Hoosiers Stun Badgers 20-14 in a Thriller

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Written by: TJ Inman

Wisconsin entered today’s game tied for first in the Big Ten West and fresh off of a tightly-contested game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Badgers were heavily favored over an IU team that was 0-5 in Big Ten play and limping towards the end of the campaign. Despite every sign pointing another Big Ten loss for the home team, the Hoosiers played their best game of the season and knocked off the Wisconsin Badgers 20-14 behind a stellar performance from the IU defense and a strong first half from the offense.

Brendan Sorsby finished the day 19-31 for 186 yards with one touchdown plus a rushing touchdown to lead the Indiana offense. The Hoosiers were outgained by the Badgers but eight penalties on Wisconsin plus a pair of lost fumbles proved to be the deciding factors in the Indiana win.

Indiana’s offense began with the ball after a solid kick return from Jaylin Lucas. Brendan Sorsby had a terrific opening drive, using his mobility to move the pocket and finding receivers to convert third downs. He faked a handoff and ran to the outside, diving into the endzone to open the scoring. It was a nine-play, 66-yard drive. Wisconsin was without starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai meaning Braedyn Locke started for the third straight week. The Badgers went for it on fourth and three but Lanell Carr tipped the pass and it fell incomplete. IU had a chance to seize an early two-score lead but Chris Freeman missed a 43-yard field goal just outside to the right. Wisconsin’s offense was unable to find any traction though as IU shut down the running game and stopped Wisconsin on third downs. The Hoosiers were eventually set up with a short field, taking over at the Wisconsin 41-yard line. Sorsby scrambled for a first down but a pass to the end zone was just a touch high for Donaven McCulley and IU settled for a 23-yard field goal to make it 10-0. The Wisconsin Badgers answered, taking advantage of confusion in IU’s secondary as Locke connected with Bryson Green for a short reception that he ran in for a 54-yard touchdown to cut the lead to just 10-7. Indiana’s offense punched right back though. The Hoosiers went 71 yards on nine plays, scoring on a terrific one-handed catch by Donaven McCulley with only 41 seconds left. Wisconsin had a Hail Mary fall incomplete to end the first half at 17-7 in favor of Indiana.

As has been the case for much of the season, the third quarter was not kind to the Hoosiers. Wisconsin ran the ball well and was the benefactor of a questionable roughing the passer penalty that extended a drive. The Badgers capitalized as Locke threw to a wide open Will Pauling for a touchdown that made the score 17-14. Indiana’s next drive was halted by a sack and the Hoosiers punted back to Wisconsin. The Badgers offense was rolling, running for chunks of yardage on each play but Indiana stiffened just in time with Aaron Casey sacking Braedyn Locke and knocking Wisconsin out of field goal range. The Badgers pinned IU at the four-yard line and the Hoosiers went three and out. James Evans and the coverage unit did a great job to push Wisconsin back to the 34. Aaron Casey forced a fumble on a reception by Badgers running back Cade Yacamelli and it was recovered by IU’s Josh Sanguinetti near midfield. It was the first fumble recovery all season for the Hoosiers. Indiana’s offense failed to convert on the turnover, moving backwards on first and second down and punting back to Wisconsin. IU’s defense forced a quick three and out and the Hoosiers took over at the 43-yard line with only 8:09 to play. The offensive struggles continued with Indiana running three plays for no yards and taking less than a minute off the clock. Wisconsin had a nice punt return to begin the possession with solid field position and Jackson Acker ran for a first down into IU territory. Wisconsin got 12 yards on third down to set up a fourth and two. The Badgers opted to go for it and Braedyn Locke sailed his pass over the head of an open Will Pauling to end the drive with 4:07 remaining. Brendan Sorsby took off on first down and scrambled for 13 yards to move the chains. Sorsby then connected with McCulley for another first down. After a fumble on an option pitch, IU faced third and 13 and got a major break as Wisconsin was called for pass interference to extend the drive and burn more clock. The Badgers called their final two timeouts and the clock ticked down to 1:10 as Chris Freeman nailed a 50-yard field goal to extend IU’s lead to 20-14. Wisconsin got one first down but Aaron Casey sacked Braedyn Locke, forcing a spike with 13 seconds remaining. The third-down pass was tipped and fell incomplete and Indiana’s defense sealed the win with a stop on fourth down. For the first time in more than two decades, the Indiana Hoosiers knocked off Wisconsin in Bloomington.

The victory keeps IU’s bowl hopes alive for at least one more week as they improved to 3-6 on the season. While it is unlikely, wins against Illinois, Michigan State and Purdue to close the campaign would send IU bowling.

-Key Stats-

  • The Hoosiers dominated the ball in the first half, maintaining possession for 22 of the 30 minutes before the break. That nearly flipped 180 degrees in the second half.

  • Wisconsin gained 344 yards but they were held to just 101 yards on the ground. Indiana’s defense deserves a lot of credit for the performance.

  • The Badgers were 0-3 on fourth-down today. The first two of those attempts came in Indiana territory and prevented Wisconsin scoring drives.

-Quick Hitters-

  • Indiana has many warts but no one can accuse this team of quitting. The effort has consistently been present and that was true again today.

  • Brendan Sorsby had another positive day but it still feels like Rod Carey and the IU coaches do not trust the passing game. Despite the success of the first drive, Indiana rarely let Sorsby try to throw down the field and passing plays on first or second down were seldom called.

  • Aaron Casey continues to be a leader on defense. He had nine tackles including two sacks and four tackles for loss. Jordan Shaw, starting his first game, also had nine tackles and a key pass breakup. It was a stellar game for the true freshman.

  • It was so nice to see Indiana come out on the winning side of a tight and tense ballgame against a solid opponent. After seeing that exact type of game result in a heartbreaking loss on so many occasions, today was a refreshingly different outcome.