When the Badgers held just a 10-7 lead going into the locker room at half, concern over a second consecutive home letdown loomed over the Camp Randall stands.
A dominant end to the third quarter, however, set the tone for what would end up being a comfortable 24-7 victory for Wisconsin (5-2, 2-1 Big Ten) over their conference rival Purdue (1-6, 0-3 Big Ten).
Another suffocating performance on defense from the Badgers limited the Boilermaker offense to just 191 total yards in the game, but failed opportunities in the red zone for Wisconsin kept Purdue in contention for the majority of the contest.
Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave completed 30 of 39 pass attempts for 322 yards and an interception as the offense finished with 418 total yards. Dare Ogunbowale helped the cause with his second straight game of 100-plus yards from scrimmage, with 56 yards on the ground and another 51 through the air on six catches.
Purdue player of the Game: LeRoy Clark
While the Boilermakers were out-gained by 227 yards at the final whistle, LeRoy Clark was a big reason to why Purdue still had a chance to win late in the game.
Clark’s first big play came when the Badgers were in the red zone for the second straight drive to start the game and threatening to go up by at least 10 points. However, an errant overthrow from Stave to junior receiver Rob Wheelwright was intercepted by Clark and returned it 66 yards to the Wisconsin 29 yard line. Purdue took the momentum from the play and capitalized for their only touchdown drive of the game.
Later on in the first half, Clark bailed out the Boilermaker defense again by breaking up a would-be touchdown pass from Stave to receiver Alex Erickson in the end zone at the last second, forcing the Badgers to punt instead of taking a 17-7 lead. It wouldn’t be until the last play of the third quarter that the Badgers would score again.
Wisconsin Player of the Game: T.J. Edwards
In a game where Purdue’s offense didn’t attempt a pass until halfway through the second quarter, freshman linebacker T.J. Edwards made an impact early and often in stuffing the run for the Badgers. Despite 29 attempts on the ground, the Boilermaker offense managed just 55 rushing yards for a poor average of 1.9 yards per carry.
Finishing the day with career-high 16 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, Edwards also forced a fumble late in the fourth quarter with Wisconsin up by 17 to cap off the team’s late-game charge.
Turning Point
After struggling to capitalize in the red zone in the first half, the Badgers offense had another opportunity late in the third quarter to extend their lead. Starting at Purdue’s 33-yard line, Stave bounced back from his early miscues by converting a crucial third-and-four to Erickson to keep the drive alive. On the next play, Stave hit Erickson again over the middle for a 19-yard gain inside the five. Ogunbowale then capped off the drive with a hard-fought run to put Wisconsin up 10.
When you knew it was over
Fired up from the offense’s touchdown drive, the Badgers kept their momentum going on defense with an emphatic third-down sack initiated by linebacker Joe Schobert early in the fourth quarter. Purdue was forced to punt and their offense wouldn’t get another shot until they went down by 17 in the closing minutes.
Quotable
UW head coach Paul Chryst on the effort of T.J. Edwards:
“He was flying to the ball. He looked like he was playing confident and believing what he saw, and certainly has some talent.”
Purdue head coach Darrell Hazell on Joe Schobert and Vince Biegel:
“People have not been able to block those two guys, and that’s one of the reasons why we wanted to put hands on them and not drop back in pass and let those guys pin their ears back.”
Dare Ogunbowale on his role in the receiving game:
“Every week, we have plays and opportunities for running backs to catch the ball out of the backfield, and today we took more advantage of it. We got things opened up for the wide receivers with guys looking at me, so it definitely helped the offense.”
Alec Ingold on the changes he’s gone through since playing running back:
“Three months ago, no one was asking about me. No one wanted to see what I was doing on a Saturday night. It’s pretty interesting, it’s been a whirlwind, but I’m grateful for it.”
