BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — On a wall outside the weight room at Memorial Stadium is a list of Indiana’s three defensive goals for each game.

The third one reads: "Get off the field.’’

Saturday, the Hoosiers could not. The result was predictable.

Facing a punishing ground game and a quarterback who was opportunistic with a few clutch throws, Indiana failed to stop No. 24 Wisconsin’s offense in a 31-28 loss before a crowd of 36,611.

After IU had rallied to trim the lead to 31-28 on a 2-yard run by Trea Burgess with 4:01 to play, the Hoosiers needed a defensive stop. But on third-and-8, Wisconsin quarterback Scott Tolzien hit Nick Toon for a 17-yard completion that put the game out of reach.

“We manned up, trying to bring some pressure on the quarterback, and he stepped up and had a little bit of extra time,‘’ said IU safety Austin Thomas. "We need to put more pressure on the quarterback and get somebody in his face. But we didn’t and he found the open receiver.’’

The loss makes things crystal clear for Indiana (4-6, 1-5 Big Ten) moving forward. In order to become bowl eligible, IU must win its final two games: at No. 11 Penn State next week and home against Purdue on Nov. 21. The Hoosiers are 0-12 all-time against Penn State.

Wisconsin (7-2, 4-2) running the ball effectively against IU isn’t anything new. Last season, the Badgers stung IU for 441 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns in a 55-20 rout. This time, Wisconsin settled for 294 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

And it’s not about to change any time soon. John Clay and Montee Ball, who did the most damage running the ball, are a sophomore and freshman, respectively. There’s not a single senior on the Wisconsin offensive line.

“They have a great offensive line, they open big holes and they’ve got some big backs that can run through those holes,‘’ said IU defensive back Collin Taylor. "They have running backs that could be playing linebacker or defensive end. When you’re going up against guys like that, it can present some problems.’’

There were all sorts of problems created by the 6-1, 248-pound Clay in the first half and the 5-11, 225-pound Ball in the final 30 minutes. Clay, the Big Ten’s leading rusher, had 134 yards and a touchdown on 15 first-half carries before leaving with a concussion. His backup, Ball, had 27 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns.

“John Clay in the first half was a machine,‘’ Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema said. "Ball was kind of like the Energizer bunny. Every time he got a rep, he just kept grinning, smiling and gaining momentum.’’

With the offense clicking and making enough plays, Indiana was able to do some things it hadn’t the past two weeks in tough losses to Northwestern and Iowa. Namely, the Hoosiers scored some points in the second half.

IU trailed 24-14 at halftime with both scores coming on touchdown passes from Ben Chappell to Tandon Doss. Chappell completed 25-of-35 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns.

His 6-yard TD pass to Terrance Turner cut the lead to 24-21 with 12 minutes to play. The Badgers answered with a 78-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown run by Ball, but again the Hoosiers came right back with an 80-yard drive. Faced with a fourth-and-goal at the 2, IU coach Bill Lynch opted to go for the touchdown, and Trea Burgess went up the middle to cut the lead to 31-28.