The season that was, game 5: Wisconsin 52, Indiana 17.

Man, I've got to get through these. Game week starts in three days!

Date: 9/30/06

Location: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Ind.

Attendance: 32,142

This game marked the return of Terry Hoeppner after a two week absence following his second brain surgery. "Absence" is not terribly accurate. Hep watched both games that he missed from the press box and was actively consulting with the staff, watching game film, and the like. Compared to his workaholic tendencies after the surgery, Hep's absence from spring practice was a telltale sign that something was wrong.

Well, if I would rather prattle on about our late coach's medical issues than talk about the game, that probably says something. This one was over before it started. Wisconsin punted after a 4 play first drive, and then scored touchdowns on its next five possessions, and that was that. Wisconsin missed a field goal at the end of the first half, but then scored two TDs and a IU's scored all 17 of its points in the fourth quarter after UW had pulled ahead 52-0. John Stocco (the guy that the Badgers somehow aren't going to miss this year) was tremendously efficient: 15-17, 303 yards, 3 touchdowns. PJ Hill gained 129 yards on 23 carries. On the Hoosier side, Kellen Lewis struggled a bit in his first start: 13-29, 113 yards. The only bright spot for IU was a 9 carry, 100 yard day by Josiah Sears.

By any measure, the Badgers dominated: 539-280 in total yards, 7.8 to 4.4 in yards per play. It's worth noting that 171 of the Hoosiers' yards came on the two offensive scoring drives in the fourth quarter (IU also returned a fumble for a TD late). And the Badgers gained only 16 yards in the fourth quarter. That means that when Wisconsin called off the dogs, UW had outgained IU 523-109. This was as thorough a thrashing as you will ever see, and I will speak no more of it.