Wisconsin @ Purdue preview
Ross-Ade Stadium
Last Meeting ( Oct 31, 2009 ) Purdue 0, Wisconsin 37
The Big Ten looks like it will come down to the final weekend, and No. 7 Wisconsin figures to be in the race until the end.
The Badgers will be looking to keep rolling after their bye week when they visit struggling Purdue on Saturday.
Without a championship game at the end of the season to clear the air, the Big Ten still relies on regular-season records to determine its champion. Right now there are four teams in the the conference with one loss and each has a chance to be standing at the end. Wisconsin (7-1, 3-1 Big Ten) is responsible for the one loss by both Iowa and Ohio State, giving the school a leg up in any potential tiebreaker.
However, the other one-loss team is Michigan State, which earned a 34-24 victory over the Badgers last month and has a relatively soft schedule remaining.
After facing the Boilermakers this weekend, Wisconsin has a home date against Indiana and a road trip to Michigan on Nov. 20 before finishing the regular season at home against Northwestern. The Badgers are already guaranteed a bowl berth, but winning the Big Ten would give them the conference’s automatic BCS bowl spot — and the money and exposure that comes with it.
Wisconsin defeated a pair of top-15 teams in Ohio State and Iowa prior to its bye week for the first time since 1954, piling up 31 points in each game despite both opponents being in the top 10 nationally in scoring defense at the time.
The Badgers rank 18th in the country and second in the Big Ten in scoring offense at 35.6 points per game, thanks mainly to a ground attack that is averaging 221.4 yards. John Clay and James White have combined for 1,457 yards and 22 touchdowns this season. The junior Clay is the reigning Big Ten offensive player of the year and his 13 touchdowns lead the conference.
Senior quarterback Scott Tolzien has completed nearly 71 percent of his passes this season and went 20 of 26 for 205 yards and a touchdown against Iowa.
Tolzien, Clay and White should have little trouble against a Purdue (4-4, 2-2) team that has looked absolutely overmatched in each of its last two games, losing to Ohio State and Illinois by a combined 93-10.
The Boilermakers’ offense has stalled over the last two weeks, totaling 323 yards against two of the better teams in the conference. Down to his third string quarterback, Purdue head coach Danny Hope is still not sure who will be taking the snaps on Saturday.
Rob Henry, who became the starter after Robert Marve suffered a season-ending knee injury, cut the index finger on his throwing hand against Ohio State and missed most of the game against Illinois. Freshman Sean Robinson stepped in and struggled, completing 7 of 20 passes for 52 yards.
Henry is trying to get used to a glove on his hand and either he or Robinson will start against Wisconsin.