BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The Wisconsin Badgers (5-2, 0-2 Big Ten) led 29-10 with 9:34 to go in the third quarter, but the Indiana Hoosiers (3-3, 1-1) surged back behind senior quarterback Gibran Hamdan for 22 unanswered points and a 32-29 victory at Memorial Stadium.
Hamdan, who passed for 331 yards and four touchdowns in the game, hit junior receiver Glenn Johnson for a 20-yard touchdown with 2:16 to go for the game-winning score. UW had a chance to come back at the end, but quarterback Brooks Bollinger’s pass on fourth down and seven fell short of his intended receiver.
Despite the loss, the Badgers dominated the running game, out-rushing the Hoosiers 225 yards to 74. Anthony Davis led the way for UW with 109 yards. For the first time this year, Wisconsin lost a game in which it won the turnover battle. The Badgers forced two turnovers, compared to IU’s one.
Wisconsin fell behind 10-6 early in the second quarter, but rattled off 23 consecutive points to jump ahead. Mike Allen’s 44-yard field goal pulled UW to within one, and then Bollinger connected with freshman wide receiver Jonathan Orr for a 23-yard touchdown with 1:24 remaining in the half. With an Allen extra point, the Badgers took a 16-10 lead into halftime. The touchdown was set up by a big 34-yard pass from Bollinger to David Braun.
The Badgers carried the momentum into the second half as they increased their lead to 22-10 on the opening drive on Davis’ eight-yard touchdown run. The score, Davis’ 20th rushing touchdown of his career, capped a 12-play, 85-yard drive that lasted nearly five minutes and included 11 rushing plays.
Sophomore safety Jim Leonhard picked off his Big Ten-leading fifth pass of the season on Indiana’s ensuing drive, returning it to inside the Hoosiers’ 10-yard line. Two plays later, freshman Dwayne Smith took it in for six behind a huge push from the Badger offensive line and UW led 29-10. UW’s defense put considerable pressure on Hamdan in the late second and early third quarters to take him out of his rhythm.
However, Hamdan used his wide receivers to move the ball down the field late in the game for three touchdown drives, with the game-winning drive going 10 plays for 87 yards. UW sacked Hamdan five times in the game, a season-high for the Badgers, including two by senior defensive end Jake Sprague.
The game started out well for the Badgers after they forced a fumble on Indiana’s first drive and turned it into a 3-0 lead on Allen’s 34-yard field goal. The teams exchanged field goals and with Wisconsin leading 6-3, Indiana scored on a three-yard touchdown catch by running back Brian Lewis to take a 10-6 lead.
Wisconsin will look to snap its two-game slide when it hosts the undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes next Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium. The kick-off for the Homecoming game is set for 2:30 p.m. and will be televised on ABC.
–compiled from staff reports
