No. 19 Wisconsin bounces back to beat Purdue 62-17
MADISON, Wis. — Montee Ball rushed for a career-high 223 yards with three touchdowns and No. 19 Wisconsin rebounded from back-to-back losses with a 62-17 rout of Purdue on Saturday.
Russell Wilson threw two touchdowns and scored on a scramble for the Badgers (7-2, 3-2 Big Ten). The lopsided victory was a boost to the Badgers after their late collapses at Michigan State and Ohio State the past two weeks.
Raheem Mostert had five kickoff returns for 206 yards for the Boilermakers (4-5, 2-3), helping them stay in the game early on. Caleb TerBush started at quarterback for Purdue, with Robert Marve also getting some time.
Wilson was 15 of 20 for 205 yards, and had 76 yards rushing for the Badgers before coach Bret Bielema rested him early in the fourth quarter.
Wisconsin lost safety Aaron Henry to a right ankle injury in the first half. The extent of his injury was not immediately clear.
Already trailing 38-17 at halftime, the Boilermakers tried a fourth-down conversion early in the third quarter but Wisconsin's Mike Taylor stopped Akeem Shavers short on fourth-and-5 at the Wisconsin 36.
The ball went back to the Badgers — and it wasn't long before Ball broke free for a rambling 29-yard touchdown to put Wisconsin ahead 45-17.
Wisconsin's Chris Borland then came up with an interception deep in Purdue territory, and the Badgers' James White scored on a 5-yard touchdown run to make the score 52-17 with 11:01 left in the third quarter.
The rout was on.
The Badgers made it look easy on their first possession, as Ball went through a big hole in the middle of the line to break a 44-yard run on Wisconsin's first play from scrimmage. A slant to Nick Toon gave the Badgers first-and-goal, and Wilson threw a 1-yard touchdown to tight end Jacob Pedersen two plays later and Wisconsin took a 7-0 lead.
But the Boilermakers came right back, getting a 49-yard kickoff return from Mostert. TerBush immediately found tight end Crosby Wright up the middle for a 30-yard touchdown to tie the game.
Wisconsin took a 14-7 lead later in the first quarter, as Wilson's 66-yard strike to wide-open receiver Jeff Duckworth helped set up Wilson's 5-yard touchdown to Jared Abbrederis for a 14-7 lead.
But the Badgers' recent special teams problems struck again, allowing a 74-yard kickoff return to Mostert. The Badgers held the Boilermakers to a 25-yard field goal by Carson Wiggs, cutting Wisconsin's lead to 14-10 with 1:13 left in the first quarter. Wisconsin's special teams came under scrutiny the past two weeks after breakdowns in the Michigan State and Ohio State losses.
Ball then got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter, taking it up the middle on second-and-goal from the 1 for an easy touchdown and a 21-10 lead.
The ensuing kickoff went out of the end zone, preventing another big return by Purdue and earning a sarcastic cheer from the crowd.
Taylor picked off TerBush, and Wilson took over with his feet, with a 20-yard scramble to help set up his 6-yard scoring run on second-and-goal. The Badgers led 28-10 with 6:16 left before halftime.
Purdue put together a long drive just before halftime, ending in Justin Siller's 2-yard touchdown run to cut the Badgers' lead to 35-17. But Wisconsin drove for a late 52-yard field goal by Philip Welch and took a 38-17 lead into halftime.