Well, to be cliche, both the Hoosiers and the Badgers were who we thought they were on. And it was another lopsided one on Saturday afternoon in Madison. But hey, it wasn't 83-20. Instead, Wisconsin covered the 40-point spread and won 59-7. Without further ado, what we learned this week:
1. Houston is fast...IU running back Stephen Houston, that is. The junior college transfer was very impressive against No. 4 Wisconsin, running for 135 yards on 19 carries. His most impressive run of the day came on a 67-yard touchdown in which he outran the entire Badger defense to the end zone.
Houston continues to distance himself from the other running backs -- D'Angelo Roberts and Matt Perez. But both Roberts and Perez have had their moments this season, too. Surprisingly, the running back position appears to be the strength of the IU offense at this point in the season.
2. No quit this time...Whether they'll admit it or not, the Hoosiers quit against Wisconsin a year ago. It's incredibly difficult to score 83 points, after all. While IU looked pretty awful against the Badgers, at least the Hoosiers kept playing in the second half when the game was already well in hand. At least these guys are still fighting for coach Kevin Wilson.
3. Wisconsin is, um, really good...I know, I'm stating the obvious (or Avi-ous), but the Badgers are as good as anybody in the country. I'd put them right up there with Oklahoma, LSU and Alabama. With Russell Wilson's arm and athleticism at QB and Montee Ball's ability to run over people, this offense is capable of putting up points in a hurry against anybody.
4. Belcher is hurting...IU wide receiver Damarlo Belcher's tough season just got tougher. The senior caught two passes for 21 yards in the first half before leaving the game due to injury. Belcher was in street clothes on the sideline in the second half. The extent of his injury is unknown at this time, but I will update this post as soon as we hear more.
UPDATE 3:52: Wilson said Belcher re-injured his knee on a fade pass at the end of the first half. His status for next week is unknown.
5. Help wanted at QB...There's still no clear starter, and there might not be for the rest of the season. After Dusty Kiel struggled last week against Illinois, Edward Wright-Baker returned from injury against the Badgers and looked just as bad. Wilson shuffled Tre Roberson and wide receiver Kofi Hughes in a QB as well, but the Hoosiers never got anything going in the passing game.
The hard truth is all three quarterbacks are average at best. It's becoming more and more clear that none of the three is going to distance himself from the other two. Inconsistency continues to be a huge problem. I'm starting to think Gunner Kiel will start from day one when he gets to Bloomington.
