Author: Noah Clark

MADISON- With just a few weeks left in the season, the Badgers are going to try and make the most out of what has been in fact a crazy year. They are playing an Indiana Hoosiers team that is coming off of a huge win at Maryland but is also coming off a huge loss. 

That loss is starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who suffered a torn ACL in last week's win. With Penix out, expect to see some of the production the offense once had with Penix disappear. Before the injury, Penix and the offense were averaging 279.3 passing yards a game. They could score, and the big reason they could score was the offense and how swiftly Penix could run it. With that gone, the Hoosiers now turn to Jack Tuttle, a transfer quarterback from Utah. Tuttle has not done much throughout his collegiate career, after losing the starting job at Utah and deciding to transfer. This could be the guy for Tom Allen the rest of the way out, as the Hoosiers are hanging on to second place in the Big Ten East. 

For the Badgers, this is a rebound game, Wisconsin suffered a crushing loss to Northwestern. In the performance, the offense could only score seven points and the rest of the game they served turnovers for a dollar to the Wildcats. The icing on the cake for the Badgers was not getting to defend Paul Bunyan's Axe this year, as the game against Minnesota was canceled due to too many positive tests for COVID-19  by the Golden Gophers. That cancellation led to Wisconsin being ineligible for Naptown this year, to play in the Big Ten Championship game. Now the Badgers are playing for pride and a Bowl game, as they get ready for a Hoosiers team at home. 

One interesting thing to look at for Wisconsin is the quarterback position, Jack Coan, who has missed the last few months due to a foot injury, is expected to dress for this weekend's matchup. However, head coach Paul Chryst has not given an answer as to who he will go with for this matchup. If it's Graham Mertz, expect a lot of play-action, as the Badgers will try to utilize the running game with Jalen Berger, Garrett Groshek, and Nakia Watson. If Coan suits up, expect the opposite, as Wisconsin will try and get him going early and get him comfortable with the offense again. This should be a fun one to watch, and it will be exciting to see if the Badgers can ruin Indiana's hopes of a Big Ten Championship berth this weekend.