Double the pleasure, double the fun

It was two hours before last year's IU-Wisconsin football game, and my co-beat writer and I were sitting in Madison traffic, waiting to get to Camp Randall Stadium.\nAs we sat at a red light, a van pulled up to the right side of the University rental car and a man rolled down his window.\n"Welcome to town, losers!"\nAfter he yelled his welcome at us, he drove off laughing and waving.\nWe laughed at his greeting, almost conceding to the fact that yes, the IU football team was going to lose to Wisconsin.\nFour hours later, both of us were scouring the emptying parking lots looking for that van. Because instead of the anticipated loss came a huge surprise. The Hoosiers, who were winless going into the game, beat the Badgers. But Wisconsin didn't just get beat, they got dominated by an IU team that appeared to be having an out-of-body experience.\nThe Hoosiers offense scored four times on consecutive plays that took less than two minutes total. The IU defense was impenetrable and unrelenting. The crazy Badger crowd that makes Madison one of the best places in the Big Ten to watch a football game was stunned. As was the rest of the country.\nNot long after IU pulled to a shocking 32-0 first quarter lead, the press box blew up with ringing cell phones. It was unimaginable that IU could actually be beating Wisconsin, and not just beating them, tearing them apart.\nMy brother called me a couple of times throughout the game to get updates, but the first time he called he asked me if he should call ESPN to tell them that the BottomLine was running the wrong score. That it should be IU 0, Wisconsin 32. \nBut this was no joke, and it certainly wasn't a mistake.\nIt was, more than anything, fun to watch. Even from up in the press box, the IU players emitted a sense of thrill and excitement that was contagious. Here they were doing exactly what they told everyone they could do. That if all areas of the team were clicking together, then they were unstoppable, and that day, they were.\nIt wasn't exactly the turning point of last season, because the Hoosiers followed up that performance with a dismal loss to Illinois the next week. That 35-14 loss was the last home game the Hoosiers dropped at home.\nBut for three hours, IU was inspired and exciting to watch. The Hoosiers went on to win four of their last six games, barely missing out on a chance to make it to a bowl game. And as good as the next four wins were, nothing could top that Wisconsin game. \nUnfortunately, last year, only those IU fans who traveled to the game were able to witness that apocalyptic win because the game was not televised.\nThis year, however, the Hoosiers are at home, on television and on the brink of busting wide open. But before IU gets a chance to double the pleasure of beating No. 22 Wisconsin twice in a row, there are a few obstacles standing in the Hoosiers' way.\nFirst of all this weekend could turn into a game of the Hoosiers playing Wile E. Coyote trying to chase down that darn Roadrunner, otherwise known as sophomore Anthony Davis. Davis is on pace to be the latest in a 10-year streak of Wisconsin running backs who have gained more than 1,000 yards in a season.\nSecondly, the Badger defense leads the Big Ten in causing turnovers. Their constant pressure is going to force the IU offense to be perfect. But if history does repeat, this could be ultimately be a reality.\nOne good sign for the Hoosiers is that Wisconsin averages a higher possession time than its opponents. IU didn't need time last year to run up the score, so if the Hoosiers manage to click this year, time is of no concern.\nBut what the Hoosiers need most of all is that guy in his van, giving out greetings before the game, so that after, while the Hoosiers gloat, he can eat his words.