AUSTIN, Texas -- One season after Ricky Williams set a bundle of records and staked a claim to be considered among the best running backs in college history, his most cherished record is about to be broken.

	Ricky Williams is just one member of the hallowed Heisman fraternity.

Wisconsin's Ron Dayne needs 99 yards Saturday against a bad Iowa team to dethrone Williams as the Division I-A rushing king.

Williams' former teammates and coaches at Texas say that shouldn't take away from what last year's Heisman Trophy winner accomplished in shattering a record that Tony Dorsett had held since 1976. Williams finished with 6,279 yards.

"So many people were pulling for it and he did it in style," offensive lineman Roger Roesler said. "With Ricky, no one approached the record for 22 years. No matter if Dayne breaks his record or not, people will remember Ricky for those reasons."

Williams and Dayne ran to the top under remarkably different circumstances.

Dayne has been a featured back for four seasons. Williams spent his first two years under former Texas coach John Mackovic as a fullback.

Breaking the record was a mission last season for the Longhorns and coach Mack Brown. Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez has refused to alter his game plan to help Dayne pad his stats.

Williams, the dreadlocked Californian with the pierced tongue, evolved into a cult personality among the Texas faithful. After he broke the record, Austin city officials toasted Williams and his teammates with a downtown parade.

The mood is more subdued this year in Madison, Wis. While Dayne's chase has been an avid topic of conversation, the No. 9 Badgers' six-game winning streak and Rose Bowl hopes are getting just as much publicity.

The Longhorns went into Williams' senior year off a 4-7 season that got Mackovic fired and Brown hired. Williams had surprised everyone by staying in college and Brown felt he owed his star a shot at the record as a token of appreciation. It also was the best way to help Texas win, and it worked as the Longhorns went 9-3.

"I think I put too much pressure on myself to do it," Brown said. "I personally got into making sure he would get it, but at the same time, I didn't want to be so concerned about getting him his yards that I would hurt this team."

As Williams neared the record, the pressure grew.

"I remember the intense concentration we had from week to week gunning for something that would go down in history," Roesler said.

In contrast, Dayne has missed six quarters during blowouts and teammates have said they aren't focusing on the record.

"I said before the season began that Ron could get the record in our offense," Alvarez said. "We're not a passing team and our offense is designed to get the tailback a lot of yards.

"I'm not going to pad Ron's stats. He's plenty capable of taking care of himself."

The hype for Williams' record started well before his senior season and skyrocketed to the point Williams would hold weekly news conferences.

While Williams flourished in that role, Wisconsin officials have limited access to Dayne to 30-40 minutes per week -- at his request, said Wisconsin sports information director Steve Malchow.

"Some people have called our approach low key and I would say that's accurate," Malchow said. "I haven't taken him off limits, but if I would have done some of the same things Ricky was comfortable with, Ron would have struggled.'

And then there's the Heisman Trophy.

Williams was a runaway choice as college football's best player, mainly because breaking the record had been emphasized so much.

The same hasn't been true for Dayne. Florida State's Peter Warrick, Georgia Tech's Joe Hamilton and others have taken turns as favorites, although Dayne now appears to be the front-runner.

"Should he win the Heisman? I'm biased, but I think he should," Alvarez said. "Certainly if he wins that record."

As a former winner, Williams will be among those voting for the Heisman. Even he wasn't sure whether he'd be writing Dayne's name at the top. His pick is Texas quarterback Major Applewhite.

"I think he's the best player in college football," Williams said.