At one point this season, University of Wisconsin sophomore running back and Park High School graduate John Clay talked to his offensive linemen and told them he would go as far as they would take him.

They took him all the way to the consensus Big Ten Conference Offensive Player of the Year, as selected by both the media and coaches, in voting announced Monday night. In turn, Clay helped take a couple of his teammates along with him.

The Badgers had five first-team selections, led by Clay, a unanimous pick in media voting, as well as three of the players who block for him: junior guard John Moffitt, junior tackle Gabe Carimi and senior tight end Garrett Graham.

They were joined by senior defensive end O'Brien Schofield, the only UW player selected to the first team on defense.

UW linebacker Chris Borland was the consensus freshman of the year.

Clay is the third UW player to be named the conference's top offensive player, joining running backs Brent Moss (1993), a Park graduate, and Ron Dayne (1999). Despite starting only one of the first six games, Clay leads the Big Ten in rushing, averaging 111.3 yards per game, and in touchdowns with 13.

In an interview last week, Clay said his linemen made it a goal for him to lead the Big Ten in rushing.

"They were talking about it, they want to be No. 1 in the Big Ten," Clay said. "I was like, 'I'm going as far as you guys are going to take me. I'm going to ride you all the way.' "

Clay has been under immense pressure since he arrived on campus from Racine Park, touted as one of the top prep running backs ever from the state. He endured questions about his weight in the spring, but he has proved effective at his listed weight of 248 pounds.

He made his first career start in the third game against Wofford, but fumbled three times. He didn't start again until the seventh game against Iowa. He rushed for 100 or more yards in seven games, including the last four.

"I love Johnny, the way he runs, and I love the way he approaches the game and the mentality he takes," Moffitt said. "I think he has the same mentality as the O-line. We're all trying to just push and move forward. ... There's no doubt John runs hard. He definitely earns those yards."

The Badgers' offensive line battled injuries all season, but the running game still ranks second in the conference with an average of 198.1 yards. It was a huge part of Clay's success.

"(Clay) is a downhill runner," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. "He has ability to run through tackles and that's what makes it tough. The people around him also allow him to do those things. They do an excellent job at the point of attack with gap blocking and getting a lot of people to the point of attack."

The only UW players named first team by both the coaches and media were Clay, Moffitt and Schofield.

Schofield is a self-made player, a former linebacker who had a breakout season and is tied for third nationally, averaging 1.86 tackles for loss per game.

"All my hard work I put in, just the years of coaching, all my efforts and the things I learned at Wisconsin, it is paying off," Schofield said last week.

"Just to get recognition like that means a lot to me. Seeing a guy like myself, just to know my story and how far I came, that's probably going to help in recruiting, too."

It was a big night for the Badgers, with Borland becoming the sixth player in school history to be named the top freshman. He didn't become a starter until redshirt freshman Mike Taylor suffered a season-ending knee injury against Iowa in the seventh game.

Borland is tied for the conference lead with three fumble recoveries and tied for second in the league with five forced fumbles.

"I expected to come in and be a key alternate, maybe a second-stringer, and make my impact on special teams," Borland told the Big Ten Network. "But there are injuries throughout the course of the season. Mike Taylor went down. He probably would have been sitting here with this award, had he not been hurt. Opportunities came about from unfortunate circumstances, but I just tried to capitalize."

The last time the Badgers had as many as five first-team picks was 2004. Nine of the 12 players honored overall have eligibility remaining. The only other time UW had the player of the year on offense or defense, as well as the top freshman, was 1999, when Dayne won on offense and quarterback Brooks Bollinger was the freshman winner.

The coaches' second team included Carimi, Graham and junior strong safety Jay Valai. Graham and Valai are the only UW players to be recognized each of the last two seasons.

Seven UW players were honorable mention picks. Of them, Borland, senior safety Chris Maragos and sophomore wide receiver Nick Toon were named by the media and coaches. Valai and sophomore defensive end J.J. Watt were named by the media. Junior quarterback Scott Tolzien and sophomore punter Brad Nortman were named by the coaches.