Wisconsin runs over Indiana 55-20

[November 10, 2008]  BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) -- Wisconsin's P.J. Hill ran for three touchdowns, David Gilreath added two more, John Clay scored once, and all three players topped 100 yards rushing in a 55-20 rout Saturday.

It looked like old-style Badger football.

Wisconsin (5-5, 2-5) relied on a smashmouth attack, routinely sending Hill and Clay up the middle while Gilreath did his damage on a series of end arounds. The Badgers' defense reverted to old form, too, shutting out the Hoosiers in the second half after knocking out quarterback Ben Chappell with a head injury just before halftime.

Indiana's battered and beleaguered run defense never had a chance to save this season's bowl hopes. The Hoosiers dropped to 3-7 (1-5), officially eliminating them from postseason contention.

The Badgers finished with a season-high 441 yards rushing, getting 127 from Hill and 112 from Clay, while Gilreath ran eight times for 168 yards and two scores. Gilreath had rushed for only 122 yards in Wisconsin's first nine games.

The 441 yards rushing tied a Memorial Stadium record by any team.

Indiana was still in contention after a bizarre first half, in which the Badgers turned the ball over three times inside their own 40 and the two teams combined for just two punts.

But with Chappell out, the Hoosiers struggled to do anything right.

Wisconsin, in contrast, had no such problem.

It broke open a 24-20 game when Gilreath ran left, sprinted down the sideline and faked out an Indiana defender for a 90-yard TD run on the Badgers' second play of the third quarter -- the second-longest run in school history.

Philip Welch then made a 39-yard field goal to make it 34-20, Clay scored on a 1-yard run late in the third quarter and Hill opened the fourth quarter with a 19-yard scoring run to make it 48-20.

Chappell finished 11-for-20 for 126 yards with one touchdown for the Hoosiers, who were hit hard again by injuries Saturday. Quarterback Kellen Lewis, spent the first half on the sideline with a sprained ankle before relieving the injured Chappell.

Indiana had announced before the game that starting safety Nick Polk would miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, and linebacker Will Patterson left in the first quarter with a left knee injury and cornerback Richard Council left in the second half with a knee injury.

Wisconsin right tackle Eric Vanden Heuvel was carted off the field after Wisconsin's second play with what appeared to be a lower right leg injury, and middle linebacker Jaevery McFadden left early with a head injury.

[Associated Press; By MICHAEL MAROT]

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