After the Badgers (4-1 Big Ten, 7-2 overall) played a defensively aggressive game against BYU (6-3) in which they beat the Cougars 27-17 and effectively shut down dynamic sophomore quarterback Taysom Hill, one thing was undoubtedly clear.
Chris Borland was back.
The redshirt senior linebacker recorded two sacks and 13 tackles in his return to the field after being sidelined with a hamstring injury.
“Chris is just a heck of a player,” redshirt senior defensive end Ethan Hemer said. “The guy flies around the field, makes a lot of plays. He’s a great guy and a great leader. It meant a lot to have him back.”
Wisconsin’s defense will need to be on point again Saturday as it welcomes Big Ten rival Indiana (2-3, 4-5).
The Hoosiers are coming off a 52-35 win against Illinois where sophomore running back Tevin Coleman ran for 215 yards, and junior wide receiver Cody Latimer had 189 yards receiving. Coleman sustained an ankle injury against Illinois and remains a game-time decision.
Whether Indiana plays him or not, the Badgers’ defense will face a fast Hoosier offense.
“What makes this offense so effective is that they run pace,” Hemer said. “They don’t just do it a little bit of the time, they do it all the time. That pace creates issues for teams later in the game … in the third or fourth quarter when guys start to get tired after being on the field so much, you see defenses start to break down and gaps start to open up. That’s where the big plays hit.”
Hemer also spoke to Indiana’s fast offense and frequency to throw the ball. It’s a style of play with which the Badgers are familiar after facing other opponents earlier in the season.
“There are a lot of different things that go into defending the spread teams that we’ve had all year,” senior nose guard Beau Allen said. “Arizona State, Ohio State, BYU and Indiana are kind of all similar in certain aspects. So up front we really just got to make sure we get out after the passer, because they have a great pass attack. We’ve got to rush the passer and get in the quarterback’s head to rattle him so he can’t make those deep, long throws.”
Allen, like Hemer, brought up Indiana’s game pace.
“When they run the fast, hurry-up stuff, and I say this all the time, you’ve just got to be smart with how you line up and discipline. You can’t get too frantic, you’ve got to kinda chill. Once you get lined up and stay calm, then it’s kind of easy.
“Their strongest point offensively is their big-play potential,” Allen said. “They do things so fast that defense gets misaligned and then they just dash for 60-yard runs … you’ve just got to try to limit those big plays because that’s what they’re good at.”
Kick off against Indiana begins at 11 a.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
