Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Open Big Ten Play Against Badgers
9/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 25, 2006
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind.- Kicking off its Big Ten campaign, the Indiana football team welcomes Wisconsin in the third straight game at Memorial Stadium for IU. The Hoosiers (2-2, 0-0) and Badgers (3-1, 0-1) face off at Noon EDT on Saturday, Sept. 30. ESPN2 will televise the game with Pam Ward (play-by-play), Mike Gottfried (analyst) and Jimmy Dykes (sideline) on the call.
IU has won two of its last three contests against UW, including the last meeting between the two clubs in Bloomington on Oct. 12, 2002. The Hoosiers stormed back from a 29-10 fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the then-No. 23 Badgers, 32-29.
Scouting Wisconsin
After opening the season with three straight victories, Wisconsin dropped its Big Ten opener to Michigan, 27-13, in Ann Arbor on Sept. 30. The Badgers defeated Bowling Green (35-14), Western Illinois (34-10) and San Diego State (14-0) in non-conference action.
Redshirt freshman P.J. Hill leads a strong rushing attack with 469 yards and five touchdowns this season. Hill is averaging 117.2 yards per game (10th nationally) and 5.2 yards per carry. Under center is senior John Stocco. The veteran enters Saturday's game averaging 168.0 yards per game with four touchdowns and a 55.2 completion percentage.
The Badgers rank 17th nationally in total defense and 15th against the pass. Senior defensive back Joe Stellmacher leads the club with 35 tackles (22 solo) and has one interception, while senior linebacker Mark Zalewski is right behind Stellmacher with 33 tackles (21 solo) to go along with two sacks and an interception. Sophomore Allen Langford has recorded three of the team's six interceptions.
Wisconsin Connections
Indiana co-defensive coordinator Joe Palcic will see a familiar face on the Wisconsin sideline. His father, Bob Palcic, serves as offensive line coach under UW first-year head coach Bret Bielema.
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Nick Polk (Milwaukee), freshman offensive lineman Mike Stark (Platteville) and sophomore quarterback Dustin Hass (Oconto) are the only three Hoosiers hailing from The Badger State.
Got It Covered
Junior cornerback Tracy Porter continues to prove he is one of the top cover men in the Big Ten. He sits atop the league in interceptions (T8th nationally) and passes defended (T4th nationally) following his performance against Connecticut. Against the Huskies, Porter picked off a pair off passes, marking the second time in his career he accomplished the feat.
The Port Allen, La., native broke up a pass in the end zone before blocking a 30-yard field goal attempt two plays later. The blocked field goal was the first for Indiana since Nov. 9, 2002 against Michigan State. Continuing his standout special teams play, Porter downed Tyson Beattie's 71-yard punt inside the 1-yard line.
Porter now has three interceptions on the season - the third straight year he has tallied three picks - and sits tied for seventh on the Hoosiers all-time interceptions list (nine). He is one interception away from moving into fifth place and two away from joining a trio in second.
Fastest Man In Bloomington
Sophomore Marcus Thigpen has been Mr. Versatility this season. The team's fastest man - 4.29 speed in the 40-yard dash - switched from wide receiver to tailback in the spring and collected his first two career rushing touchdowns against Southern Illinois. With his first score, he became the first Hoosier since Duane Gunn (1981) to score on a rush, a reception and a kickoff return in the same season.
More impressively, the Detroit native leads the nation with a 52.6 kickoff return average and made history against Connecticut with his second kickoff touchdown return of the season. Thigpen accounted for the only Hoosier touchdowns with an 87-yard return to become the lone player in IU history to collect two kickoff returns for touchdowns in a single season.
Thigpen also returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score at Ball State. It marked the third 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in IU history. Thigpen joins Derin Graham (vs. Wisconsin - Oct. 3, 1998) and Freal McIntosh (vs. Washington & Lee - 1915) as the only Hoosiers to return a kick 100 yards.
Additionally, Thigpen is tied for fifth in the Big Ten in scoring. He has averaged nearly 100 all-purpose yards per contest (98.0 - 392 total, 263 kickoff, 88 receiving, 41 rush) and has found the end zone five times.
"D" Bounces Back
The Hoosier defense turned in a hard-nosed effort against UConn. Indiana held the Connecticut offense to seven points, forced three turnovers (2 interceptions, 1 fumble), recorded four sacks and limited the Huskies to just 27 yards passing - the lowest total allowed by a Hoosier defense since holding Northwestern to just 25 yards on Oct. 9, 1999.
Starting three sophomores, three redshirt freshmen and one true freshman, the defense held strong early and often. UConn did not record its first first down until its seventh drive, over five minutes into the second quarter. Two of the youngsters - redshirt freshman defensive end Keith Burrus (seven tackles, one tackle for loss) and sophomore linebacker Geno Johnson (six tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble and one sack) - contributed to the swarming attack.
Senior safety Will Meyers, who is on the Lott Award Watch List, recorded a game-high 11 tackles (nine solo) and his third career fumble recovery, while sophomore defensive tackle Greg Brown anchored the defensive line with career-highs in tackles (eight), solo stops (seven) and tackles for loss (one-and-a-half). Additionally, junior linebacker Adam McClurg posted a career-best nine tackles in the contest.
