In a matchup of two unbeaten Big Ten teams, No. 12 Wisconsin came up short in a 26-23 loss to No. 15. Purdue walked away from Camp Randall victorious as the Boilermakers dominated both time of possession and passing yards.
The Boilermakers maintained the ball for over 36 minutes of the game to UW's 23, and within that time, Purdue was able to throw for more than 400 yards against the Badger defense.
The explosive Purdue passing game started right off the bat after Purdue senior defensive back Jacques Reeves intercepted senior quarterback Jim Sorgi's first pass. The turnover proved costly as Purdue marched down the field to score the game's first touchdown, jumping out to a 7-0 lead.
The Boilermakers' junior quarterback Kyle Orton used this momentum-builder and carried his offense to the point where they were nearly unstoppable in the first half. Starting the game 12 of 12 passing, Orton completed every pass until 33 seconds left in the first quarter, helping Purdue expand it's lead to 14-0.
Orton, who finished the game 38 of 55 passing for 411 yards and one touchdown, appeared able to pass all over the UW secondary in the first half. The combination of pocket protection and the speed of his receivers was too much to handle for UW and allowed Orton to control the game.
After a 28-yard touchdown run by junior running back Anthony Davis in the first quarter, Orton stepped back on the field, maneuvered his team down the field and completely took the crowd out of the game. Aside from the 55-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by senior linebacker Jeff Mack, the first half was a one-sided affair.
On the receiving end of Orton's passes were Purdue wideouts junior Taylor Stubblefied and senior John Standeford. The two combined for an impressive 30 receptions for 314 yards and one score, but it was their yards after the catch that wreaked havoc against Wisconsin defensive backs all game.
\We kind of expected it in the beginning, I guess our heads were kind of spinning around as much as they were throwing it,"" junior defensive back Scott Starks said. ""I think it took a little while to get adjusted. We probably did adjust to it in the second half to ... the quick game.""
UW's defense adjusted in the second half as they were able to control Orton and the Purdue offense. Until the final drive of the game, the UW defense only allowed three points in the second half, thanks to the stellar defense of linebackers Mack and senior Alex Lewis. By that point, it was the Badger offense that lost continuity and consistency.
Following a third quarter injury to Sorgi, junior quarterback Matt Schabert entered for UW but was unable to drive the Badgers down the field and display similar heroics from a week ago versus Ohio State.
After a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown by junior defensive back Jim Leonhard tied the game at 23 late in the fourth quarter, the Badgers defense got ""boiled"" again as it allowed Orton to drive his team down the field in the final two minutes to set up the game-winning field goal with only seconds remaining.
""I know they were tired but I was proud with the way they competed because nobody wanted to come out. Guys wanted to stay in because they knew what was at stake,"" defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said. ""It comes down to making a play in the end, we didn't and they did.\
