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In
this Sept. 26 photo, Wisconsin running back John Clay (32)
leaps past Michigan State's Jeremy Ware (9) and Chris L. Rucker
(29) during the second half of an NCAA football game in Madison.
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - At Indiana, it comes
down to this.
Forget the blown leads, the narrow loss
at Michigan, even the questionable calls.
The Hoosiers can still become
bowl-eligible with two wins in their last three games, starting Saturday
with No. 24 Wisconsin.
"We do realize it's still there, we
still have an opportunity," defensive end Jammie Kirlew said.
"As a senior, we feel we've put this team in the right direction,
but going to a bowl game would be the icing."
The Hoosiers (4-5, 1-4 Big Ten) are
running out of chances.
Two weeks ago, Indiana turned a 25-point
first-half lead at Northwestern into a 29-28 loss. Last week at No. 7
Iowa, the Hoosiers again had a double-digit lead in the first half and
again after three quarters but gave up four fourth-quarter touchdowns
and went home with a 42-24 loss.
Winning either would have been a boon to
Indiana's bowl hopes. Instead, the Hoosiers face a daunting three-game
stretch.
First up, the newly ranked Badgers (6-2,
3-2) who haven't lost to an unranked foe all season. Then Indiana heads
to No. 11 Penn State, a team it is 0-12 against all-time. On Nov. 21,
they're back home against rival Purdue, which has won 10 of the last 12
games in the series including last year's 52-point sendoff for Purdue
coach Joe Tiller.
That leaves Indiana with no margin for
error.
"I don't feel any pressure because
we'll be the underdog like we are every game," receiver Mitchell
Evans said. "I think the pressure is on them."
The reality is that Wisconsin is already
bowl-eligible and after snapping a two-game losing streak with a shutout
of Purdue last week, the Badgers can focus on improving their postseason
resume by adding to the lopsidedness of this series.
Wisconsin has won four straight over
Indiana, including an embarrassing 55-20 blowout in Bloomington last
year. The Badgers ran for 441 yards and had three 100-yard runners that
day, the third straight game in this series Wisconsin won 30 points or
more.
Badgers coach Bret Bielema thinks those
results will provide even more motivation for the Hoosiers this week.
"I know what we're going to see on
Saturday because we've had a little bit of success on them the last
couple years," Bielema said. "I know they're going to come in,
or when we go over there, they're going to be very hungry to play
us."
The Hoosiers have a pretty good idea what
they'll get from Wisconsin, too — a hefty dose of power football.
A year ago, 248-pound running back John
Clay burned the Hoosiers for 112 yards and one touchdown. This year,
Clay leads the Big Ten with 104.9 yards rushing per game and ranks among
the national leaders with 10 TDs rushing. With Indiana allowing more
than 145 yards per game and 15 touchdowns on the ground, there's little
reason for the Badgers to change plans.
Yet if Indiana overcompensates against
the run, the Badgers may take advantage of the Hoosiers' banged-up
secondary.
Adrian Burks will replace Indiana's top
cornerback, Ray Fisher, in the starting lineup after Fisher had knee
surgery this week. The other cornerback, Donnell Jones, is expected to
play with a brace on his injured elbow for the second straight week, and
safety Nick Polk, who missed last week's game with an ankle injury, is
listed as questionable.
It wouldn't surprise Lynch, who this week
reflected on how the Badgers beat them through the air in 2006.
"They can get you in a lot of
different ways," Lynch said. "The first thing you think about
is their power running game. This is the one (team) that really lines up
and runs power football. They've always had big backs, but they can
really get you with the pass, too."
Or in the second half.
Indiana's late struggles have again
resurfaced. Northwestern and Iowa outscored Indiana 47-3 in the second
half the past two weeks, and now the Hoosiers get a Wisconsin team that
outscored them 31-0 in the final two quarters last year.
None of that is a good omen for the
Hoosiers.
Then again, only one thing matters in
Bloomington.
"There's pressure every game but we
really feel it as a senior class because we want this (a bowl
bid)," Kirlew said. "We want it to happen so much. If we bring
that intensity for four quarters, I think we'll be more than
ready."
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