IU offense struggles as Hoosiers lose 33-3

MADISON, Wis. – Amid a sea of red at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, the IU football team took the field with the hope of upsetting Wisconsin for a sixth win. Only half of the team showed up to play.\nThe spread offense that has served IU (5-4, 2-4) so well through the first eight games of the season was absent, and the Hoosiers extended their losing streak to three games with a 33-3 loss at Wisconsin.\n“We still have three games left,” said junior wide receiver James Hardy. “Each of the guys, we can’t quit, that was coach Hep’s motto. We go through adversity and today, Wisconsin was just the better team.”\nOvermatched the entire day, the Hoosiers simply were unable to make anything happen offensively. Sophomore quarterback Kellen Lewis finished the day 17-33 in passing for 113 yards. \nHowever, it was the team’s three fumbles and Lewis’ two interceptions that killed any chance of sustaining a drive throughout the game.\n“We’ve got all the confidence in the world in the kid,” said senior offensive lineman John Sandberg, “and he’s got all the confidence in himself.”\nIn the opening minutes, Lewis continuously overthrew his passes and looked out of sync in the pocket. The Badger defense pressured him into making poor decisions all day and sacked him three times.\n“It’s not a surprise that they were going to come out there and rough us up,” Lewis said. “Michigan State did the same thing. They did a good job on defense today.”\nWhile the offense was unable to make anything happen, the IU defense managed to play a strong 60 minutes, keeping the Hoosiers in the game. Senior linebacker Adam McClurg forced a fumble and senior cornerback Tracy Porter intercepted a pass at the goal line.\nIt wasn’t until a fourth-quarter touchdown by running back Lance Smith gave the Badgers a 24-3 lead that IU’s hope for a comeback came to an end.\nThe IU offense failed to enter the Badgers’ red zone the entire game and struggled to gain yards, let alone put points on the board. IU’s only points came on junior kicker Austin Starr’s 49-yard field goal. \nEven when things began to improve for IU, something always happened to kill whatever wind began to fill the Hoosiers’ sails.\nOne such play would arguably have been the most impressive play of the year.\nBacked up on their own 16- yard line and down 17-3, junior running back Marcus Thigpen exploded off the left hash-mark on a third and long, sprinting 84 yards for an IU score. But a holding penalty on Hardy and a penalty on Thigpen’s celebration brought the ball back to the IU 12-yard line.\n“I thought personally it wasn’t a holding,” Hardy said. “The coaches on the sideline said it wasn’t a hold, and I put my hands up. There were a couple of calls that were kind of skeptical.”\nTime and again, the IU offense was given the opportunity to march down the field and try to bridge the gap.\n“Defensively, we wanted to make (Indiana) play left-handed,” said Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema. “We wanted to take away what they do best and dictate the flow of the game.”\nTrying to make something happen as the final seconds ticked away, Lewis underthrew a pass that was intercepted. A minute later, a team that started the year 5-1 could only hang its head as it walked off the field and into the locker room.\n“You can’t live in the past,” said a withdrawn Starr. “You have to forget about the last game, the last play. You just have to keep moving forward.”