For the second week in a row, the UW football team was fueled by the strength of its running game and a persistent defensive attack.
The result was a 33-3 victory over Indiana on Homecoming Saturday in front of 81,324 fans at Camp Randall.
One week after a dominating 44-3 triumph over Northern Illinois, the Badgers (3-2 Big Ten, 7-2 overall) steamrolled the Hoosier defense for 279 yards on the ground, averaging over five yards per carry. Three running backs shared the load for UW, with sophomore Lance Smith leading the way with 79 yards and two touchdowns.
As a result, the Badgers held the ball for just over 35 minutes of the contest. Head coach Bret Bielema said controlling time of possession was a point of emphasis in preparation for the game.
Offensively, we needed to grind it out, move the chains, keep our defense off the field because obviously their offense presents some unique problems,"" Bielema said. ""Collectively, it was a tremendous job by our guys.""
Sophomore starter P.J. Hill had 57 yards and a score before leaving the game following the Badgers' second offensive series of the game due to a bruise on the top of his foot. Following the game, Bielema said X-rays were negative.
True freshman Zach Brown provided a spark out of the backfield, rushing for 40 yards and a 6-yard touchdown - the first of his career - in the second quarter to put the Badgers up 17-0 just under a minute into the second quarter.
""Growing up, you always have dreams about playing college football and getting that touchdown,"" Brown said. ""Just being able to do that, it was great.""
Defensively, the Badgers forced the Hoosiers (5-4, 2-3) into five turnovers and didn't allow Indiana to get into any kind of rhythm offensively. UW forced three fumbles and picked off Hoosiers' quarterback Kellen Lewis twice.
""Any time they put the ball on the ground or in the air, we expect the ball to be ours,"" sophomore linebacker Elijah Hodge said. ""The more times we give our offense the ball, the better chance we have to win. That was a key focus for us today.""
With Indiana threatening early in the fourth quarter, Lewis took a keeper inside the UW 10-yard line for a big gain, but was stripped on his way to the ground by Badgers freshman cornerback Aaron Henry. Junior linebacker DeAndre Levy recovered to preserve a 24-3 lead with 12:43 remaining in the contest.
Besides creating takeaways, the UW defense was also able to register three sacks and seven tackles for a loss on the whole.
Hoosiers wide receiver James Hardy - who entered the game as the conference's leader in receiving touchdowns - was held in check throughout the game by junior cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu. Hardy had just four catches for 17 yards and lost a fumble.
""Jack is Jack,"" Levy said. ""I think he always practices pretty hard, practices confidently. This week he had a challenge in front of him and he definitely won that.""
The Badgers set the tone early for the second consecutive game, taking a 10-0 lead late in the first quarter. Senior kicker Taylor Mehlhaff booted a 41-yard field goal into the wind on the first drive. Following a three-and-out by the Hoosiers, Hill piled in from one yard out on fourth and goal for the second score.
