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Wisconsin Badgers running back taken to hospital after taking hits to head against Indiana

The Wisconsin Badgers received a positive update about a scary injury situation in their loss to the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers.
Lorin Cox|
Nov 15, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Gideon Ituka (10) runs the ball past Indiana Hoosiers linebacker Aiden Fisher (4) during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium.
Nov 15, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Gideon Ituka (10) runs the ball past Indiana Hoosiers linebacker Aiden Fisher (4) during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers received a positive update about a scary injury situation in their loss to the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers.

Running back Gideon Ituka took multiple hits to the head on a tackle for loss in the third quarter, and he was down on the field for a long time before being stabilized and taken off on a cart.

It showcased his physical running style, lowering the pads to bounce off of the first tackle attempt before an Indiana defensive lineman hit him a second time and slammed him back into the ground.

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Both tacklers seemed to jar Ituka's head, and then his helmet hit the ground as his neck whipped back from the contact.

The injury was scary, but he gave the thumbs up to teammates and fans as he was carted off

The best news came later in the broadcast, when sideline reporter Brooke Fletcher revealed that Ituka had been transported to the hospital by ambulance, but he had movement in all of his extremities.

That's a great sign for avoiding the worst scenarios for an apparent head injury like that.

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Week 1 starter Dilin Jones is out for the season, and backup Cade Yacamelli was ruled out for this game.

Darrion Dupree had been dealing with injuries and was healthy enough to play against Indiana, but Ituka remained the lead back until his scary hit.

Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes also got quarterback Carter Smith and wide receiver Trech Kekahuna more involved in the running game, as to not put so much of the workload on Ituka.

The Badgers are running out of healthy ball-carriers for their final two games against Illinois and Minnesota.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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