BY ANDY BAGGOT
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin football team is in a highly unusual state when it comes to its run game.
The Badgers have gone five straight outings without a 100-yard rushing performance, a streak that dates to the Rose Bowl last season.
You have to go back to 2008 to find a stretch this long. The last time UW went six consecutive games without a 100-yard back was 1991.
The No. 18 Badgers (2-1) have some favorable history on their side heading into their Big Ten Conference matchup with 10th-ranked Indiana (5-1) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Camp Randall Stadium.
Wisconsin has had 24 different backs rush for at least 100 yards vs. the Hoosiers, which is tied with Iowa for the second-most in school history. In all, UW backs have amassed 38 rushing performances of 100 yards or more in the 61-game series.
Perhaps most eye-catching is the fact that, since 1999, the Badgers have had multiple 100-yard rushers in the same game vs. Indiana six times (1999, 2008, '09, '10, '12 and '13). That includes two instances where UW had a school record-tying three 100-yard rushing efforts in the same contest (2008, '13).
The first double-triple in Wisconsin history came vs. the Hoosiers. That was in 1949 when Robert Teague (144) and Lisle Blackbourne (109) did the trick during a 30-14 victory.
The first triple-triple in UW history also came vs. Indiana. That was in 2008 when wide receiver David Gilreath (168) and running backs P.J. Hill (126) and John Clay (113) made headlines during a 55-20 romp.
Because you may be wondering: Wisconsin is 38-8 during the Paul Chryst coaching era when producing a 100-yard back and 16-8 without one.
Here are five more things to know:
Habit Forming
Wisconsin has won 10 straight meetings with the Hoosiers dating back to 2005, which stands as the fourth-longest run of success against a Big Ten opponent in program history. The Badgers won 14 consecutive games against Minnesota from 2004 to '17 and have won 14 straight against Purdue going back to 2004. They also won 13 in a row vs. Northwestern from 1972 to '84. Given the venue, it's worth noting that the streaks vs. Minnesota and Northwestern ended at Camp Randall in 2018 and 1985, respectively.
Rare Air Moment
This marks the second time in history that UW has played the Hoosiers when both schools were ranked in the Associated Press poll. The other came in 1994 when No. 25 Indiana was 3-0 and the No. 16 Badgers were 1-1. Wisconsin rolled to a 62-13 victory. How rare are these ranked-vs.-ranked matchups in the Big Ten for UW? The Badgers have none with Maryland or Rutgers, one with Illinois (1952), three with Nebraska (2011, '14, '16), five with Michigan State (1999, 2010, '11, '11, '16), six with Northwestern (1951, '58, '59, '95, 2015, '20), six with Penn State (1997, '98, 2002, '05, '11, '16), seven with Minnesota (1942, '54, '62, '99, 2005, '14, '19), seven with Purdue (1954, '55, '58, '59, '99, 2003, '04), eight with Iowa (1955, '57, '58, '60, 2004, '10, '17, '19), 11 with Michigan (1947, '77, '93, '97, '98, '99, 2000, '16, '17, '18, '19) and 21 with Ohio State (1942, '44, '50, '54, '58, '59, '60, '74, '93, '95, 2000, '03, '04, '08, '10, '13, '14, '16, '17, '19, '19).
Security Measures
The Badgers are coming off a 17-7 Big Ten loss to Northwestern in which they turned the ball over five times. It was the eighth time in the Chryst Era that Wisconsin had at least four giveaways in a game. Six have come during losses. Indiana currently ranks third nationally with a plus-nine turnover margin. It has 18 takeaways overall, with at least two in every outing.
Looks Can Be Deceiving
This will be just the fifth time in the last 23 meetings, dating back to 1989, that the Hoosiers have had a winning overall record when they faced Wisconsin. Don't get cocky, though. Indiana was 4-4 in 1989 when it came to Camp Randall and unleashed running back Anthony Thompson for 377 rushing yards on 52 carries — the most by a UW opponent in both categories — and emerged with a 45-17 win. The Hoosiers were 0-3 in 2001 when they came to Madison, scored 42 points in the first half and got 280 rushing yards and a Big Ten record-tying six touchdowns from running back Levron Williams during a 63-32 scorching of the Badgers.
Measuring Stick
Wisconsin freshman running back Jalen Berger has yet to make a start — he didn't see action in the opener against Illinois and came off the bench vs. Michigan and Northwestern — but he's acquitted himself well so far. He had 87 yards on 15 carries in the win over Michigan and 93 yards on 15 carries in the loss to Northwestern. It seems only a matter of time before Berger becomes the latest UW rookie to start racking up 100-yard rushing performances. For some reference, Anthony Davis (2001), P.J. Hill (2006) and Corey Clement (2013) debuted with 100-yard outings. It took John Clay and Jonathan Taylor two games in 2009 and '17, respectively. Ron Dayne and James White needed four games in 1996 and 2010, respectively. All but Clement turned in 1,000-yard seasons as freshmen.
