Big Ten Championship Berth for Purdue Football Still on the Table Following Loss to Wisconsin
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MADISON, Wis. — Purdue football took the field at against Wisconsin with plenty to play for. Snapping a losing streak to a conference foe that dates back to the 2004 season was one of them, and it would have propelled the team to its first five-game win streak in the last 15 years.
The Boilermakers had a chance to earn a 4-1 mark in Big Ten play for the first time since 2003, the same year as their last victory against the Badgers.
Instead, the team trudges into an off week defeated, deflated and depleted. A 35-24 loss to Wisconsin that came as a result of a slow start wasn't the outcome it was looking for. Even so, the path toward the top of the Big Ten West is still in sight.
Purdue controls its own destiny and can lay claim to the division crown by downing its final four opponents — Iowa, Illinois, Northwestern and Indiana. After tasting a sour defeat, and with a bye week on the horizon, the team looks to regroup for its final push of the regular season.
“It’s disappointing, so we’ll let it burn and fester in us," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said after the game. "And sit on it in the off week, burn us even more and hopefully drive us to want to improve and find a way to beat Iowa."
Following the loss to the Badgers, the Boilermakers will return to action for a game against the Hawkeyes on Saturday, Nov. 5, inside Ross-Ade Stadium. But with an extra week to prepare, and glaring issues to take care of, what comes next for this team?
"We'll go where we always go," Brohm said. "There's a lot to learn. We know we have a lot of tough teams on our schedule. This one we knew would be tough, we haven't beat them in a long time, and we know the next one against Iowa will be tough because they're very similar to this football team."
In many ways, Iowa shares a similar blueprint for success as Wisconsin. Physicality on the offensive line and a sound rushing attack serve to complement a stout defense. However, the Hawkeyes have struggled in 2022, falling to 3-4 on the season as a result of a three-game losing streak.
The team had its bye week following a 9-6 loss to Illinois — the leading contender for the Big Ten West — only to get trounced 54-10 against Ohio State on the road. It was the most points Iowa has given up in Kirk Ferentz’s 24-year head coaching tenure.
As for Purdue, it's gone through game preparations for eight straight weeks. A much-needed break comes at a time when injuries are mounting and setbacks were beginning to be an all-too-common occurrence.
"We've been going hard for a while, and whether we won or lost, an off week will be good," Brohm said. "We've had a lot of guys injured. Charlie [Jones] didn't practice all week. Give him credit, he gutted it out and played in the game.
"We've got some other guys that are nicked up, and so does everybody else across the country. We're not making excuses, we've just gotta get guys back as healthy as we can for this late push with a lot of tough games on our schedule."
After starters like Jalen Graham and King Deorue made their way back to the field, the Boilermakers pushed forward despite other players becoming unavailable. Running back Dylan Downing and safety Chris Jefferson have missed the last two games. Players that Purdue had at its disposal began to fall Saturday against Wisconsin as well.
On defense, Cornerbacks Cory Trice and Jamari Brown each left the field with injuries in the first half and wouldn't return to the game. Alongside Reese Taylor, redshirt junior Camdyn Childers — a walk-on and former wide receiver — had to step into their place.
The secondary has struggled the past two weeks even at full strength, and the team may end up grasping at straws if Trice and Brown are to miss an extended period of time.
Junior defensive end Kydran Jenkins also had to be helped to the sideline after falling with an apparent leg injury. He leads the Boilermakers with 3.5 sacks so far this season.
"It's definitely important just for us to get healthy," Purdue junior safety Sanoussi Kane said. "A lot of guys are banged up, and there are guys playing banged up. So, just for us to get healthy, just do some self-scout and focus on what we've gotta do for the next four games."
Redshirt sophomore fullback Ben Furtney also left the game against the Badgers. He's been a factor in the team's ability to average 130.4 yards rushing per game after ranking dead last in the Big Ten the past four years under Brohm.
But against Wisconsin, the run game never had a chance to hit its stride as sixth-year senior quarterback Aidan O'Connell threw three interceptions, including a pick-six on the offense's second play from scrimmage. Purdue trailed 21-0 before the end of the first quarter.
"You want to hopefully start fast every game and not have to play from behind," O'Connell said. "We didn't do that, so just being able to come out and make good decisions early, get your confidence early I think is huge. When you're playing from behind against a good defense, it's hard to get big plays. It's hard to sustain drives."
Iowa and Illinois each boast run-heavy offenses and strong defensive schemes. The Hawkeyes rank fourth in the conference in total defense, allowing just 278.3 yards per game.
The Fighting Illini top that category, giving up 221.1 total yards per contest while featuring the league's top running back in junior Chase Brown. He has dominated on the ground, tallying 192 carries for 1,059 yards and four touchdowns. With a 6-1 overall record, including a 3-1 mark in the Big Ten, Illinois can also finish at the top of the West by winning its last four games.
Purdue will stand in the way when it travels to Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill., on Nov. 12 before closing the season with Northwestern at home and then against in-state rival Indiana on the road.
The goal of playing for a conference title is still on the table for the Boilermakers despite a poor showing last Saturday. How the team moves past its most recent loss could very well define its 2022 season.
“I want it to really burn. It should burn all of us when we lose and don’t play well,” Brohm said. “That’s football, that's life. That’s why this is such a great sport. You’ve got to be able to take the wins and move forward and you’ve got to take the losses like a man. Man up, face it and figure out ways to get better, and understand that’s college football. This is a great conference, and we've got to play better in order to win."
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