Some links for info on the Purdue Boilermakers.
Official Purdue Site
Purdue Season Preview
Lafayette Journal and Courier-local media coverage
Purdue Message Board
Here are the game grades for the Purdue game.
QB: A-
An impressive performance out of Jim Sorgi to say the least. He didn't throw down the field too much, but did a nice job of taking advantage of the underneath routes, particularly on some of the blitzes. He showed a lot of poise in the pocket and did a nice job of finding his secondary receivers. What was also encouraging is that he didn't throw too many balls that had any hope of being intercepted. On the downside, he did not escape the rush very well. When the protection was good (which is was for much of the game), Sorgi had a lot of success. But when the pressure came, he was helpless. Still, a solid overall effort with good production.
RB: B+
Bennett did a nice job of finding the holes on the perimeter of the line and/or getting around the corner for good yardage. However, his blitz pickups were marginal at best and he dropped a nice swing pass from Sorgi that could have gone for big yards.
Kuhns wasn't bad, but wasn't blowing guys up like we have seen in the past. He also missed on an inside stunt by Mitrione that led to a sack.
WR:B+
It was apparent that we finally saw the real Chris Chambers on Saturday, as he ran crisp routes and showed the ability to turn the corner after the catch, though he did lose his footing a few times. The receivers also bailed out Sorgi more than once with nice grabs on so-so throws, though they returned the favor with a key Nick Davis drop on a nice deep ball by Sorgi. Still, pretty good production.
TE: B
One of the better games from the tight ends this year. Anelli and Sigmund both made some nice catches, including a big 4th quarter TD. The blocking was pretty consistent as well, as Bennett found some big yards on the corner, in part because of the success of the TE blocking.
OL: B-
Yes, 7 sacks is too many, but I thought the line played better than they have gotten credit for. For most of the game, Sorgi had a lot of time to set his feet and step into his throws, much more than the Badger QBs have had for most of the year. Of the 7 sacks, one or two were when Sorgi ran into the defensive lineman, and at least 2 were at least partially the responsiblity of the running backs. The OL also did a pretty decent job of getting Michael Bennett some room to turn the corner against a decent rushing defense.
DL: C+
The battered unit did a serviceable job against a tough opponent. Other than one long run by Lowe (LB responsibility?), they controlled the run up front. They didn't generate much of a pass rush but did a reasonable job of keeping Brees in the pocket (other than the TD scramble. They also defleted a handful of passes.
LB: B
Both Nick Greisen and Roger Knight did a nice job of handling space (a key in the nickel package) as well as limiting the big plays in the short zone, specifically to Tim Stratton. Greisen's solid play was magnified when Purdue exploded for a big run immediately following his injury, a play in which it appeared that Jeff Mack did not read the play correctly.
DB: C+
The corners were excellent, not only Fletch and Ech, but nickelback Michael Broussard as well. Purdue had some completions (as they are going to always get), but the corners did not give up the big play. Jason Doering however seemed to have some trouble in this regard, perhaps still hampered by his nagging injuries, as twice he was beaten for long TDs when he allowed receivers to get behind him in the deep zone. No picks or near picks was also key.
Special Teams: D+
Stemke was again solid, including a clutch booming punt in the last minute of regulation. Pisetsky also connected on his early FG attempt and Nick Davis finally unleashed a pretty decent kick return. However, Pisetsky's inconsistent kickoffs also continued with another one out of bounds. The kick return also put the offense in a big hole with penalities on the opening kick, and once again the gunners violated the halo rule on a punt return (though the call was marginal). Finally, on the key play of the game, Solwold had a high snap and Rabach and Solwold completely broke down inside to allow the game-losing blocked kick.
Let's see how Badgermaniac's Keys to the Game shaped up.
1.) Health
Echols played, as did Sorgi and Al Johnson. Hughes, Favret, Bollinger and Sprague all sat out. With Sorgi and Michael Broussard stepping up and playing so well, I don't believe this was a factor. No excuses here.
