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What Indiana HC Tom Allen said about Wisconsin after the game

The Wisconsin Badgers continued their rough stretch of play last night, falling to the Indiana Hoosiers 14-6. There were some bright…

The Wisconsin Badgers continued their rough stretch of play last night, falling to the Indiana Hoosiers 14-6.

There were some bright spots from the performance. But in the end, Indiana bested Wisconsin in key areas including turnovers and red zone efficiency that helped them come out on top in the end

Related: Studs and duds from Wisconsin’s loss to Indiana

While the Badgers’ season is trending in the wrong direction with only one week left in the regular season, the Hoosiers now sit at 6-1 on the season and will make the Big Ten title game if Ohio State’s game against Michigan next weekend is canceled–that, obviously, if the Big Ten doesn’t change their six-game requirement.

One of the biggest stories with the Hoosiers this season has been head coach Tom Allen, his energy and the job he’s done to build the program. The energy, specifically, has turned into several viral moments and entertaining post-game speeches.

Related: Five takeaways from Wisconsin’s 14-6 loss to Indiana

That excitement and elation carried over to his post-game press conference, where he noted how proud he’s been of his team this season.

“First of all I want to congratulate our players,” Allen said. “I’m so proud of them, so happy for the ability for them to be rewarded for their work.

The Indiana coach continued to talk about the Wisconsin team his unit defeated and the challenge they posed for his squad yesterday.

“Today was a tough, hard-fought win against a very good football team on the road,” Allen said. “[Wisconsin] is tough to move the ball on and they’re one of the best defenses in the country.”

Much of Allen’s post-game comments praised the job his players did and what they’ve been able to do this season. He still, though, acknowledged the program that Wisconsin is and how he’s proud to have been able to snap the Badgers’ 10-game win streak against the Hoosiers.

Instant analysis: Turnovers continue to plague Graham Mertz as Wisconsin falls to Indiana 14-6

Quarterback Graham Mertz followed up his shaky performance two weeks ago at Northwestern with another turnover-plagued night…

Quarterback Graham Mertz followed up his shaky performance two weeks ago at Northwestern with another turnover-plagued night as the No. 18 Wisconsin Badgers fell to the No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers 14-6.

Turnovers were the name of the game coming into the contest, with Mertz’s three interceptions and one fumble against the Wildcats two weeks ago playing a massive role in the Badgers losing the contest and the Hoosier defense entering tonight with a Big Ten-leading 18 takeaways.

Related: Opinion: A Big Ten rule is close to taking away the remaining credibility of the 2020 season

Well, Indiana turned a second-quarter Mertz fumble into a touchdown and intercepted the Badger quarterback again during the Badgers’ first drive in the second half, stopping them from battling back into the contest.

Wisconsin did make it a one-possession game in the fourth quarter and had the chance to drive down the field and tie it, but as was the case all night the drive fell short in the end.

All week I noted turnovers as one of the biggest keys of the game, the one stat that will define who’ll win and the single thing Mertz would need to improve upon after struggling to get anything going against the Wildcats.

Jim Leonhard’s defense played an impressive game, forcing a fumble and holding an explosive Indiana offense to only 217 yards and 14 points.

Wisconsin even bested Indiana in nearly every statistical category–342 offensive yards to the Hoosiers’ 217, 140 rushing yards to 87, 50% on third down to 40%, 35:08 time of possession to 24:52 and more.

But thanks to the Wisconsin offense being unable to turn any of their three red-zone trips into touchdowns, Mertz’s two turnovers and Indiana quarterback Jack Tuttle playing admirably for somebody who hadn’t started a collegiate game, it was Indiana that finished on top in the end.

Related: Report: Big Ten AD’s likely to change the rules so Ohio State can play in the conference title game

Badger fans will have questions about the Wisconsin offense not featuring any jet sweeps or end around handoffs, true freshman Jalen Berger breaking big runs and immediately being taken off the field and more. But in the end, it was Indiana that showed why they were 5-1 coming into the game and their team that made the necessary plays to win the game.

Moving forward, the Badgers now get set for a showdown with Big Ten West rival Iowa next weekend as they try to finish the regular season as the runner up to division champion Northwestern.