Wire to wire, station to station, Saturday’s contest between the Badgers and the Boilermakers lived up to its billing. Two highly ranked teams with a knack for putting the game away in the final period battled away until Ben Jones knocked an 18-yard chip shot through the uprights in the north end zone of Camp Randall Stadium.

Conversely, it was the rest of the game that was Wisconsin’s undoing. The Badger secondary surrendered short pass after short pass from junior Boilermaker quarterback Kyle Orton under the large cushion the undersized defensive backs were working with when facing the spread offensive formations Purdue used throughout the game.

“They saw that we’re pretty good against the run and [Orton] is a good thrower,” head coach Barry Alvarez said after the game. “I anticipated it. I didn’t know we’d get that many, but I anticipated that’d be the type of attack that they would try.”

“I wasn’t surprised at all,” UW sophomore Levonne Rowan said of Purdue’s passing prowess. “The coaches pounded it in our heads, they were going to pass.”

Despite their comments, the Badger secondary players looked almost entirely unprepared. Maybe it was a hangover from last Saturday’s emotionally draining upset victory over Ohio State. Maybe it was a bad week of practice. Maybe it was a lack of homework. Whatever the case, the Badger secondary just couldn’t get it done against Purdue.

“I don’t think it was all me,” Orton said. “Guys like John (Standeford) and Taylor (Stubblefield) who’ve been around when we threw it 70 times, me, we were all the more energized in practice this week. We were going to throw the football and get the chance to make some plays.”

That’s not to say the Badger defense didn’t give it their all. The performances of seniors Jeff Mack and Alex Lewis speak volumes about the defense’s attempts to stop the Boilermakers’ attack, developing a strong pass rush in attempt to pester Orton and hamper the passing attack.

To beef up the pass rush, Lewis was put down at defensive end to face Purdue’s freshman left tackle Mike Otto when the Badgers moved to nickel coverage. Lewis was nearly unstoppable, even after hyper-extending his left elbow. The senior managed to record nine tackles, including five sacks and forcing a fumble that ended up in the hands of Jeff Mack, who took the ball back 55 yards for a touchdown.

“He played his butt off.” Mack said of Lewis. “I’m glad he’s on my team. He had a hyper-extended elbow and he still came out there and played his heart out. I’ve got to give him a lot of credit.”

Mack led the way with 11 tackles for the Badgers and tried to fill in as best he could when a defensive back got screened off a receiver.

“They know how to play the game,” defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said. “They love it. They’re tough, physical kids. They give us good leadership, and I know they played their hearts out today.”

But despite its efforts, Wisconsin came into the fourth quarter trailing 20-13 and looked to find its winning touch in the fourth quarter. After trading field goals, the Badgers were driving again, deep in Purdue territory thanks to a 38-yard kickoff return from sophomore UW wide receiver Brandon Williams. Junior Anthony Davis took the handoff from junior Matt Schabert on a second and three from the Purdue 35-yard line. Davis plunged ahead as the ball was knocked out of his grasp by linebacker Gilbert Gardner and recovered by Purdue’s speedy defensive end Shaun Phillips.

It was a game of great magnitude. The Badgers, who have been as sound a fourth-quarter team as any in the country, let a chance slip by.

Throughout the 2003 season, the Badgers have shown themselves to be a fourth-quarter team, getting the job done when the game is on the line. In five of Wisconsin’s six wins this season, the outcome has come down to the last 15 minutes, and against the Boilermakers, the Badgers looked as though they might get the job done with another round of fourth-quarter heroics as junior Jim Leonhard took a punt return 63 yards to even the score at 23, and overtime seemed certain.

But Orton and company overmatched the Badger defense one final time and drove down the field to set up Jones’ field goal, ending the Badgers’ hopes of a perfect Big Ten season. It would be the shot in the heart for the Badgers, who had clawed their way back into the game.

In post-game interviews Mack was asked about his emotional investment in the game. The senior paused, shaking his head a bit. Searching for words, Mack could find nothing. He looked up fighting back tears and apologized.

One can say the Badgers don’t have the talent on defense to be the dominant Big Ten team they have been billed to be. But one thing can be certain: No one can question their heart and will to win — even after such a heartbreaking loss.