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PDF: Purdue-Wisconsin statistics

Time to hand out grades following Purdue's loss at Wisconsin on Saturday.

Aidan O’Connell continues to impress. He hit 26-of-43 passes for 289 yards with two touchdowns and a pick in just his second start. And this was against one of the Big Ten’s better defenses. Oh, and O’Connell was playing behind a pedestrian line and was without big-play man Rondale Moore. Perhaps the sophomore walk-on has a future beyond just being a backup. David Bell looked good … again. The true freshman made 12 catches for 108 yards with a touchdown. He is a lock to be a Freshman All-American. And how about Brycen Hopkins? There can’t be many tight ends better. The fifth-year senior had eight grabs for 127 yards and a TD.

Grade: A-

No need to go into great deal or belabor the point. This has been a weak spot all season. And that trend continued in Madison. The Boilermakers ran 20 times for a cool 50 yards. That comes to 2.5 yards per tote. This needs to get fixed in the offseason. Let's make it Priority No. 1.

Grade: D-

When you consider the handicaps that Jeff Brohm has to work around, this was a nice effort. Purdue got off to a slow start—again—trailing 14-3 after one quarter. But the attack took flight in the second quarter with 14 points. In fact, Purdue took a 17-14 lead midway through the second quarter on a trick play that saw wideout Milton Wright pass to Brycen Hopkins for a 37-yard score. That was fun! It was one of two successful trick plays on the day, as the other saw a flea-flicker to Wright gain 38 yards. But the attack was stymied in the second half, as the Boilers tallied just seven points along with 105 yards passing and one yard rushing. Not good.

Grade: B-

With Purdue focused on trying to slow down the vaunted Wisconsin rushing game, Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan enjoyed an efficiently effective game. He hit 15-of-19 passes (79 percent) for 203 yards with two touchdowns and pick. That was more than enough to make the Badger offense hum, as the Boilermakers bite on play-action time and again. Purdue didn’t help matter by generating minimal pass rush.

Grade: D-

Not good, as expected. Purdue was manhandled and mauled by a physical Badger line which paved the way for—are you ready for this?—403 yards rushing. That’s the most Purdue has allowed in 2019. Wisconsin battered Purdue with 55 carries, averaging 7.3 yards per rush. Jonathan Taylor has made a career of devouring the Boilermakers. He ran for 222 yards on 28 totes (7.9 ypc) with a TD on Saturday. It was the third time in three career games vs. Purdue that Taylor had eclipsed the 200-yard rushing mark. All told, Taylor has rushed for 762 yards vs. Purdue. The good news for the Boilers? Taylor figures to turn pro.

Grade: F

Playing this offense figured to be an epic challenge. And, it was. The best part of the day for the Boilermaker defense was the four turnovers forced: three fumble recoveries (Navon Mosley, Derrick Barnes, George Karlaftis) and an interception (Dedrick Mackey). Despite, generating four turnovers for the first time since the Boston College game in September 2018, Purdue still lost … handily. And it was an often ineffective defense that was the biggest issue. Wisconsin finished with 606 yards of offense (403 rush, 203 pass). The 606 yards are the most the Boilers have yielded this season. And there also was this: The Badgers converted 82 percent on third downs (9-of-11). It was ugly any way you sliced it. The turnovers generated were nice, but they are far outweighed by the horrendous numbers.

Grade: F

J.D. Dellinger provided Purdue its lone first-quarter points on a 28-yard field goal. The coverage teams were good for the Boilers. But the return game was a non-factor--again. The punting was solid—at best. (Purdue didn't have to punt for the first time until late in the second quarter.) The Boilermakers were victimized by a 62-yard field goal by Zach Hintze as time expired in the first half. It was the longest field goal in the Big Ten since 1986. A crazy scene that stole Purdue's second-quarter mojo.

Grade: B

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