Game Wrap and Reaction: Wisconsin 45 Indiana 17

Wisconsin ran all over Indiana on Saturday Image: Sammy Jacobs Hoosier Huddle

By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Opponent: Wisconsin Badgers

Location: Saturday November 4th, Bloomington, IN

What The Game Meant: The Hoosiers were facing their fifth and final ranked opponent of the 2017 regular season and it was a chance to impress in front of a home crowd in Bloomington. For Wisconsin, they came in at 8-0 and ranked ninth in the initial College Football Playoff Ranking for 2017. With how the rest of the day shook out, Wisconsin is now the Big Ten’s best chance at a CFP berth.

Top Offensive Performers

Richard Lagow, QB, Indiana - Richard Lagow played well for most of the game on Saturday.He completed 20-of-34 passes for 226 yards and two scores. He did throw two interceptions, but for the most part he was really solid.

Simmie Cobbs, WR, Indiana – Wisconsin couldn’t guard Cobbs as he caught five passes for 61 yards and a touchdown. He drew several pass interference calls and probably should have drawn two or three more as Big Ten officials continue to allow defenders to assault him down field.

Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin- The true freshman was questionable coming into the game Saturday, but he played and played well. Taylor rushed 29 times for 183 yards and a score.

Alec Ingold, FB, Wisconsin- Ingold only ran the ball four times for six yards and caught one pass for 18 yards, but the fullback scored three touchdowns.\

Top Defensive Performers

Tegray Scales, LB, Indiana – Scales came to play against the Badgers, making an impact on the game’s first drive by picking off a pass in the end zone. He finished with 12 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. This was the type of play Indiana fans were expecting every week out of the preseason All-American.

Alec James, DE, Wisconsin- James was in the Hoosier backfield most of the day making three total tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

Nick Nelson, CB, Wisconsin- Nelson was Wisconsin’s second leading tackler with five, but he had a major impact on the passing game as he broke up four passes.

Joe Ferguson, Safety, Wisconsin- The backup safety registered only one tackle, but came up with two interceptions as Indiana was down by a score to seal the game for Wisconsin.

Special Team Performance

Indiana’s special teams were solid on Saturday. They didn’t do anything spectacular, but they didn’t really mess up either. Griffin Oakes hit a short field goal and both his extra points while hitting one of his kickoffs for a touchback. Haydon Whitehead had a net average of 44.2 yards on four punts, but did not down any inside the 20-yard line.

In the return game, Luke Timian assumed the role of J-Shun Harris, but did not get a chance to return a punt. On kick returns, Indiana continues to use Devonte Williams there and the lack of a big return is frustrating. Williams returned four kicks for 78 yards, which is OK, but IU needs a spark somewhere in this aspect of the game.

Key Stat(s)

237-40

Run the ball and stop the run. It’s been a recipe for success in the Big Ten for over 100 years. On Saturday Indiana could not do either. Wisconsin did what Wisconsin does best and pummeled the Hoosiers for 237 yards on the ground, while stuffing the Hoosier run game for 40 yards (1.9 YPC).

Turning Point

This was a tall mountain to climb for IU and it is hard to point at a blown review on a fumble as the reason IU lost Saturday, but that was the turning point of the game. IU was leading 10-7 with 7:02 left in the first half when Morgan Ellison was spun down on a first down run and the ball came loose. The call on the field was that he was down and whistles had blown the play dead, which means there can be no change of possession. After a lengthy review, Wisconsin was wrongfully awarded the ball at the 21-yard line. After the call was overturned the Indiana bench was called for an unsportsmanlike penalty which moved Wisconsin to the Indiana 11-yard line. The officials never told Allen who the penalty was on. Two plays later Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornibrook would find Quintez Cephus for an eight-yard touchdown giving Wisconsin a 14-10 lead. 

I Knew it Was Over When…

When Alec Ingold plunged into the end zone from the one-yard line to give Wisconsin a 31-17 lead with just over 10 minutes left in the game. The score came on a short field after Richard Lagow’s pass was short after getting crushed by a defender.

Players of the Game

Simmie Cobbs, Indiana- Cobbs was the best receiver on the field and it’s a shame the same rules don’t apply to him that apply to every other receiver in the Big Ten. Cobbs made five catches for 62 yards and a score and drew several pass interference calls.

Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin- Taylor was as impressive as advertised. He churned out 183 yards and a score. He’s your typical Wisconsin running back. Thick, tough and runs behind his blockers extremely well.

What I took away from the game

I have seen many people saying this season is now a ‘breakdown’, disappointment, disaster after the loss to Wisconsin. Yes, IU being 3-6 (0-6) is not where anyone wanted the Hoosiers to be at this point of the season, but to say that after a loss to Wisconsin is just premature. The Badgers are a terrible matchup for the Hoosiers and have been since 2002.

Saturday’s loss was frustrating, heck playing Wisconsin is frustrating. Everyone on the planet knows what they are going to do. They run the ball, use play-action and play sound defense. The problem is they do it so well, it’s extremely difficult to stop. It was frustrating to see IU jump out to a two-score lead then stumble on a third-and-long allowing a big first down pass and bite on a play-action pass allowing a Badger receiver to run behind the defense wide open for a touchdown. It’s frustrating to see the officials blow calls week-after-week on rules that have been in place forever.

From a coaching stand point, I thought Tom Allen got ultra conservative at the end of the first half by not taking a timeout with 2:30 left. IU would've gotten the ball back with about two minutes left and at least one time out. Yes, IU would have been pinned deep, but in order to beat some of these teams, one has to roll the dice a few times.

Looking at our box score Indiana won the battle of explosion plays (runs over 10 yards, passes over 15), but lost the turnover battle, field position battle and only gained 1.9 yards per rush. 

Indiana now has their backs against the wall for real. Everyone throws out must-wins in September and October, but the Hoosiers are in must-win mode from here on out in November as they enter the final quarter of the season. Next week IU travels to Illinois to take on a reeling Illinois team who is also winless in the Big Ten. Tom Allen and his squad need to focus on one quarter at a time. I expect Richard Lagow to get the nod the rest of the year until that seventh loss occurs. He gives the Hoosiers the best chance to win out.