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Rapid Reaction: Wisconsin drops Purdue, sets up B1G West showdown with Minnesota
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Final score: #12 Wisconsin 45 Purdue 24
Brief recap: The first half of Saturday’s matchup was a bit of a rollercoaster. Wisconsin jumped out to an early 14-3 lead in the first quarter. It looked like the Badgers had the superior team and the combination of a strong offensive line and Jonathan Taylor was too much for the Boilermakers to overcome. And while that ended up being true, Purdue still put up a heck of a fight. The Boilers scored on back-to-back possessions to take a 17-14 lead in the first half. But a pass from Jack Coan to Jack Dunn put the Badgers in front the rest of the way. Wisconsin took a 21-point advantage in the third quarter but was unable to close the door on the Boilers until under the 5-minute mark in the fourth quarter, when the Badgers finished a 10-play, 76-yard drive with a touchdown, making the final score 45-24.
Key moment: On the first drive of the second half, Eric Burrell picked off a pass by Aiden O’Connell deep in Wisconsin territory, saving a potential game-tying drive. Wisconsin proceeded to drive 95 yards down the field to take a 31-17 advantage.
Key stat: Wisconsin rushed for 403 yards against Purdue. What else needs to be said?
Key player: You could give this award to him essentially every week, but Taylor piled up 222 yards and a touchdown against the Boilermakers, averaging 7.9 yards per carry. Purdue had absolutely no answer for his dominance.
What it means for Purdue: For the first time of the Jeff Brohm era, Purdue will not be making a postseason appearance. The Boilermakers battled too many injuries and got into too deep of a hole with poor play early in the year. Purdue still has one game left on the schedule, a rivalry bout with Indiana. Winning that game can salvage something out of this season.
What it means for Wisconsin: Next weekend the B1G West title and Paul Bunyan’s Axe are on the line. The winner gets both. The Badgers have played good football since losing back-to-back games to Illinois and Ohio State and can set up a rematch with the Buckeyes with a win over Minnesota next Saturday.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB