez adds a lot, in many different ways. I'm definitely excited to have him. Both him and Isaac back, it will help me be able to recover, rest a little bit both in practice and in games." 

Quarterback Graham Mertz believes that the running back room could be special this season. "I'm excited to see what those guys can do. We've got some complete dawgs in that room that are ready to go. Chez coming off his ACL and Isaac coming back, they're going to be ready to rock."

Related links:

• Depth on the defensive line standing out for Wisconsin football
• Wisconsin football: Fall practice recap for August 15
• Wisconsin 'trying to be smart' with Vito Calvaruso in kicking competition

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