No. 2 Indiana football last faced Wisconsin on Nov. 4, 2023. The Hoosiers defeated the Badgers 20-14 –– their third and final win of the season.
A lot has changed for Indiana since then. Head coach Curt Cignetti’s hiring in November 2023 transformed the program into a College Football Playoff contender. The Hoosiers currently own a 10-0 overall record and 7-0 record in Big Ten play entering their home matchup against Wisconsin on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin arrives in Bloomington with just a 1-5 record in conference play and a 3-6 overall record. The Badgers have not won a road game against a top-five team since 2004, when they took down No. 5 Purdue on Oct. 16, 2004.
Saturday presents an opportunity for Wisconsin to end this drought.
Cignetti on the Badgers
Despite the Badgers’ poor record, they’ve played the second- hardest schedule, according to ESPN’s College Football Power Index 2025. Wisconsin enters Bloomington following a 13-10 upset victory over then-No. 23 Washington on Nov. 8.
“Coming off a top 25 win at home against Washington,” Cignetti said during his weekly media availability Monday. “They're a tough, gritty football team. I mean, they've had a murderer's row schedule: Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, Iowa, Washington, Alabama, you name it. And you know, I've got a lot of respect for Coach (Luke) Fickell. He's a proven winner.”
The Badgers’ victory over Washington marks their lone Big Ten victory of the season, which garnered praise from Cignetti.
“They did a great job,” Cignetti said. “They lost another quarterback in that game, freshman stepped in, and to come away with that — they blocked a punt. To come away with a win under those circumstances, that was a great win for them.”
Injury Plague
Wisconsin has been heavily impacted by injuries this season. In its season opener Aug. 28, graduate quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. suffered a knee sprain. Edwards Jr. attempted to return against Maryland on Sept. 20, but re-aggravated his injury, forcing the Badgers to look elsewhere for the quarterback position.
The Badgers have yet to find a long-term solution, rotating through multiple quarterbacks throughout the season.
Against Washington last week, Wisconsin announced sophomore quarterback Danny O’Neil as its starter. But O’Neil went down with an injury on the Badgers’ second drive of the game. Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell has yet to announce a starter for Saturday.
In total, Wisconsin's 2025 projected starters have missed or been limited with injuries in a combined 44 games.
Rushing Offense
With inconsistency and injuries at the signal-caller position, the Badgers have been forced to lean more on their rushing attack in recent weeks.
Wisconsin completed just six passes for 48 yards against Washington, while rushing for 157 yards on 47 attempts.
However, the Hoosiers’ defensive front has allowed just 83.7 rushing yards per contest, presenting a difficult test for the Badgers’ rushing attack Saturday.
Defense
Wisconsin’s stout defense powered the team to its home victory over Washington. The Badgers surrendered under 150 passing yards for a second straight week, after allowing just 132 air yards against Oregon on Oct. 25.
“Yeah, I mean they play hard,” Cignetti said. “They play a lot of people up front. They get hats to the ball.”
Meanwhile, Indiana boasts one of the most efficient passing attacks in the country, led by redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The Hoosiers lead the nation with 30 passing touchdowns and rank second with a 179.24 passing efficiency rate.
To counter Indiana’s explosive offense, Fickell emphasized the importance of defensive execution in open space during his weekly media availability Monday.
“We're going to have to do a really, really good job at tackling and tackling well in space,” Fickell said. “And I think that obviously as explosive as they are, I think one of the best things they do is in open space and even in the box. They break tackles and they create larger plays just because of it.”
The Game
The Hoosiers are 20-41-2 in all-time matchups against the Badgers. Indiana will look to correct this trend Saturday.
Indiana is set to celebrate its senior day Saturday against Wisconsin –– a celebration for its 28 players in their final year of eligibility.
“But those guys have been tremendous foundational pieces for the program back at JMU and here at Indiana,” Cignetti said. “They're great players, great people, great leaders. There's a number of them.”
This group of seniors will play its final regular season home game at noon Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. Coverage will be available on the Big Ten Network.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
