EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — For the first time all evening, Ron Dayne could not find a hole to escape.

Every space is occupied around the New York Giants rookie running back as reporters gather at his locker. The New York press gathers close as Dayne slides on his top button, talking with his head down in a soft tone.

And it is evident Dayne has not changed much since he left Wisconsin, the school where he became college football's all-time leading running back and won the Heisman Trophy in his senior season.

Dayne has not let the fame or the fortune distract him from his focus. He still can plow like a bulldozer over linebackers determined to go the extra yard. He can make cuts like the edge of a knife. And he can race like a thoroughbred to the end zone.

"We are starting to see what he can do," Giants and former Penn State quarterback Kerry Collins said Friday after New York's final preseason game. "He is going to make those tough yards. He has real good vision and real good patience and a real good understanding of the blocking schemes.

"I think he is going to continue to get better as the season goes on."

Dayne, the 11th overall pick in the NFL Draft, has been adjusting his new life in the NFL. He has a new system, a new coach and a new team. But the Berlin, N.J., native has come along this preseason with 211 yards in 61 attempts.

Friday might have been his best game yet in a Giants classic uniform as Dayne, a 5-foot-10, 258-pound runner, scored his first touchdown this preseason on a 5-yard pitch and carry against the Baltimore Ravens. He finished the game with 60 yards on 15 carries, carrying the Giants load in the first half before he was taken out in favor of the second unit.

"My progress is pretty good," Dayne says, looking down at his shirt. "Just learning the plays, that was the main thing for me."

"Dayne has made progress," coach Jim Fassel said. "I don't think he is going to come out in the first game as a finished project."

But Dayne will have time to become a polished running back after Fassel named No. 27 as his starting tailback. Not that Dayne needs to be buffed up too much after his collegiate career.

Last season, he scored 20 touchdowns en route to carrying the Badgers to their second straight Rose Bowl title. He rushed 337 times for 2,034 yards his senior season, surpassing Ricky Williams as college football's top rusher in a career.

Before Dayne walked away with his diploma, he amassed 7,125 yards with 71 career touchdowns.

"I'd be very surprised if he did not have a very good career," Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez said.

That career kicks off Sunday when the Giants kickoff the season against Arizona in The Meadowlands. But he will share the running back duties with Tiki Barber and Joe Montgomery.

"Ron is going to be the workhorse," Collins said. "He is going to get the tough yardage for us. He is going to be good in short-yardage situations. If he can continue to do what he has been doing, he is going to continue to get better. I think he is doing pretty well right now."