The Wisconsin Badgers Football team (3-7, 1-6 Big Ten) traveled to Indiana to take on the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) Saturday, Nov. 15. After an upset win in Madison last weekend, the Badgers were looking to shock the country and one-up themselves.
After finishing the win last week, freshman Carter Smith was given the start at quarterback and became the first true freshman to start at QB for the Badgers since 1991. Smith led the Badgers down the field on his first drive of the day but it ended with a missed field goal, meaning the Badgers missed out on an important opportunity to take an early lead.
Indiana responded with a drive of their own and capped it off with a 31-yard passing touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. The Badgers were able to stop Indiana’s offense on their next two drives but could not get anything moving offensively themselves, keeping the score 7-0 Indiana.
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Late in the second quarter the Badgers lined up on fourth-and-inches. Indiana and Badger fans alike thought they would run the ball, but Smith dropped back to pass and with all of Indiana’s players trying to stop the run, senior tight end Lance Mason found himself wide open and brought in a 45-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7-7. This was Smith’s first collegiate passing touchdown.
The excitement did not last long, however, as Indiana added a field goal before halftime and drove down the field with ease in their first possession of the second half to make the score 17-7. Later in the third quarter, the Badgers fumbled on their own 21-yard line, which led to a one-play Indiana touchdown drive, moving the score to 24-7.
A few minutes into the fourth quarter Smith was trying to get something moving in the passing game but left a pass short, right into an Indiana defender’s arms. Indiana added another touchdown on the following possession to put the game out of reach at 31-7 with five minutes to go.
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After a shocking upset last weekend and competing in the first half of this game, it looked like the Badgers may have figured something out, but Wisconsin could not get anything positive in the second half, finishing the game with three punts, a fumble and an interception while allowing three touchdowns in the half.
On a positive note, Smith played well in the first half and the team finished with a completion percentage over 50% for the first time since Oct. 4 vs. Michigan. While it is a small victory, it was needed and something the team can take into next week vs. Illinois and Nov. 29 against Minnesota when they try to bring Paul Bunyan’s axe back to Madison.