Hoosier Defense Led by McFadden and Mullen Holds Badgers to Two Field Goals in Saturday’s 14-6 Victory
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Image: Indiana Athletics
Written by Amanda Pavelka (@amandapavelka3)
It was a challenge from start to finish in Madison for the No. 12 Hoosiers that ended up holding the No. 16 Badgers back 14-6. Indiana cracked down hard on Wisconsin on the final drive to avoid possible overtime and hold Wisconsin to just two field goals.
“Defense played phenomenal,” Tom Allen said. “Got a little bent but held them to two field goals and obviously got the huge stop at the end.”
The Hoosiers had two takeaways against the Badgers and now lead college football with 20 interceptions in seven games for the 2020 season.
Indiana’s first touchdown was scored off the drive that resulted from a fumble recovery by sophomore linebacker James Miller.
Sophomore corner Tiawan Mullen was the guy who flew up the middle to sack Graham Mertz and dislodge the ball from his grasp.
“It sounded like a gunshot on the field,” linebacker Micah McFadden said. “It was loud. I was dropping back into coverage and I got my yes back to the quarterback right at the moment when he hit him. I was really excited when I saw the ball fly out and James get the recovery. It was really exciting. It was a huge momentum swing for our team.”
Sophomore quarterback Jack Tuttle led the Hoosiers to translate the takeaway into his first touchdown pass of the season by the catching hands of junior tight end Peyton Hendershot.
Wisconsin tried to come up with an answer for each of Indiana’s touchdowns, but were held to a field goal on the first and forced an interception after the second.
Indiana’s second pick by Jamar Johnson— his fourth of the season— led to a Tuttle turnover, but the defense once again kept the Badgers from scoring in the red zone.
“Our defense has a mindset that they are not going to cross this line no matter how many yards they get or how long their stride’s going to be,” McFadden said. “We are holding them to a field goal or no points at all, and they are not going to cross that line. We always talk about that if we are in a huddle before a play or we get a timeout and have time to talk about it. They don’t get another yard; it stops right here. I think everybody buys into that mindset.”
McFadden led the Hoosiers in stops, with nine tackles, six solo, two sacks, and two tackles for loss. Mullen’s tone-changing performance was the second-best with four tackles, three solo, a sack that forced a fumble, a tackle for loss, and a pass breakup.
Overall it was a tremendous team effort on defense to come out of Madison with the win to bring the Hoosiers to 6-1 with only the Old Oaken Bucket game remaining for the regular season.