WEST LAFAYETTE, IND.—In a close football game, there are two things that can easily change the outcome: momentum and capitalizing on the other team's missed opportunities. While Saturday's 24-3 win in West Lafayette was not as flashy as the past three wins for the Badgers, they took advantage of key opportunities to beat Purdue.
Momentum was hard to come by for the Badgers, and from the opening kickoff it was apparent that Saturday's game was going to be a grind-it-out type of contest. Purdue struck first, with a 47-yard field goal by Chris Summers. After that, it was all Wisconsin.
The Badgers controlled the tempo of the game due to another stellar performance by freshman running back P.J. Hill, and were able to turn Boilermaker miscues into Wisconsin points. Saturday was the first time since 2002 that a Badger running back has rushed for more than 100 yards against Purdue, and head coach Bret Bielema was quick to praise the redshirt freshman.
""It was a P.J. Hill game; he is a guy with ability and has got a lot of things that make him who he is,"" Bielema said. ""I think he understands and knows what his strengths are, along with his weaknesses.""
In years past, Purdue has stacked the box with defenders in an attempt to stop Wisconsin's rushing attack, and it has found success. But this year, Hill proved to be too much for the Boilermakers to handle, as he ran for 161 yds on 29 carries and two touchdowns. Hill finished the day with a 46-yard gallop that set up an eight-yard touchdown run by Lance Smith with 5:11 left in the game, putting the game well out of Purdue's reach.
Hill was not the only highlight for Wisconsin, as the defense also played at a level reminiscent of the Wisconsin team that entered West Lafayette two years ago.
The defense held Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter to 187 passing yards, well under his more than 300 yard average. UW also shut down the Boilermakers on third and fourth down conversions. Purdue went three for 14 on third down conversions and zero for three on fourth down conversions.
Bielema was very happy with how the defense played and how they approached Saturday's game.
""We had three fourth down stops, and I basically treat them as a turnover because they come away with zero points,"" Bielema said. ""We knew going into this game that they have the highest offensive third down conversion rate as well as our defense on the flipside, so that was a key important battle and we were able to come out on top.""
Wisconsin also took advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves. After a long opening drive to start the second half resulted in a missed 37-yard field goal for Purdue, the Badgers had the chance to set the tone for the rest of the game. UW took the opportunity and marched 80 yards in 12 plays, capping off the drive with a three yard touchdown run by Hill.
Later in the fourth, the Badgers once again stepped up when needed. Purdue had driven down to Wisconsin's 16-yard line with 10:35 left in the game, marking the first time all game long that the Boilermakers were within the Badgers' red zone. Wisconsin's defense proved to be too much for Purdue's offense, as UW batted down a pass on fourth and nine to turn the ball over.
Wisconsin again used the fourth down stop as motivation and marched down the field, mainly due to Hill's 46-yard run to put the game out of Purdue's reach. The defense stifled any hope of Purdue scoring an offensive touchdown when Jonathan Casillas intercepted a pass on fourth and four at the Wisconsin 26-yard line.
With great defensive play and by taking advantage of opportunities that were created by their defense, the Badgers went into West Lafayette looking to avoid an upset, but left with even more confidence then they could have expected.
