Banged up Badgers looking to become bowl-eligible at struggling Indiana

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) at Indiana (2-6, 0-5), Saturday, 12 p.m. ET (BTN) Line: Wisconsin by 9 2 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Series record: Wisconsin leads 41-19-2.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Even without their starting quarterback and now possibly down their top two runners, the Badgers have navigated their way through an up-and-down season into a share of the Big Ten West lead. A win Saturday would make Wisconsin bowl eligible in coach Luke Fickell's first season and might set up a wild regular season finish for the Badgers. The Hoosiers need to win all four remaining games to make the postseason. First, though, they just want to win a conference game.
KEY MATCHUP
Wisconsin ground game vs. Indiana's run defense. The Badgers already know QB Tanner Mordecai and RB Chez Mellusi are out with injuries and now No. 2 receiver Chimere Dike and RB Braelon Allen (left leg) could be sidelined, too. Allen spent the second Saturday in a walking boot. So the Badgers will likely lean heavily on their trademark rushing attack against the Big Ten's lowest-ranked run defense (169.1 yards allowed per game).
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Wisconsin: RBs Jackson Acker and Cade Yacamelli. Acker saw significant action against Ohio State when Allen got hurt. Yacamelli, a redshirt freshman, has one carry for minus-4 yards. If these two are effective Saturday, Wisconsin could be in good shape. If not, the offensive struggles could continue. Indiana: QB Brendan Sorsby. The second-year quarterback finally brought a glimmer of hope to the Hoosiers offense by throwing TD passes of 90, 60 and 26 yards against No. 10 Penn State. He's the first Indiana player with multiple TD passes over 60 yards in a game since 1996. Now everyone wants to see if he can do it again.
FACTS & FIGURES
Wisconsin has won 10 of the last 11 in this series and has not lost in Bloomington since 2002. ... Indiana allowed 51.2 points per game in those 10 losses before snapping the losing streak in 2020 with a victory in Madison. ... The Badgers have played in 21 consecutive bowl games, the FBS’ third-longest active streak. ... Hoosiers coach Tom Allen is 2-21 in conference games since the end of the 2020 season. ... Wisconsin CB Ricardo Hallman leads the Big Ten with five interception and is one of five FBS players with five or more interceptions this season. ... The Hoosiers scored 24 points last week against the FBS' top overall defense, the most Penn State has allowed this season. ... Braedyn Locke is the first Badgers QB to throw 35 or more passes in multiple games without an interception since at least 1996. ... According to Pro Football Focus, the Hoosiers offensive line has allowed four sacks, tied for the fewest among Big Ten teams.