2017 First Glance: Wisconsin Badgers
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Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
We have hit Week Nine in our First Glance series, which means the season is coming up quickly. The Hoosiers will welcome the Badgers to Memorial Stadium on November 4th. IU has not beaten the Badgers since a dramatic 32-29 win in Bloomington in 2002.
Week Nine: Wisconsin Badgers
Date & Time: Saturday, November 4th, TBA
Venue: Memorial Stadium (52,929)
TV: TBA
Badgers at a Glance
Head Coach: Paul Chryst
Entering his 5th year as head coach and 2nd year at Wisconsin
Overall Record: 40-25
At Wisconsin: 21-6
Badgers Last Season: 11-3 (7-2) Beat Western Michigan 24-16 in Cotton Bowl
Badger Returning Leaders
Passing: Alex Hornibrook (58.5 pct. 2,262 yards, 7 TDs, 9 INTs)
Rushing: Bradrick Shaw (88 att. 457 yards 5.2 YPC 5 TDs)
Receiving: Troy Fumagalli (47 rec. 580 yards, 12.3 YPR, 2 TD)
Tackles: LB T.J. Edwards (89 tackles, 8.5 TFL, 3 sacks, 2 PBUs 3 QBHs 1 FF)
Pre-Season Predictions
Athlon’s: 1st in the Big Ten West
Lindy’s: 1st in the Big Ten West
Street & Smith’s: 1st in the Big Ten West
Phil Steele: 1st in the Big Ten West
Impact Newcomers For The Badgers
1. Chris James, RB- James transferred to Wisconsin from Pittsburgh after the 2015 season. He had to sit out last year due to NCAA transfer rules. At Pitt James ran for 690 yards and four touchdowns during his freshman and sophomore years. He played for Chryst at Pitt and should be at least the backup to Shaw in 2017, if not win the job outright. He has a bowling ball type body at 5-foot-10 and 208 pounds and is a nice complement to the 6-foot-1 Shaw.
2. Danny Davis, WR- Wisconsin has some question marks in their receiving corps and the six-foot-three Davis could be the answer they are looking for. He was a top-250 recruit coming out of Ohio according to 247 Sports’ Composite rankings. Depending how the year goes for the wide outs in front of him, Davis could quickly rise into the two-deep and see some action by the time the IU game rolls around in November.
3. Andrew Van Ginkle, DE/LB- Wisconsin had some attrition at linebacker after 2016, and Andrew Van Ginkle could be the solution to the lack of depth at outside linebacker. Wisconsin plucked Van Ginkle out of the JUCO ranks and he found himself on the two-deep after spring practice. He played his first two years at FCS’ South Dakota where he started 11 games as a redshirt freshman before transferring to Iowa Western where had made 50 tackles in 11 games last year.
Why The Badgers Will Continue Their Domination of the Hoosiers
Wisconsin hasn’t fallen to the Hoosiers since 2002, a span of nine games. In those nine games the Badgers have pummeled the Hoosiers by an average score of 51.8 to 15.1. Calling this series one-sided over the last 13 years is an understatement. In those nine games Wisconsin bullied their way past the Hoosiers with a rugged ground attack, a timely passing game and a tough as nails defense. The 2017 Badgers will be more of the same.
On offense, Wisconsin will look to either Bradrick Shaw, who ran for 457 yards in 2016, or transfer Chris James to spearhead the rushing attack. Both are quality runners who will once again be running behind another typical Wisconson offensive line who will have the upper hand on Indiana’s front four.
Sophomore quarterback Alex Hornibrook had a fine freshman year, but he isn’t going to be a game changer if he doesn’t improve greatly in some areas. He’s a quality game manager and can make some throws, but he did throw nine interceptions and have a completion percentage under 60 percent. His main targets this season will be All-Big Ten tight end Troy Fumagalli and wide receiver Jazz Peavy, who Wisconsin loves to run the jet sweep with.
On the defensive side of the ball Wisconsin will be breaking in a new coordinator and looking to replace T.J. Watt and Vince Biegel at linebacker. However, this still should be a stout group as they return T.J. Edwards and Jack Cichy at linebacker and Chikwe Obasih at defensive end. The secondary is very experienced (three seniors and a junior) and is led by one-time IU commit Derek Tindal. While they may slide a little after finishing in the top-10 in total defense in 2016, this unit should still be very, very good.
While there are some questions as to who will fill the shoes of the departed Corey Clement and who will fill in some holes on defense, the Badgers are expected to win the Big Ten West again. The Badgers have always seemed to bring out the worst in IU since 2002, whether it be the 83-20 embarrassment in 2010 or the 55-3 total let down in 2013, Wisconsin just has been a really tough matchup for Indiana.
Why The Hoosiers Will End the Losing Streak
Yes, Wisconsin has had Indiana’s number since 2002, but this is a whole different Indiana squad than the one that last faced Wisconsin in 2013. Wisconsin is a very good team that benefits from playing in the Big Ten West. While they are almost a lock to win the division, this is a team that is very beatable with the right formula. Their offense lacks supreme playmakers and the tandem of Bradrick Shaw and Chris James is not as good as some of the other backs Wisconsin has used to steamroll IU. Hornibrook is a nice game manager, but Indiana has an extremely experienced and talented secondary that will be looking for interceptions on errant passes.
Assuming everyone on the IU offense is healthy on November 4th, the Hoosiers should have enough weapons on offense to score more than their average of 15 points against Wisconsin. The size of Simmie Cobbs (6-foot-4) and Nick Westbrook (6-foot-3) could be an issue for Wisconsin’s secondary who doesn’t have a starter top six-feet tall.
This may be a first to 30 wins type of game as both defenses have the advantage over the other’s offense. If the Hoosiers can contain the Badger running game and force Hornibrook to throw the ball, IU will have a legitimate shot at an upset at home.
Final Analysis
It’s been five years since Wisconsin’s last trip to Bloomington, and Indiana is a much tougher out now than it was in 2012. This is a game the Hoosiers should be in right until the end if they play well in all phases of the game. A good offensive performance from IU should go a long way towards a win. However, recent history cannot be ignored, so I’ll give the slight edge to Wisconsin to win in Bloomington.