Wisconsin Badgers @ Indiana Hoosiers Recap

I’ll start by saying Wisconsin plays Michigan this week as opposed to last week. The Badgers came into Indiana fresh off of their shutout of the Purdue Boilermakers. That was the first time in a decade the Badgers shut out a Big Ten Conference opponent. Wisconsin had their rushing attack working this game as their two top running backs John Clay and Montee Ball combined for 249 total yards rushing and 3 of the 4 touchdowns scored by the Badgers in this game. The other touchdown, coming off of the arm of Scott Tolzien who has been quite shaky in his last 3 games. Indiana quarterback Ben Chappell did the best he could to keep his Hoosier in the game but with his three touchdown passes, he also threw two interceptions that pushed the momentum just enough in the Badgers favor to win the game.

Wisconsin showed us some of that good ole fashioned Wisconsin Badger football as they relied heavily on the ground and behind their huge offensive line and bruiser john clay, the Badgers owned the time of possession battle and made timely scores to break any momentum Indiana had as they were smelling upset in the fourth quarter.

The first quarter presented a poor start for the Badgers as Indiana wide out Tandon Doss caught an 11 yard touchdown pass to give the Hoosiers a 7-0 lead. The Badgers would respond with an 18 yard touchdown reception from wide receiver Isaac Anderson, who was making up for a few bad drops that took place in the quarter. This was a great sign for Badger fans because ever since Ohio State and Iowa, Tolzien had never had the same confidence and would give away a lot of interceptions, making it harder on the Badgers defense to keep them in the game. The first quarter came to an end with a 7-7 tie.

The second quarter gave the Badgers their first lead of the game as kicker Philip Welch connected on a 26 yard field goal to give Wisconsin a 10-7 lead. After getting the ball back, Wisconsin found the end zone after John Clay temporarily left the game with a head injury, Montee Ball rushed in from 1 yard out to give the Badgers a 17-7 lead. Indiana would keep the game close when Chappell connected with a Doss again, this time for 46 yards, to pull Indiana to within three points, 17-14. After John Clay returned from the sidelines, he didn’t miss a beat as he was next to score on a bruising 14 yard touchdown run to give Wisconsin a 24-14 going into halftime.

The third quarter came and went with not a whole lot going on. Neither team was able to find the end zone and Wisconsin carried their 24-14 lead into the fourth quarter. Indiana once again pulled to within three points as Chappell struck again with a six yard touchdown pass to Terrance Turner to make the score 24-21. Montee Ball found the end zone for the second time in the game as he got the deciding blow with a 3 yard touchdown run to give Wisconsin some breathing room with a score of 31-21. Indiana would put up a valiant effort by converting another touchdown, this time on the ground, with running back Trea Burgess from two yards out to create drama. But the Wisconsin rushing attack was too much for Indiana as they were able to convert the necessary first downs to be able to run out the clock.

John Clay showed why he lead the Big Ten in carries, rushing yards and touchdowns this season as he finished his campaign with 134 yards and one touchdown and was taken out of the game at halftime. That benching, giving way to tailback Montee Ball, who took his time and used it to the fullest, as he finished his day with 115 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Number one wide receiver Nick Toon lead the way in the receiving category as he finished his day with 5 catches for 123 yards and counterpart Isaac Anderson had 3 catches for 43 yards and the one passing receiving touchdowns for the game. The Badgers will now travel back to the friendly confines of Camp Randall Stadium to take on the Michigan Wolverines.

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