Wisconsin Goes for 10 in a Row at Home
September 30, 2005 | Football
The University of Wisconsin football team (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) is seeking a school-record 10th straight home win when it takes on Indiana (3-0, 0-0) at 11 a.m. Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium. The game will be televised live on ESPN2.
By upsetting Michigan last week, the 17th-ranked Badgers have gone undefeated in their last nine home games, a feat accomplished twice in the modern era. They are 14-3 in their last 17 contests at Camp Randall.
QB John Stocco scored the game-winning touchdown last week on a four-yard draw play, improving the junior's record as a starter to 13-3. Scoring the other touchdown for Wisconsin was RB Brian Calhoun, who is the nation's No. 3 rusher (156.5 ypg) and No. 5 scorer (13.5 ppg).
Calhoun also caught a team-high seven passes for 59 yards; along with his 155 yards rushing, he accounted for 75 percent of UW's total offense against the Wolverines.
'You like for the ball to be in his hands as many times as you can get it,' head coach Barry Alvarez said. 'And if you can get it out in space one-on-one with a linebacker (or) defensive back, you like your chances with him one-on-one.'
The Hoosiers enter the game with a defense that allows 217 rushing yards per game, which ranks 104th nationally. On Sept. 10 against Division I-AA Nicholls State, they allowed 408 yards on the ground.
On the offensive side of the ball, IU is averaging 31.0 points per game behind a strong passing attack. Junior Blake Powers is throwing 239.3 yards per game and already has 11 touchdowns (tied for fifth-most nationally). His favorite receiver is redshirt freshman James Hardy, who has three TDs and is averaging a team-best 88.7 yards per game.
Hardy, who also plays on the men's basketball team, is the first Indiana receiver to begin his career with consecutive 100-yard receiving games.
'(Indiana will) give you the shotgun spread stuff that people are doing right now ' and (Powers) is mobile but a good thrower,' Alvarez said. 'We're using a lot of different people in the secondary, trying to keep guys fresh.'
Wisconsin held Michigan to 99 yards of passing in the second half last week, and safety Johnny White had his first career interception.
Other Notes
UW is 31-18-2 all-time vs. Indiana, but the two teams have not played since 2002 ' the 10 straight home wins will be a modern-era record, as Wisconsin 's longest home winning streak of all-time is 25 (from 1900-03) ' the Badgers have not allowed a point yet in the third quarter ' IU head coach Terry Hoeppner is the first Indiana coach to begin his tenure with three straight wins ' Hoeppner's team have never been shut out.
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