Wisconsin takes down Purdue 35-24 inside Camp Randall Stadium
With interim head coach Jim Leonhard hoping to win his first home game as the face of the Wisconsin Badgers (4-4 overall, 2-3 B1G), the Badgers entered Saturday's matchup against Purdue hoping to make a statement.
The Badgers did just that, grabbing an early 21-point lead in the first quarter and never looking back to beat the Boilermakers by double-digits.
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Here is a breakdown of Wisconsin's big win on Saturday.
Game Recap
Starting with the football to begin the game, Graham Mertz and the Wisconsin offense put together a quick six-play drive that spanned 76 yards to take an early 7-0 lead. The drive was highlighted by a pair of long completions from Mertz to wide receiver Skyler Bell, including a 29-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone off play action.
The Badgers would find the end zone moments later, this time with a defensive score. Wisconsin safety John Torchio intercepted an Aidan O'Connell pass and returned it for his second pick-six of the season to give Wisconsin a quick 14-0 lead in Madison. The interception was his Big Ten-leading fourth of the season.
Purdue running back Devin Mockobee would help lead the Boilermakers down the field on their next drive, wracking up 59 yards on seven carries. However, Purdue was unable to convert a third down and short in the red zone, forcing the Boilermakers to settle for a short field goal attempt. Purdue kicker Mitchell Fineran hooked the kick wide left, ending the Purdue scoring opportunity and giving the ball back to Wisconsin.
The Badgers would respond with another good drive. Running back Braelon Allen would find some room to run, breaking off a 41-yard run to move Wisconsin down into scoring position, and then Graham Mertz would finish off the drive with a three-yard touchdown throw to Chimere Dike to give UW a 21-0 lead with under three minutes remaining in the first quarter.
On the next drive for Purdue, the Boilermakers would manage one first down but ultimately would punt the ball back to the Badgers after coming up just short on a third down throw from Aidan O'Connell to running back King Doerue.
Wisconsin would begin their next drive deep in their own territory because of an early holding penalty by right guard Michael Furtney. As a result, the Badgers would struggle to pick up the first down and had to punt the ball back to Purdue.
The Boilermakers would quickly build some momentum with a 23-yard pass completion from Aidan O'Connell to tight end Payne Durham. However, the Wisconsin defense would respond with a big third down run stop and force a fourth down incompletion to get the ball back to the offense.
The Badgers would move the ball quickly into Purdue territory with a 20-yard pass play of their own from Graham Mertz to Chimere Dike and a roughing the passer call on defensive end Kyrdran Jenkins. The drive would ultimately stall though, and Purdue defensive back Sanouissi Kane came up with a big 11-yard sack to force the Badgers to punt the ball back to the Boilermakers.
Purdue would mount their first scoring drive of the game on the next drive. After a pass interference penalty, Aidan O'Connell found wide receiver Deion Burks for a pair of first down throws to move the Boilermakers into scoring position. The Wisconsin defense forced three-straight incompletions though from the 19-yard line, leading to a 36-yard field goal by Mitchell Fineran to make the score 21-3 with just under four minutes remaining in the first half.
Neither team would manage to manage to score over the final few minute s of the half, giving the Badgers a 21-3 lead at halftime.
The Wisconsin Badgers would pickoff (literally) right where they left off, as safety John Torchio jumped another Aidan O'Connell throw to begin the second half. The interception set the Wisconsin offense up at the 14-yard line, and Braelon Allen only needed one carry to reach the end zone. The touchdown run by Allen made it 28-3 for Wisconsin.
From there, the two teams would trade empty possessions.
However, with just under seven minutes left in the first quarter, the Badgers would force a Purdue punt thanks to a Jake Chaney sack. The Boilermakers would recover a fumbled punt return by the Badgers though, and quarterback Aidain O'Connell would make them pay moments later with an 8-yard touchdown throw to tight end Payne Durham to cut into the Wisconsin lead. 28-10 Wisconsin.
Wisconsin running back Isaac Guerendo would provide the answer for Wisconsin just four plays later though. With Braelon Allen out of the game with an injury, Guerendo exploded for a 54-yard touchdown run up the middle of the defense to give the Badgers a 35-10 lead late in the third quarter.
Purdue would respond with a drive of its own. Aidan O'Connell found wide receiver Mershawn Rice for a huge 29-yard completion to set their offense up with the ball on the one-yard line. Wisconsin inside linebacker Jordan Turner appeared to come up with a pair of big stops on the goal line, but the Boilermakers are given a controversial touchdown after the review stands on the field to make it 35-17 with 12 minutes remaining.
A 39-yard reception by Braelon Allen would give the Badgers another scoring opportunity, but a holding penalty would stall the drive for Wisconsin and bring up an Andy Vujnovich punt.
After a pair of completions from Aidan O'Connell to Payne Durham and Charlie Jones, the Wisconsin defense generated another turnover. Linebacker Jordan Turner snagged a tipped pass to give the Badgers their third interception of the game with just over five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Three straight runs by the Wisconsin offense would lead to a Wisconsin punt, and Purdue would march right down the field thanks to an acrobatic catch by Charlie Jones for 27 yards. Aidan O'Connell would proceed to punch it in from one yard out to make it 35-24 Wisconsin with just over one minute remaining.
Chimere Dike would fall on the onside kick attempt by Purdue and the Wisconsin offense would run the clock down to finish the game with a 35-24 win.
Players of the game
- John Torchio (Wisconsin)
Nobody had a better game for either team than John Torchio. The senior safety had two pivotal interceptions for the Wisconsin defense and managed to take one of them back for an early first-quarter touchdown. He also had two pass breakups in the first half and finished the game with 10 tackles.
Torchio now has two defensive touchdowns this season and leads the Big Ten with five interceptions.
- Skyler Bell (Wisconsin)
Skyler Bell was a big-time weapon for the Wisconsin offense on Saturday. The redshirt freshman wide receiver had a pair of 20+ yard receptions on the first drive of the game, one of which was a 29-yard touchdown catch on the team's opening drive of the game. He wound up leading the team with 87 receiving yards for the game on four receptions.
- Jordan Turner (Wisconsin)
Wisconsin inside linebacker Jordan Turner was all over the field on Saturday. He came up with a pair of huge stops on the goal line for the Wisconsin defense and essentially iced the game for the Badgers with a key interception late in the fourth quarter. Turner finished second on the team with six tackles.
- Payne Durham (Purdue)
Purdue tight end Payne Durham had a big game against the Badgers in 2021, and he did it again on Saturday. The 6-foot-5 senior had a pretty one-handed touchdown catch in the third quarter and finished the game with six receptions for 66 yards receiving.
Photos of the game
Up next
Wisconsin has a bye week upcoming and then will return to Camp Randall Stadium for a matchup with Maryland on Saturday, November 5. The game will be aired on ESPN and kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CST.
Related links:
- Live play-by-play of Wisconsin vs. Purdue
- Wisconsin recruiting visitors list against Purdue
- Freshman wide receiver Markus Allen enters the transfer portal
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