Game Day Primer: Indiana Hoosiers vs. Wisconsin Badgers

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

What: Indiana Hoosiers (3-5) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (8-0)

When: Saturday, November 4 at Noon

Where: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN

How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on ABC. Fans can also listen to the game on the IU Radio Network with the legendary Don Fischer on the call.

What’s at Stake: The Indiana Hoosiers have now dropped three straight games. The first was in overtime to Michigan (again), the second was a defeat to Michigan State that saw IU control the action for most of the way and the third was to Maryland and largely due to massive special teams collapses. A loss here means the Hoosiers need to win three straight games just to reach bowl eligibility and two of those contests are on the road. Wisconsin is the third top ten team IU will be battle this season and it’s the last chance for a signature win in the 2017 season. Wisconsin has much bigger things at stake. They are in the driver’s seat for the West division title and sit at number nine in the first College Football Playoff rankings. They know they will need to go unbeaten if they are to make the “final four” and the game against IU is simply “take care of business” for the Badgers. The previous four games against Wisconsin have been absolute horror-shows for IU with the Hoosiers losing 83-20, 59-7, 62-14 and 51-3. If nothing else, the Hoosiers are expected to put up a much better fight than that.

A Few Things to Look For

The (Barely) Walking Wounded – The Indiana Hoosiers are dealing with an unreal amount of injuries. Receivers Donavan Hale and Nick Westbrook are out for the season. Receiver/return specialist J-Shun Harris tore his ACL last week, the third time he has suffered that injury. Morgan Ellison and Mike Majette are both injured and considered questionable for this week’s game. Brandon Knight, Simon Stepaniak and Coy Cronk are all banged up. Peyton Ramsey was injured against Michigan and hasn’t looked right since (the cheap shot from Maryland’s defender certainly did not help). Juan Harris, Marcelino Ball, A’Shon Riggins and Tony Fields have all missed significant periods of time and are still out. IU is a shell of the team we were hoping to see. That’s not an excuse in my opinion, it is an opinion based on quantifiable facts. They’ll need all hands-on-deck this Saturday because Wisconsin is a very physical team and the injury situation is not getting any better. The Badgers are nowhere near 100% healthy and the status of a few key players is worth monitoring. Star running back Jonathan Taylor has been a revelation but he was injured against Illinois and is considered questionable. No information has leaked out at this time but I am guessing even if he goes, he’ll be limited and on a snap count. Top wide receiver Quintez Cephus and top secondary player D’Cota Dixon are also considered questionable. If Wisconsin does not have those players, particularly Taylor, this game gets more interesting.

Self-Sabotage – The Indiana Hoosiers have found ways to lose for three straight weeks and it has been something different each time. Last week, special teams was the culprit. The Maryland Terrapins scored on a blocked punt and had multiple big returns that helped them put points on the board and swing momentum. Look at the scoreboard and you’ll see that IU surrendered 42 points but that sure as heck was not entirely the fault of the defense. Can the Hoosiers play a smart, consistent and disciplined game for 60 minutes in all three phases against one of college football’s steadiest programs? Wisconsin won’t blow the Hoosiers away with overwhelming talent but if IU gives them help, the Badgers will bury IU and not look back.

Offensive Approach – After leading a couple of successful drives in relief of the injured Peyton Ramsey, will Richard Lagow see significant playing time? Is Peyton Ramsey able to use his legs as an offensive weapon? If his mobility is as compromised as it looked last Saturday, it’s unclear how effective he can be against this defense. The Wisconsin Badgers have been incredibly stingy this season but they haven’t played a murderer’s row of offenses. They surrendered 24 points to Northwestern (before the Wildcats were rolling) but have not given up more than 17 points in any other game. IU won’t need to reach the 40s to have a shot in this game but they will need to have some success. If they can’t stay on the field, the Badgers will keep the ball and grind down the IU defense to a pulp.

Hoosier Huddle will have extensive pre and post-game coverage of this and every other game of the 2017 season!