Hoosier Huddle's Game Day Primer: Week 10 Wisconsin Badgers
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Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
What: Indiana Hoosiers (2-6) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (5-3)
When: Saturday, November 4 at Noon
Where: Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN
How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on BTN and can be heard on the IU Radio Network.
Series History: The two schools have played 62 times with the series beginning in 1907. Indiana actually won five in a row during the Bill Mallory era but the Badgers have handled the Hoosiers since. Wisconsin has handed Indiana some of its most lopsided defeats in history, including a 59-0 stomping in 1999, 83-20 in 2010, 59-7 in 2011, 62-14 in 2012 and 51-3 in 2013. Tom Allen has only faced Wisconsin twice: a 45-17 loss in 2017 and a memorable 14-6 victory in Madison in 2020. In total, Wisconsin has won 41 of the 62 meetings.
What’s at Stake: The Wisconsin Badgers are one of four teams in the Big Ten West with a 3-2 conference record. The division is extremely weak but a trip to the Big Ten Championship Game still goes to the winner and the Badgers cannot afford a loss to Indiana if they are to be West champions. The Indiana Hoosiers are now in “playoff mode” according to head coach Tom Allen. IU is 2-6 and one more loss eliminates them from bowl contention. Failure to reach a bowl game could doom the Tom Allen era in Bloomington.
A FEW THINGS TO LOOK FOR
1. Can IU’s Offense Build on Success?
IU’s offense had struggled mightily all season and faced another elite defense as they traveled to State College to play Penn State. A strange happened though on Saturday afternoon against the Nittany Lions: the Indiana offense made several explosive plays and gave the Hoosiers a chance to win the game. Brendan Sorsby showed a lot of growth and toughness and gives a glimmer of hope that he can lead this IU team. Sorsby threw for 269 yards with only 13 completions and had three touchdowns. That included a 90-yard touchdown for Dequece Carter and a 69-yard touchdown for Donaven McCulley. It was a rare week of success for the IU offense but explosive plays can be fluky and Indiana still struggled to put together sustained drives. Wisconsin’s defense is not quite at the level of Penn State’s but it will still be a challenge for the Hoosiers to build on the success of last week.
2. Injury Status for Badgers
Star running back Braelon Allen left the game against Ohio State late in the first half. It appeared to be a high-ankle sprain but Wisconsin has not said whether or not Allen will be able to play on Saturday against the Hoosiers. The expectation is that the Badgers will not have Braelon Allen and they are already without starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai. In addition, wide receiver Chimere Dike could also be out. That leaves Wisconsin with running backs Jackson Acker and freshman Cade Yacamelli and quarterback Braedyn Locke. It will be interesting to see how offensive coordinator Phil Longo sets his attack with a wounded offensive group.
3. Special Teams
Wisconsin has had issues with punting over the past couple of weeks. Iowa had a significant advantage and Ohio State did as well, winning the field position battle in a major way. Indiana’s James Evans has been very good, including some absolutely booming punts against Penn State. However, the other parts of the special teams unit have been abominable for the Hoosiers. IU has not returned kicks or punts with any effectiveness, they have muffed punts on more than one occasion and given the opposition good field position and penalties are a routine occurrence with IU’s return units. For a team with a small margin for error, mistakes in special teams are magnified and Indiana has to play a clean game to have a chance.