A battle of Big Ten undefeateds set the stage in Madison on October’s first day. Indiana’s unscathed record may be impressive by Hoosier standards, but the competition they scheduled including Papa Smurf, Strawberry Shortcake, and Dora the Explorer didn’t exactly make the pollsters stands at attention. Wisconsin, on the other hand, validated their perfect mark with an incredible last minute victory over Michigan last week. We sat in the student section to absorb the aftershock of the win over the Wolverines.
Wisconsin got started quickly with a touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Williams. The Hoosiers followed with an 83 yard TD completion of their own. The students voiced their analysis of the play by chanting, “You still suck!” loud enough to reach the Indiana border.
If words didn’t get the point across, Brandon Williams did. A punt return spanning over half the field got Williams into the endzone for his second score of the day sending the crowd spinning into a blend of flailing arms and piercing cheers. Seeing that the Hoosiers were not expected to be successful on the field, that play served as the brick that broke the hamster’s back. Although the Hoosiers fought with vigor, their efforts came up short. Williams scored a third touchdown followed by a Brian Calhoun score that brought the tally to 31-14 at halftime. The second half presented more defense and Wisconsin held to win 41-24.
The Badgers maintained an unbeaten record as they moved deeper into Big Ten action. Indiana certainly faced exposure to reality, but there are noticeable enthusiastic changes occurring in Hoosierland that foreshadow a future turnaround. For now, they must continue dusting the Big Ten basement while the Badgers move into the presidential suite.
