Game Wrap and Reaction: No. 12 Indiana 14 No. 16 Wisconsin 6

Peyton Hendershot scores Indiana’s first touchdown of the day Image: Indiana University Athletics

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Opponent: Wisconsin Badgers

Location: Saturday, December 5, 2020

Why They Played: The Hoosiers and Badgers faced off for the first time since 2017 as they meet in a cross-division battle.

What The Game Meant: This was another change for Indiana to prove to the college football world that they are for real. Six conference wins also ties the program record for most conference wins in a season (1967, 1987).

Top Offensive Performers

Jack Tuttle, QB, Indiana-Tuttle looked calm and collected in his first start. He wasn’t asked to do too much and he made big time throws when IU needed them He finished 13-22 for 130 yard and two touchdowns (should’ve been three) and added 11 yards rushing. He was only sacked once and did not throw an interception.

Whop Philyor, WR, Indiana-Philyor stepped up after a quick few weeks. He lead the Hoosiers with four catches for 47 yards and a touchdown.

Indiana Offensive Line/Run Game- The stats may not look amazing, but the Hoosiers ran effectively and the offensive line only allowed one sack.

Jalen Berger, RB, Wisconsin-Berger was Wisconsin’s best offensive weapon and was probably underutilized. He ran the ball only 15 times for 87 yards.

Top Defensive Performers

Micah McFadden, LB, Indiana- If it seems like McFadden is on this list every week, it’s probably because he is. McFadden led the Hoosiers with nine tackle, had two big sacks and was all over the field.

Tiawan Mullen, CB, Indiana-Mullen’s strip sack was the momentum turn the Hoosiers needed to set up the IU offense. He made four tackles and a pass break up.

Sio Nofoagatoto’a, DT, Indiana- The Hoosiers were already down DeMarcus Elliott along the defensive line. Nofoagatoto’a played a huge role in limiting Wisconsin’s rushing attack to just 140 yards while making four tackles.

Jack Sanborn, LB, Wisconsin- Sanborn nearly won the game himself. He made nine total tackles, forced a fumble and had a tackle for loss.

Special Team Performance

Indiana’s punt game was one of the big differences in this game. While all the other phases of special teams played well, it was Haydon Whitehead and the punt coverage team that were the stars. Whitehead averaged 40.2 yards per punt and more importantly pinned Wisconsin inside their own 20-yard line four times.

​Key Stat(s)     

14-6

While this was the final score, the 14-6 here represents points scored in the red zone. The Hoosiers scored two touchdowns on their two red zone trips while Wisconsin settled for field goals and a turnover on downs on their three attempts.

Turning Point

The game turned when Tiawan Mullen forced a fumble on sack of Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz. It was the first critical mistake made in the game and the Hoosiers scored a touchdown off the takeaway.

I Knew it Was Over When…

Reece Taylor knocked away Mertz’s fourth down throw to the end zone.

Players of the Game

Indiana Defense-The Indiana defense held Wisconsin to just six points and no touchdowns. They took the ball away twice, had three sacks and five tackles for loss.

Jalen Berger- He was Wisconsin’s best player and they only got him the ball 15 times.

What I took away from the game

That was a really great team win and the Indiana players are totally bought into this program and Tom Allen. While many knew the latter part, some still had questions to whether or not this team was for real. National and some local media thought IU would crumble as they turned to Jack Tuttle to replace the injured Michael Penix. That didn’t happen. Tuttle played a terrific game, outside of a fumble on a sneak, throwing for 130 yards and two touchdowns. It would have been more had Miles Marshall not gotten turned around on a pass downfield where no one was around him. Marshall has had some big time catches for IU this season, so this one came as a shock and was a play that previous Hoosier teams wouldn’t have been able to shake off. Tuttle was under control, poised and showed amazing toughness sprinting out of the locker room after taking a hard, potentially dirty, hit from a Wisconsin linebacker that had him receive medical attention.

The Hoosiers were effective in the run game as Stevie Scott and David Ellis provided enough to keep the Badgers defense honest, while the offensive line, who was without starter Matthew Bedford, held up against a very stout front seven for the Badgers.

On defense the Hoosiers were without starter Demarcus Elliott who has played really well since arriving in Bloomington prior to the 2019 season. As we have seen so much this season, when one Hoosier player goes down someone is there to fill the gap and today it was Sio Nofoagatoto’a turn. He played a huge role in helping stopping the Badger offense. The Hoosier regulars also played well. Micah McFadden had two sacks, Tiawan Mullen forced a fumble, Jamar Johnson made another interception and Reece Taylor knocked away Wisconsin’s final pass to seal the victory.

The win was a true team win. Each phase of the game contributed. On offense it was red zone execution, on defense it was the same thing plus creating two takeaways and the punt unit pinned Wisconsin inside their own 20-yard line four times. They have overcome big time injuries to key players like Marcelino Ball, Michael Penix and several other starting caliber players to post six Big Ten wins, three top-25 wins and wins over Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State and Wisconsin in the same year for the first time ever.

Up next for the Hoosiers is the Bucket Game against a reeling Purdue team, who will undoubtedly want to derail IU’s historic season. Purdue will come into the Bucket Game at 2-4 and in last place in the Big Ten West.

The Hoosiers have a slim chance of making the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis on December 19th since it seems like the Big Ten will cave to Ohio State’s needs to formally be named Big Ten champs to make the College Football Playoff. If I am an IU alum or IU football fan I would get on the angry email train and reach out to both Scott Dolson (athldir@indiana.edu)

to vote ‘No’ to changing the agreed upon rules. However, Allen and the team can only control what they can control. The Hoosiers currently have more wins than anyone in the conference and probably the best road win in the country all while not having a game called because of Covid-19 this season (knocks on a giant piece of wood).