Similar to the way he knew the defense had to 'make a spark' this week, junior safety Roderick Rogers knew the ball was coming to him late in the third quarter Saturday afternoon. When it arrived, Rogers intercepted it and sprinted 84 yards to the end zone for the momentum changing play of Wisconsin's (4-1 Big Ten, 7-1 overall) 31-20 victory over Purdue in Madison.
'We always talk about being sparked and swinging the momentum of the game, and that swung it,' head coach Barry Alvarez said, whose team became bowl eligible by virtue of the win.
A capacity crowd of 82,828'?? the third largest in Camp Randall Stadium's storied history'reveled in the Badgers' 11th consecutive triumph in Madison and five forced turnovers, the most since November 2002.
Even after Rogers leapt and picked off Boilermaker quarterback Curtis Painter's pass over the middle at the Wisconsin 16- yard line and scored to give the Badgers a 17-13 lead with 4:33 remaining in the third, the game was still in the balance.
There was absolutely no question that the play roused Wisconsin after two and a half quarters of stout defense from the Boilermakers (0-4, 2-5).
'Give credit to Purdue's defense,' junior running back Brian Calhoun said, who managed only 62 yards on 20 carries, but broke the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season. 'They're a lot more athletic and a lot more speedy than their record indicates.'
Purdue stacked the line and rendered the staple of the Badgers offense ineffective. In its first seven games, Wisconsin averaged 197 yards on the ground'it was forced to work through the air against this week's opponent.
Junior quarterback John Stocco, who went 15-26 for 217 yards on the day, found Calhoun for two touchdowns, in the first and third quarters. On the game's opening drive, senior wide receiver Brandon Williams surpassed former Badger Lee Evans for most receptions in a Wisconsin uniform (176). Williams' record-breaking catch was a 29-yarder that set up Calhoun for his first touchdown reception of the season, a 23-yarder.
In the third, with the Badgers at the Purdue 40 and holding a tenuous 17-13 lead, Calhoun took a pass in the flat from Stocco and found himself one-on-one with a safety. He juked sophomore Brandon Whittington and raced to the score.
'With all that space, there's no reason that I should get tackled,' Calhoun, who finished the day with five catches for 78 yards, later said.
Co-offensive coordinator Paul Chryst said Calhoun was too skilled to let him languish in a struggling run game.
'With Brian's versatility, when they are doing some things to take away the run ... he's good enough to be able to do some things in space in the passing game,' Chryst said. 'So we've got to keep finding ways to get him the ball.'
The truth is the Badgers had little opportunity to do so, as the offense struggled to establish any continuity over the course of the game.
Cue the defense.
At halftime the game was tied at 10 and the Badgers had forced only one turnover, when junior safety Joe Stellmacher, who had numerous jarring hits on the day, stripped Painter. The Badgers failed to capitalize.
Then, in the second half, the Wisconsin defense came to life. On the second play from scrimmage, freshman cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu picked off Painter. The Badgers could not take advantage when sophomore kicker Taylor Mehlhaff missed from 50 yards, but it was a sign of things to come from the secondary.
Purdue led 13-10 when Rogers made the game-changing play.
'That's one of the finer ones I've seen,' Alvarez said.
Williams agreed.
'That was the play of the day right there,' he said. 'That play right there, just single-handedly gave us all the momentum.'
After Calhoun's second touchdown reception, which put the Badgers up 24-13, both teams stalled on offense. After Mehlhaff, who had made eight of nine field goal tries coming into play, missed from the Purdue 47, the Boilermakers took over and looked to threaten with 11 minutes remaining.
On second-and-one from the Wisconsin 20, sophomore running back Kory Sheets carried the ball for 14 yards, then was stripped by freshman tackle Mike Newkirk. Newkirk also recovered it for the fourth forced turnover by the Badgers.
Purdue made a last-ditch effort on a drive that began with 3:37 left in the fourth after a Calhoun fumble at the Wisconsin 36. Painter dropped back on the second play, though, and threw a pass into the hands of Ikegwuonu, who returned his second interception 62 yards for a game clinching touchdown.
'Every young kid is looking for that 'coming out' moment,' Ikegwuonu said. 'I think that was mine today.'
