Homecoming turned out to be a sweet experience for the still-undefeated Wisconsin Badgers (6-0) as they steam-rolled the Indiana Hoosiers (1-6) in a 59-7 romp. It wasn’t quite 83 points, but a similar message was instilled with the blowout win.
Heisman front-runner and Stanford QB Andrew Luck should take notice when he sees the trick play Montee Ball and Russell Wilson completed in the second quarter of a game that was never very close.
What It Means: With their sixth win, the Badgers are now bowl eligible, making it the tenth straight season that Wisconsin will represent the Big Ten in a postseason game. Moreover, the team continued their domination of opponents in an effort to make an appearance in their second consecutive BCS bowl game. The BCS standings are due out tomorrow and the Badgers have done nothing, but show that they deserve to be in the discussion for the national championship game.
Player of the Game: RB Montee Ball (214 total yards and 4 total touchdowns) 
I’m officially donning Ball as “Mr. Touchdown.” There’s no other name for a guy who has accounted for 18 total touchdowns in six games this season. Ball has also scored a touchdown in 12 straight games and two or more rushing touchdowns in ten consecutive regular season games. Additionally, he had a great day yardage-wise while racking up 143 yards on 14 carries (10.1 average) and in the meantime passing Alan Thompson for 12th place on UW’s All-Time rushing list.
Highlight of the Game: Not much of a surprise here as the play of this game is the poster-child for Wilson’s Heisman campaign. Mr. Touchdown took a hand-off in the second quarter, stopped, and threw a lob to Wilson who was streaking down a wide-open area of the field for a 25 yard receiving touchdown. It wasn’t his first catch of his career (two in 2010), but it was his first touchdown.
Interestingly enough, Ball thought it was the worst throw he had all week and referred to the pass a “duck,” and stated “if I had thrown a spiral, it would have probably been overthrown.” Wilson was having none of that and said he “was pretty sure I would have chased it down either way.”
Stat of the Game: (28) Like Mr. Touchdown’s number, linebackers Chris Borland (15) and Mike Taylor (13) combined for 28 tackles. Four of those tackles were tackles for loss (TFL), including three from Borland who now has 8.5 TFL on the season. Borland and Taylor both rank in the top five in the Big Ten in tackles.
What’s Next: Nebraska proved to not be the toughest game on the schedule, but a trip to East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans (5-1) could live up to that bill. The Spartans boast one of the best defenses in the country and just might have the ingredients to slow down the high-octane Badgers offense. They slowed down Michigan’s Denard Robinson in a 28-14 win. If the Badgers can go into East Lansing and continue to play dominating football, they will be one step closer to that prestigious national spotlight.
What did you think of the Badgers win over the Hoosiers? Do you think they deserve to be in discussion for the national championship game? Let me know by commenting below!
Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers, Green Bay Packers, and Milwaukee Brewers. He also enjoys to share Fantasy Advice from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best.