Badger Bits: Indiana
November 07, 2009 | Football
Nov. 7, 2009
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Throughout the first half of Wisconsin’s 31-28 win over Indiana, it was sophomore running back John Clay who carried the load. The Racine, Wis., native rushed for 134 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries over the first two quarters. Given those numbers, to know that he did not receive a single carry in the second half due to injury would usually give Wisconsin fans a reason to be concerned.
Fans need not worry though, for true freshman Montee Ball stepped in and had himself a career day.
The Wentzville, Mo., native finished the day with career highs in rushing attempts with 27, rushing yards with 115 and rushing touchdowns with two. It was the most rushing yards by a Wisconsin true freshman since Zach Brown had 250 yards against Minnesota on Nov. 17, 2007.
“It’s a load to carry, but that’s what I’m here for,” Ball said in reference to replacing Clay. “It’s college football and you have to grow up sometime.”
The second half belonged to Ball. In the third quarter, he put up 36 yards on seven carries, while, in the final frame, he added 49 yards on 12 carries.
Ball’s first score of the game gave Wisconsin a 17-7 lead with 6:10 left in the first half. His one-yard plunge on third-and-goal capped off a 10-play, 81-yard drive that covered 5:18. It was part of a 17-0 run that helped Wisconsin turn a 7-0 deficit into a 10-point lead.
“John Clay is a very talented player. He did some great things today. For Montee to come in and play as a true freshman, that’s a big testament to his athletic ability, his ability to learn an offense and play at the college level,” sophomore wide receiver Nick Toon praised.
At the 12:00 mark of the fourth quarter, Indiana finished off an 11-play, 81-yard drive that closed Wisconsin’s lead to just three points, at 24-21.The Badgers needed a strong response and got one thanks to Ball and Toon (more on him later).
Over the next seven plays, Ball touched the ball on five of them, starting with his only catch of the day, an 11-yarder that jump-started the drive. Two plays later on 2nd-and-6, he rushed for eight yards to gain the first down. On the next play, Tolzien found Toon for a 44-yard gain that brought the ball down to the Indiana 11-yard line. It was all Ball from there. Following runs of six and two yards, Ball plowed through an Indiana defender to score from three yards out. The touchdown gave Wisconsin a 31-21 lead with 8:18 remaining.
“After every carry I was just smiling,” Ball said. “I just have to thank my offensive line for making the holes and playing Wisconsin football.”
Indiana would score a touchdown with 4:01 to go, but it was Ball who iced the game. He carried it eight times on that final drive for 34 yards, forcing Indiana to use all three of their timeouts and thus running out the clock.
“That’s Wisconsin football,” Ball said of the Badgers’ final drive. “You run the football and beat your opponents up. That’s what we did.”
Tolzien finds the right Toon
After some tough games recently, Scott Tolzien was able to find a groove on Saturday, completing 11-of-20 passes for 194 yards and one touchdown. It is safe to say that sophomore wide receiver Nick Toon played a significant role in Tolzien’s solid performance. Not only did Toon catch five passes for a career-high 123 yards, but he also caught them at opportune times.
On Wisconsin’s second scoring drive of the first quarter, the Badgers were facing a 3rd-and-3 at the Indiana 44-yard line. Toon came up with a big 19-yard catch, enabling UW to keep the drive alive. Wisconsin scored 10 plays later on a Philip Welch field goal.
The Badgers’ next drive also found them facing a third-down. This time they were four yards away from a fresh set of downs and again Toon came through. He caught a 33-yard pass to get the ball from Wisconsin’s 25-yard line to the Indiana 42. Seven plays later, Ball scored his first touchdown of the game.
Fast forward to the third quarter and, again, the Badgers were looking at a 3rd-and-3 scenario. Tolzien found Toon for 10 yards to give Wisconsin a first down at their own 32-yard line. Sensing a theme here?
Toon’s fourth catch did not come on a third down, but it did give the Badgers great field position. With a 1st-and-10 at their own 45-yard line, Tolzien found Toon wide open along the sidelines. After the catch, Toon raced down to the Indiana 11-yard line for a 44-yard gain. Ball would run into the end zone three plays later for his second touchdown of the game.
The fifth and final catch of Toon’s day might have been his most important. Indiana had cut the Wisconsin lead to just 31-28. With 2:35 remaining, the Badgers had a 3rd-and-8 at their own 32-yard line. Spread out to Tolzien’s left, Toon sold the cornerback on a fly pattern, before breaking it off toward the sidelines. Tolzien’s throw was behind him, forcing Toon to extend his arms and catch the ball reaching back across his body. The play went for 17 yards and a first down. Five runs by Ball later and Wisconsin found itself with a tough, 31-28 victory.
“It was a burst corner route,” Toon said of his play on the game’s final drive. “We ran a few of them throughout the game and they were playing cover four, trying to man me up on the single receiver side. I just ran my route and made a play on the ball.”
The days of Clay, Ball and Toon marked the fourth time in school history that the Badgers had a pair of 100-yard rushers and a 100-yard receiver in the same game. The last time it happened also happened to be against the Hoosiers. Terrell Fletcher ran for 146 yards, Brent Moss added 110 and Tony Simmons had 143 yards through the air on Sept. 24, 1994.
