Meet the Opponent: 3 Things to Know About Wisconsin
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — After an off week, Purdue finally gets back to action on Saturday with a trip to No. 14 Wisconsin, a team they have struggled with for a long time.
Purdue has lost 13 straight times to the Badgers, dating all the way back to a 26-23 win for the Boilermakers in 2003.
This season Wisconsin has been one of the top teams in both the country and the Big Ten, but have shown some signs of weakness recently in losses to Ohio State and Illinois. Since those consecutive losses, the Badgers have won two straight games, just like Purdue
Here’s a quick primer for you on the game:
The Details:
- Who: Purdue (4-6) vs. No. 14 Wisconsin (8-2)
- When: Saturday, 4 p.m. ET
- Where: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisc.
- TV: FOX
Here are three things to know about the Wisconsin Badgers before they take on Purdue on Saturday:
A top-tier running back in Jonathan Taylor
Wisconsin always seems to a have a great running back to lean on, and this year is no difference. Junior Jonathan Taylor is one of the top backs in the country, and in last week's game against Nebraska, he rushed for 204 yards and two touchdowns on just 25 carries. That performance made Taylor college football’s record holder for most rushing yards through a junior season (5,634), passing Herschel Walker.
It's no surprise that Taylor is having a dominant season, rushing for 1,463 yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging an impressive 6.3 yards per carry. He has added four touchdown receptions as well, bringing his season total to 21 scores
Although the Badgers are efficient in every area, Taylor be the main problem Purdue will have to deal with. The Boilermakers' run defense has had its struggles all season long, so it will be a tall task to ask them to stop Taylor. Purdue can’t expect to do so completely, but limiting the big plays on the ground will be important if they want to stay in the game.
Recent struggles are surprising
Just four weeks ago, Wisconsin was ranked No. 6 in the country and had high hopes of making the College Football Playoff. At that time, the Badgers were 6-0 with four of those wins being shutouts.
Since then, however, things have been much different. After losing to Illinois and Ohio State in back-to-back weeks and looking bad doing it, they were finally able to get back on track the past two games with important wins over Iowa and Nebraska. Those wins weren’t like the dominant ones seen early in the season, though. They beat Iowa 24-22 and Nebraska 37-21.
After allowing a measly average of just 4.8 points per game through the first six weeks, they have allowed an average of 26.3 since then. Although those are still solid numbers, and they have won two of those games, it shows Purdue that Wisconsin is, in fact, beatable. There are ways to expose the Wisconsin defense right now, and Purdue to take advantage of those weaknesses.
Motivated by Minnesota's Loss
With Minnesota losing at Iowa last weekend, it gives Wisconsin even more reason to come out ready to play because winning the Big Ten West is suddenly at option again. With that loss, Minnesota now only sits one game ahead of the Badgers in the Big Ten West and a showdown awaits between the two next week in Minneapolis.
For that game to matter, though, Wisconsin needs to take care of business Saturday and beat Purdue. The little bit of extra motivation will make this game even tougher for the Boilermakers, who can't really sneak up on anyone right now. .
