If he wanted to, Wisconsin receiver Lee Evans would have every right to sit back, elevate his surgically repaired left knee and let the curious demons with evil questions race through his head.

Why did I go back for my senior year? Why did I tear my ACL? Will I ever be the same? And the scariest of all -- Did I ruin my chance to play in the NFL?

There are no answers because there are no questions. Since day one back in April, when Evans felt his knee pop and knew something was seriously wrong, he's kept his head up. Looked ahead. And tried -- no matter how hard it might be -- to shove the demons aside.

	Lee Evans is the Badgers' all-time leader in receiving yards.

"I go back to the day after the injury when I went down to see him in his apartment and I was in the tank about as bad as you can be in the tank," head coach Barry Alvarez said. "I walk in and he's sitting there with a big smile on his face, playing video games wanting to know how I'm doing. He's been an inspiration."

Evans tore his ACL during Wisconsin's spring game on one of his trademark leaping receptions. Just three months earlier, following a spectacular junior season in which he caught 75 passes for a Big Ten-record 1,545 receiving yards, he toyed with the idea of bolting for the NFL, but didn't.

Prior to the spring game, the coaches considered resting Evans, who truly didn't need the work. They didn't.

Then it happened. The days, weeks and months since have been wall-to-wall rehab. Normal rehab time for such an injury is six to eight months, though most players are shadows of their former selves until 18 to 24 months. Evans has set the goal of returning the first week in October, for Wisconsin's Oct. 5 Big Ten opener against Penn State in Madison.

That would mark just three-and-a-half months since doctors surgically removed one-third of the patella tendon from his right leg and used it to build the ACL in his left leg.

"There have been people who have come back from ACL tears in less than four months, so I feel I should be able to do the same," Evans said. "I have a very competitive attitude that if somebody can do something, I can do it too -- better."

Few did it better in 2001. Not only did his 1,545 yards receiving set the Big Ten record, it was the third highest in the nation and the 15th-best ever.

The mark also helped boost his career receiving yardage to 2,255, breaking a 17-year school record held by Al Toon. And he was one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the nation's best receiver. All this at a school known for its dominance on the ground.

"He's our bread-and-butter," said running back Anthony Davis, who credits his breakout freshman season to Evans opening up the defense. "He's a proven playmaker. And to see the way he's handled this and stayed positive -- he's not once hung his head or got down on himself. And we all see that."

His confidence is bold. Moving. And has been a rallying point for the Badgers' off-season training program. But at the same time, such conviction is scary. In one breath Evans talks about returning as soon as he can. In the next breath, he talks about conversations he had with Atlanta Falcons running back Jamal Anderson, who suffered from two torn ACLs. And Anderson preaches that patience is the key.

"A lot of people try to come back early and things don't work out for them," Evans said. "That's one of the biggest pieces of advice people tell me -- be patient. You know your body better than anyone else. Your body will tell you when it's time."

Thus far, the knee has responded well to preseason camp. Evans has taken part in one of two daily team practices, focusing on individual, contact-free drills, while continuing his daily six-hour rehab grind during the other session.

Though doctors will have physical evidence of when Evans is ready to return to the field, the final decision will be his. And while he wants to get out there as soon as possible, he's made a commitment to himself that it will not be as a mere shadow of his former self.

"When he steps back on the field, you're not going to see Lee Evans' brother playing," Alvarez said. "You're going to see Lee Evans the way you remember Lee Evans."

Wayne Drehs is a staff writer at ESPN.com. He can be reached at wayne.drehs@espn3.com.