Especially when the Badgers have three different guys, including a wide receiver, rush for over a hundred yards. Really, that game should have been ridiculous from the get-go. They were running all over them from the first play from scrimmage, even without Andy Vanden Huevel, who I fear is lost for the season. (On an odd play where he pulled, ran forward, blocked his guy down the sidelines and fell down. Didn't look like he should have hurt anything.)
Instead, the defense made a few bonehead mistakes in coverage, the Badgers fumbled twice and Sherer threw a completely stupid interception, and Indiana was about to take the lead going into halftime. And then, Jay Valai did what he does best-- lay the wood. And he laid it to the head and neck of Indiana's starting quarterback. The Hoosier QB drops the ball, Andre Levy snatches it up, runs back 50 yards (although he totally outran his blockers), and the Badgers drive a bit before time runs out and kick a field goal to go up four. IU's best offensive hope, their pretty good QB, is out for the rest of the game. Wisconsin scores 31 straight points, shuts out the now hapless Hoosiers, and it's a blow out. But for the first 27 minutes it was close, because of Wisconsin's own mistakes, again.
Anyhow, now they're back to .500 (again), and hopefully will be able to win the last two at home, and qualify for a marginally tolerable bowl game. I know that sounds cynical, but at this point, Wisconsin is really playing for the future. Sure, it's important for the seniors to beat Minnesota one last time and have this class go out with a winning record. But for the program as a whole, I feel that it's more important to keep a somewhat respectable record for publicity and morale purposes, and to start working on things for next season. To wit, I was especially pleased to see guys like Gilreath, Clay, Valai and Toon step forward on Saturday and make big plays. Let's hope they keep it up against the Gophers.
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