Last Saturday in Champaign, fullback Quan Easterling found himself in the Wisconsin backfield, blocking for a Heisman Trophy-caliber player and experiencing his first action as a college football player.

A true freshman who did not play in UW’s previous six regular season games, Easterling recalled the very understandable emotions of being sent on the field of Memorial Stadium.

“When my name was first called, I’m a little nervous,” Easterling told BadgerBlitz.com on Monday. “As I get out there, motion, get in my stance, it’s kind of more exciting than nervous at that point. Then it’s just like, ‘Just go.’ It’s just a go mentality after that.”

Describing his play as “just physical and just downhill,” the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Easterling stepped in when injuries shrunk the depth of the fullback room. He could be needed once again this season -- this after coming back from an earlier ailment himself.

For the second consecutive game, redshirt junior fullback Mason Stokke did not play due to a head injury. Wisconsin utilized sophomore John Chenal for the home win Michigan State on Oct. 12, but against Illinois, Easterling stated he found himself participating in “a little more reps during practice” with Chenal taking the majority of them.

After UW traveled to Champaign to take on Illinois in the 24-23 upset loss, PFF reported Easterling played four snaps. Based on game film, those reps came out of 32 personnel -- a three running back, two tight end set -- that Wisconsin utilized out of the backfield.

The first time that personnel was utilized by the Badgers in the third quarter, Easterling and Chenal lined up and performed some motion before settling into an inverted wishbone alignment with junior Jonathan Taylor behind them. The latter took a Jack Coan handoff and sprinted past the goal line for Wisconsin’s second and final touchdown of the afternoon.

Taylor complimented the young bruising back for being thrusted into a significant game action that was not the mop up time.

“He did good,” Taylor said on Monday, “especially just because the situation that we were kind of in as well during the game -- kind of a close, tight game throughout it -- so just him not having the moment be too big for him.

“Of course, first time game action, so there’s going to be a lot of things you got to correct, but for his first time, I’m proud of him.”

When did offensive coordinator/line coach Joe Rudolph realize Easterling was ready?

“We realized that he was going to be game ready when we needed a backup fullback,” Rudolph said with a big smile on Tuesday. “But to Quan’s credit, he’s a very physical player and that showed up from the first minute he put pads on and went out there and played. That showed up.

“But it’s a lot, man, it’s a lot. You’re on the road. You got all kinds of stuff going on, but you got confidence in his physicality and there was a need, and I think those two things kind of brought that in a little. Excited about him and his future here.”

For Easterling, the beginning of his freshman campaign in cardinal and white did not start off smoothly, however. He missed fall camp practices in August with what UW officially announced as a right leg injury, but he told BadgerBlitz.com that he suffered a broken foot around June 20.

“Had to get surgery but just kept working, getting after it, was in the weight room," Easterling said. "Great coaching staff, they were there with me the whole way. This was my first injury, so it was kind of rough, but stuck with it and now it’s good.”

Easterling remembered calling his mom first, breaking down in tears at the news of needing surgery, but he also took it as an opportunity to, as he put it, “get big.” He worked out his upper body to try to add weight to his frame and took it as motivation.

He also tried to stay on top of the mental side of the game. According to Easterling, as recovery time would be a couple of months or so after the surgery, he worked to tackle the Wisconsin playbook.

“My primary mindset was just to get the playbook down and just get bigger so that’s what I worked on,” Easterling said. “Just remember plays, say it to myself. I used to watch Mason and John run plays, and I'd just get the mental reps. After that when I was back, I had the playbook down so then I just had to get right physically.”

That aspect of Easterling’s preparation stood out to Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst.

“He missed a lot of camp obviously in summer with the foot,” Chryst said on Thursday. “The one thing I’ve appreciated from Quan is he’s done a great job of continuing to learn even before he was necessarily able to get the reps. Then had a number of weeks where he was getting good work, and I think that’s what helped him be able to put himself in a position where he could contribute.”

Easterling remembered missing all of fall camp but returning around the bye week or after Week 3. He admitted to feeling a bit off and moving slow, but now he feels he’s “at a place where I want to be -- moving fast, physical, getting mental reps, so I feel like it’s going pretty good.”

For that matter, the Wisconsin offense very well may need Easterling once again when the team goes on the road to face the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday (11 a.m. CT, FOX). The Akron, Ohio native returns to his home state, and Stokke’s status for the top-15 matchup remains uncertain as UW designated him as questionable on both Monday’s and Thursday’s player status report.

Whether or not he’s needed this week, he aims to stay locked during this freshman season after a small, tough patch to start his college career.

“I got two upperclassmen in front of me that are good at what they do, so I kind of learn off of them and what they do,” Easterling said. “I just watch feet alignment, physicality, and what they do, I just get it mentally. Then when it’s my time, I just go fast, go hard.”