2.) Special Teams
Wow, how could I be so right and so wrong at the same time. Special teams WERE the difference in the game, but they were the difference for the Boilermakers. Not only did Purdue come through on the blocked kick, but their punting game also did a nice job of pinning Wisconsin back a couple times, most notably on Wisconsin's final possession in regulation.
3.) Michael Bennett
To the offensive line's credit (as well as the play of the Wisconsin passing game), they DID give him consistent running room.
4.) The prevent D
While I thought Wisconsin played a little more aggressively than they have in the past against Purdue, two key coverage breakdowns led to Purdue big plays in the form of touchdowns, which ultimately was the difference in the game.
5.) Limiting Brees
Brees hurt them on a number of scrambles/runs, though it wasn't a huge factor in the outcome of the game.
PREDICTION:
Obviously way off on this one. We'll leave it at that. Credit to the Badger players for stepping up and playing very well against a good team.
Here are Badgermaniac's Keys to the Game for the Purdue game.
1.) Health
As of now, it doesn't look good. It looks like Bollinger, Sorgi, Echols, Hughes, and Sprague are most likely out. That is not fact, but simply speculation. Doering may play, but still isn't 100%, nor are Favret or Al Johnson. The bottom line is that this game is not shaping up to be pretty if the Badgers cannot field a viable secondary or a viable QB.
2.) Special Teams
With Purdue stuffing the run quite well this year, Wisconsin struggling with the pass, and Purdue bound to put up 20+ points minimun, Wisconsin is going to need to not only win but dominate the special teams game. If Key #1 does not work out, Wisconsin needs at least 2 TDs from the special teams. If they are healthier than I think they are, then they still need some special teams help against the poor Purdue special teams.
3.) Michael Bennett
I don't expect Bennett to have consistent running room. But, if he does get a crease, he needs to exploit it EVERY SINGLE TIME. Against Oregon, there was not a consistent running game, but Bennett's home runs made the difference. Similiar results are needed.
4.) The prevent D
While not a true prevent defense, Wisconsin has conceded yards against Purdue the last two years in exchange for red zone domination. However, Wisconsin has been prone to the big play this year at times, something that cannot happen against Purdue. With Purdue's improved running game, they still are capable of putting serious points on the board, but they can't have easy ones.
5.) Limiting Brees
No, not passing yards (though that of course would be nice). Wisconsin allowed Brees to run for about 80 yards last year, many on key 3rd and longs. Wisconsin must not allow him to hurt them running the ball, or it could be a LONG day.
PREDICTION:
Never since I started this website have I been this pessimistic about a game from the Badger's perspective. I don't think Wisconsin is going to generate anything offensively without Bollinger playing, as Purdue will flood the box with run defenders and make Wisconsin one-dimensional (and not the kind of one dimension Wisconsin can handle). On the other side of the field, Wisconsin will struggle to even put 4 good pass defenders in their secondary, let alone the 5 or 6 that teams need in order to contain Brees (actually 5 as they will not play a dime package and surrender Lowe yardage). I see an inspired Wisconsin team fighing hard early, but slowly and surely allowing some long Purdue drives, before Wisconsin has to start throwing and the game gets ugly. Final score: Purdue 38-Wisconsin 14.
Howell has Wisconsin as a 2.5 point favorite and gives Wisconsin a 54% chance to win. Projected score of Wisconsin 26-Purdue 23. Sagarin has the game as a pick-em.
Here is how the Badgers and Boilermakers match up nationally.
Total offense: WIS 84, PUR 4
Passing offense: WIS 112, PUR 5
Rushing offense: WIS 19, PUR 35
Scoring offense: WIS 75, PUR 15
Total defense: WIS 86, PUR 34
Rushing defense: WIS 64, PUR 32
Passing defense: WIS 98, PUR 60
Scoring defense: WIS 47, PUR 36
Turnover margin: WIS 30, PUR 58
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