SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- On the Wednesday before the Michigan game, pro scouts roam the practice field like hyenas on the Serengeti. Who they've come to see, they won't say. Reps from the Chargers, Dolphins, Cardinals, and Redskins are here. They stand with arms folded, watching. The scouts aren't allowed to speak to the prospects today, so they get to know them by reading their body language -- every syllable, pregnant pause, and inflection as they talk with teammates.

	Battle is a playmaker, and playmakers want the ball.

Arnaz Battle's body language didn't change last Saturday afternoon after his fumbled kickoff led to a Michigan score. As he jogged off the field, his head was level, his eyes calm, and his demeanor cool, as always. Oh, he cared that Michigan would set up shop in great field position, but the air in his personal space was saturated by the panic-free vibe of a mature athlete. He knew he'd get another chance to make something happen. And just like a pitcher who gives up a home run, a runner who puts the rock on the ground reveals his heart on the next play.

After Michigan scored to take the lead, Battle once again returned the kickoff. He hit the crease, broke a tackle, and took it to the 24-yard line, running with with even more fire than he had two minutes and thirty seconds earlier. He's a playmaker, and that's how a playmaker rolls.

But over the past few years his chances to roll have been few. "I've been through so much, a fumble's not gonna change my game," he says with half a shrug.

After a broken wrist in 2000, and a broken leg last year, Battle more or less limped into his senior year. But after moving from quarterback to receiver last season, he's shown the body control and sticky hands that could lead to a job on Sundays next fall.

In his first season as a returner Battle has that certain fasten-your-seatbelts quality that Rocket Ismail brought to these parts. Anyone who's been around the pro game knows the combination of pure athletic ability and stepping-with-a-purpose on kickoff teams is the stuff opportunity is made of.

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The chance to be a pro excites him, but not enough to alter his placid expression. "Oh, I see the scouts out of the corner of my eye," he says with the confident, dignified manner of one who will just as easily excel in the boardroom as he will in the meeting room. "But when they're out there, I treat it like another practice."

At one of those practices, Battle reaches behind him to stab an errant throw. Receivers coach Trent Miles shouts, "not bad for an old man." When asked about the 22-year-old, Miles doesn't hesitate to offer a quick synopsis. "He can do anything he wants to," says Miles. "He's got the feet, the hands, and the speed. He just has to stay healthy."

When Miles and the other coaches wanted the offense to make a statement, they decided to use Battle as the mouthpiece. The first play of the game against Michigan, Carlyle Holiday threw downtown to Battle, who had run past corner Marlin Jackson like he was standing in mud. But in a microcosmic nugget of his career, the ball sailed wide and out of Battle's reach.

He shrugs, and unblinking, reveals the sum of his athletic parts. His body spoke the scouts' language. "I'm a playmaker, and you know a playmaker just wants the ball."

Nine games left.

Alan Grant, a senior reporter for ESPN The Magazine, is spending the season in South Bend. Look for his regular reports on ESPN.com. E-mail him at alan.grant@espn3.com