Purdue Eliminated From Bowl Eligibility - Purdue 24 - Wisconsin 45

We all knew going into this game that Purdue would have to be perfect to walk out of Madison with a victory. They tried their best in the first half but it ultimately wasn’t enough. Purdue recovered three fumbles, grabbed an interception, and pulled out plenty of trick plays, but none of this was enough. As it has been since 2004 Wisconsin simply ran all over the field and Purdue was helpless to stop them. Oh, and Wisconsin hit an incredible 62 yard field goal to end the first half.

Aidan O’Connell played himself one hell of a football game. He started the game firing on all cylinders and would have started with a quick strike but his receivers failed him with three drops including two that occurred in the endzone. Purdue had to settle for a field goal and in a tough game against a team like Wisconsin you’ve got to get 7 when you get into the redzone. He finished the game 26/43 for 289 yards, 2 touchdowns against 1 interception. You would never know this guy started the season as the 4th string walk-on. You’ve got to love the grit and determination he shows each and every week. He’s a true Boilermaker.

On the defensive side of the ball Karlaftis had another great game as he caused one fumble and was constantly getting into the Wisconsin backfield to cause some havoc. Regardless of what else was going on with the injuries to Purdue it would’ve been hard to stop JTT and this Wisconsin running game. The offensive line and blocking by everyone on this Wisconsin team is simply phenomenal. They finished the game with 403 rushing yards and no, that’s not a typo. Anytime you give up 403 rushing yards you’re in for a bad time.

Honestly though, this was a fun game to watch. I loved the aggressiveness of Brohm that saw Milton Wright throw a 37 yard touchdown pass to Brycen Hopkins. Between Hopkins and David Bell there was 3 touchdowns and 235 yards receiving. Those two made one heck of combo today. How beautiful it was when Purdue briefly took the lead in the first half. It was only momentarily but we will always have that feeling and no one can take it away from us. In the end Wisconsin was just too much and to be honest that’s perfectly understandable. Purdue sits at 4-7 with only Indiana left on the schedule. There will be more to come on this game so be sure to return to check that out.