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.