Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Shock Badgers (10-12-02)
10/12/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
October 12, 2002
Bloomington, Ind. - Gibran Hamdan and the Indiana receiving corps caught fire late in the third quarter and rode a strong performance from the defense to come from behind and upset 23rd-ranked Wisconsin, 32-29 at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Wisconsin led 29-10 late in the third quarter when Hamdan hit receiver Courtney Roby with a quick pass over the middle that Roby turned upfield and broke for a 31-yard touchdown with 1:19 remaining in the third quarter.
Down 29-17, Hamdan then connected with tight end Aaron Halterman for a four-yard touchdown to narrow the gap to 29-24 with 9:21 left in the fourth.
With the announced crowd of 31,156 at Memorial Stadium buzzing, the defense came to the forefront and forced Wisconsin to punt on its ensuing drive.
The Hoosier offense took the field with a chance to move into the lead, and turned in its most clutch performance of the year thus far. Hamdan connected with Halterman for an 11-yard gain on third and six to extend the drive, then found Roby for a remarkable 17-yard gain on third and 17 that saw Roby leave his feet and extend fully to get the first down.
After an 11-yard run by Brian Lewis and a 19-yard completion to John Pannozzo, Hamdan looked for Glenn Johnson. The pass fell incomplete as Johnson got his feet tangled with a Badger defensive back. Hamdan went right back to Johnson on the next play and connected for a touchdown that gave Indiana a 30-29 lead with 2:16 left in the game.
Head coach Gerry DiNardo elected to go for the two-point conversion, and it proved to be a productive decision, as Hamdan rolled right and found Johnson in the endzone again.
With 2:16 left on the clock, Wisconsin began to march downfield when quarterback Brooks Bollinger ran for 13 yards to midfield.
That's where the Badger threat died.
The Hoosier defense forced Bollinger into four consecutive incomplete passes on the next four downs to regain possession and ice the win.
Indiana's defense held Bollinger in check throughout the all game, holding the Badgers without a touchdown until 1:03 mark of the second quarter. Bollinger finished 11-for-23 for 113 yards and one touchdown.
Conversely, Hamdan went 24-for-36 for 310 yards and four touchdowns. His effort was bolstered by the late-game heroics of Roby and Johnson, who showed the form that has made them the Big Ten's most potent wide receiver combination.
Roby finished with six catches for 94 yards and one touchdown, while Johnson had five for 94 and a touchdown.
Hamdan found four separate receivers for touchdowns.
The Hoosiers set the tone defensively on the first series of the game. Pinned deep in their own territory after a fumble by running back Yamar Washington on the first play from scrimmage, the IU defense kept Wisconsin to a three-and-out that forced the Badgers to settle for a field goal.
Wisconsin would not score again until 27 seconds remained in the first quarter.
The win marked Indiana's first over a ranked team since November 10 of last year, when the Hoosiers downed No. 23 Michigan State in East Lansing
Indiana returns to action next Saturday when it hosts Iowa at 11:10 a.m. at Memorial Stadium. The game will be Homecoming for Indiana. The Hoosiers will look to extend the Big Ten's longest current home winning streak (six) in the contest.
INDIANA HEAD COACH GERRY DiNARDO
Opening comment:
"Obviously, this was really a good win. I thought it was really special the way that we won the game, that we would dig ourselves down in that hole against a really good Wisconsin team and come back the way we did. We're pleased to win. When you work as hard as we do, I think the young people deserve a reward and they got it today."
On the offense:
"I think our passing attack is a little different than some others. Sometimes, as you go into a game, it's hard to tell. I don't think we went into it saying we could attack this particular player or this particular coverage. I think our receivers made some good plays and Gibran (Hamdan) threw the ball well. I can't tell you that we found a weakness and exploited it. We basically run our offense and the more we run it, we're getting a little bit better at it."
On what this win means in the big picture:
"It tells you that you're building a program. People certainly have an appreciation for it when your recruits are at the game. The game being on television and people being able to see the way we play certainly helps. I thought more about the guys who are on the team now, especially the seniors. We're 3-3 now and 1-1 in the conference. I'm sure they'll enjoy it tonight, but they know we'll get back to work tomorrow. I know them coming back to work will be a lot more pleasant now than it would if we didn't win the game. It keeps you going. When you haven't won a lot and you're 3-3 and 1-1 in the conference it tends to energize you."
On senior quarterback Gibran Hamdan:
"What we have in a Gibran is a talented guy who's very bright. Obviously he's in grad school. He plays with tremendous grip. He continues at times to make some young mistakes, but he's also further along in his playing experience because of his maturity and his approach. I think anyone else who has started only three or four games, would struggle to do that. I think the fact that he's an older guy, a fifth-year senior and he's played for our baseball team in the Big Ten helps. He's just mature beyond his years."
On the comeback in the fourth quarter:
"I think when you're building a program, you tend to feed off one another. The most difficult thing when you're in this situation with young people, is when neither side of the ball is having success. I think we were both struggling, offensively and defensively, second and third quarter. In the fourth quarter, I think the offense picked up the defense and the defense picked up the offense. It energized us a little bit."
On special team performances:
"I think that was probably the most evenly contested thing today. I told the team at halftime, I thought we were in a heck of fight with our special teams and whoever won the second half special teams would have a good chance to win the game. I don't know that they won and I don't know that we won it. It might have been an even draw. Again, on that last kick off, we still can't kick the ball keep it inside the 20. We give it to them at the 35 and have to give ourselves heart attacks."
On what triggered the comeback:
"We had come back before, but you just don't know. I guess I'm getting to that age and have coached enough games that you just don't know. You hang in there and we've come back before so I didn't think it was hopeless. I wasn't overly confident. I've learned that you just hang on and watch the game. Get out of the way. If you can help, help."
