IU to take on Wisconsin

Seeking their sixth win of the season – one that would grant them bowl eligibility – the Hoosiers (5-3, 2-3) will go back on the road Saturday to face Wisconsin (6-2, 2-2), a team that handed them a demoralizing home defeat last season. \nSenior fullback Josiah Sears remembers what happened last year when IU took on the Badgers.\n“We got beat,” Sears said, “really, really badly; it was 52-17.”\nThe victory was the first of what would be 14 straight for Wisconsin, and just like last season, the Badgers are led by sophomore running back P.J. Hill. Hill torched IU for 129 rushing yards and three touchdowns at Memorial Stadium, and is second in the Big Ten this year in rushing yards and first in rushing touchdowns with 13. The Hoosiers have struggled with running backs of Hill’s caliber this season, but IU coach Bill Lynch said the defense can’t solely focus on the run or it will be susceptible to a big passing play.\n“They have hurt us pretty good in the past couple years with the play-action pass,” Lynch said. “So we can’t let them run the ball up and down the field on us, but we have to be smart in what we do.”\nOn offense, the Badgers look similar to last year’s squad that went 12-1, complementing Hill’s legs with a competent passing game. Defensively, however, the Badgers have struggled, \ngoing from being ranked second in the conference last season to seventh so far this year. \nThe drop-off is good news for junior wide receiver James Hardy, who was limited \nto only one catch for 8 yards last year against the Badgers. Despite containing him last year, Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema still expressed \nconcern in regards to stopping Hardy.\n“I remember sitting at home Saturday night and seeing the touchdown pass that he basically plucked over the top of a Penn State defender and put the ball down right in front of him,” Bielema said. “It’s not too hard as a coach to figure out, you know, he’s 6-(foot-)7, there’s a little bit of a mismatch issue there.”\nThis will be the third time IU will be the bad guy for a team’s homecoming week; the previous two were a win at Iowa and a blowout loss at Michigan State. Saturday is expected to be another sellout. If that’s the case, there will be more than 80,000 fans in attendance in favor of the Badgers, who haven’t lost a game at home since 2005. A sellout would be the biggest crowd that IU would play in front of this year, but as they have all season, the Hoosiers embrace playing on the road.\n“It’s a fun place. It’s similar to the big ones – it’s loud and they jump around,” Sears said. “... They’re going to be loud and rowdy, but we’re used to it and we like it.”\nPerhaps the biggest factor in the game for IU will be turnovers. In the team’s losses to both Illinois and Penn State they turned the ball over four times. Minimizing the turnovers could be the difference between a three-game losing streak or finally attaining the elusive sixth win. \n“We have to win the turnover battle,” Sears said. “That’s going to be huge.”