Despite being one point away from defeating a top-20 team last week, the Wisconsin football team finds itself at the bottom of the Big Ten with a 1-5 record and only three games remaining in the season. The Badgers hope to move up at least one spot in the conference rankings as they take on Indiana Saturday.
Although playing a major bowl game is out of the picture at this point, the Badgers would like to win the next three games.
I'm playing for the seniors,"" junior defensive end O'Brien Schofield said. ""They've been in this program so long and they deserve more than what we have done so far. I would love to get to a bowl game for those guys, but right now I just want to give them my best against Indiana.""
The Hoosiers (1-4 Big Ten, 2-7 overall) most recently lost to Central Michigan 37-34. Despite an explosive and productive offense, the Hoosier defense has allowed an average of 30 points and nearly 400 yards per game.
Indiana's starting junior quarterback Kellen Lewis is a versatile player who has been effective passing and has rushed for over 400 yards this season. He accomplished this despite missing the last two games with a sprained ankle.
Lewis' status for Saturday is questionable, and sophomore backup quarterback Ben Chappel, who had a mediocre game last week, will be less of a challenge for Wisconsin's defense to contain.
Another week without Lewis will not shut down Indiana's running game however, as senior tailback Marcus Thigpen's agility and knack for finding holes gives the UW defense reason to be scared. He moved the ball 106 yards with two touchdowns on just six carries last week. Thigpen will take over as Indiana's top back in the absence of junior Bryan Payton, who recently hurt his ankle.
""Those guys are amazing to watch on film and see how fast they are,"" Schofield said, adding the team has been practicing against UW's fastest backs this week to prepare. ""We really need to lock down and shut out Indiana's rushing.""
Despite the narrow loss to Michigan State following 11 unanswered points in the last half of the fourth quarter, Wisconsin had a productive running game with freshman John Clay and junior P.J. Hill both breaking the 100-yard barrier. Junior quarterback Dustin Sherer is becoming more comfortable in his position as starter, as he completed 14-of-28 passes with one touchdown and no interceptions last week.
""The thing I love about Dustin is there's no hesitation by him in admitting that he missed something or a wrong read,"" head coach Bret Bielema said Monday. ""He knows he wants to be coached up and he wants to move forward, and I think that's a great indication of what you'll hopefully see in the future.""
Wisconsin has to work on avoiding penalties. The team gave up 121 yards on 12 penalties against Michigan State last week including an unsportsmanlike call against Bielema. Unnecessary penalties late in the game set up good field position for Michigan State, which allowed a Spartan touchdown and 25-24 comeback win.
""The fourth quarter gets us every time,"" Schofield said, noting that last week was the third game this season the Badgers blew a lead going into the final quarter of play.""
""Our coaches started rotating us a little bit more so we can be fresh for the fourth quarter,"" Schofield said. ""It's a lesson for us, and the coaches have been really stressing that we have to stay focused all the way through the game.""
