Wisconsin Badgers vs. Purdue Boilermakers Complete Game Preview
After easily their most impressive defensive performance of the year, the Wisconsin Badgers look to continue their winning ways against the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday, November 8 in their second-straight road game.
The Badgers started the season 5-0 at home but 0-2 away from the friendly confines of Camp Randall Stadium before finally notching their first road win in a 37-0 rout of Rutgers in Piscataway, New Jersey last Saturday.
The Wisconsin defense was sensational—conceding just 88 yards before Rutgers' last drive and forcing nine three-and-outs on Rutgers' 15 possessions. The Badgers are third in scoring defense in 2014—14.1 points per game—and are first in yards allowed per game at a paltry 253.8.
For Purdue, the Boilermakers have been a much tougher out since making the switch from Danny Etling to Austin Appleby at quarterback—beating Illinois in Champaign and then dropping the next three while being competitive throughout.
While their record still looks bleak—the Boilermakers sit at 3-6 with a 1-4 record in Big Ten play—Appleby is just a sophomore and there are signs in place that things are looking up for Purdue in the coming years.
Let's take a look at the keys to success, the players to watch, what people are saying and a prediction for this week's tilt.
Wisconsin Keys to Success
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Keep Melvin Healthy
Usually, this space is reserved for something along the lines of "run the ball, then run some more." But this week, with Wisconsin's three most important games coming in a row right on the heels of this one, keeping everyone healthy has to be paramount.
At the top of this list is star tailback Melvin Gordon. Gordon came in with the team up 30-0 in the fourth quarter against Rutgers only to run a 35-yard wheel route that ended with him writhing on the ground in pain after tight end Sam Arneson's helmet hit him in the knee.
Gordon was able to walk off the field on his own power and is apparently "fine," according to head coach Gary Andersen. Regardless, in a blowout, one never likes to see their star player in the game—much less get injured during that rout.
While the Badgers may be overlooking this game with Purdue with Nebraska on the horizon, Corey Clement is an incredibly talented back in his own right. Giving Gordon more than 20 carries in this game would be irresponsible—particularly with Clement running the way he has been.
Take Away Underneath Routes
While the Badgers have struggled containing the big play by allowing plenty of balls to go over the top of the defense, one area they have excelled in is their coverage of underneath throws. Gone are the days of bend-but-don't-break as defensive coordinator Dave Aranda's scheme is far more aggressive.
With safety Michael Caputo (57 tackles, 3.5 TFL and one interception) and inside linebacker Derek Landisch (43 tackles, 11 TFL and five sacks) having monster seasons, the Badgers are well prepared to cover the underneath throws that Purdue makes a living off of.
Darius Hillary has done an excellent job in coverage the past two games—taking over for Sojourn Shelton as the No. 1 cornerback. If the Badgers can pressure Appleby while also covering Danny Anthrop, the Boilermakers' leading receiver, then they should have no problem marching to victory.
Purdue Keys to Success
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Protect Austin Appleby
Last week, the vaunted Nebraska defensive front got to Appleby twice and made him generally uncomfortable in the pocket. Appleby ended the day 18-of-46 for 216 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. While the Cornhuskers only got two sacks, they hit Appleby nine times.
Against Rutgers, Wisconsin sacked quarterbacks Gary Nova and Chris Laviano three times—and hit them three more times—with much of that pressure coming from Vince Biegel (five tackles, one sack and two quarterback hits).
On the season, the Badgers have 24 sacks in just eight games. Defensive coordinator Dave Aranda has shown a proclivity to dialing up blitzes on passing downs, and the Badgers' linebackers have had a field day: Landisch has five sacks, Biegel has 3.5 sacks and Marcus Trotter and Joe Schobert each have 2.5 sacks.
With the Boilermakers struggling to get much going deep down the field, they can't afford to be set behind the chains by a sack and will need to give Appleby time to work if they want a chance to beat the Badgers. Holding the Badgers under their average of three sacks would be a good benchmark for success by the offensive line.
Sell Out Against the Run
Against Rutgers, Wisconsin's quarterbacks missed open receivers time and again—Tanner McEvoy missing a wide open Alex Erickson in the end zone is a good example—en route to a performance to forget by both quarterbacks.
Joel Stave went 7-of-16 for 81 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions while McEvoy went 1-of-4 for six yards, no touchdowns and an interception. A couple of mistakes are expected in poor weather conditions, but these quarterbacks struggled more than the situation called for.
With no passing game to speak of, Clement and Gordon still both had big days—getting 131 and 128 yards respectively while each chipping in a pair of touchdowns despite the fact that the Rutgers defense routinely loaded up the box with eight, nine and even 10 men.
Purdue needs to sell out against the run as well if they want a chance to win this game. If they can stop Clement and Gordon—admittedly a tall order even with extra men sniffing around the line of scrimmage—then they will place the game on Stave and McEvoy's shoulders.
When McEvoy's in the game, he has shown a clear inability to throw the ball at all. This means nine or 10 men should be in the box as the only plays he can run are read-options or simple handoffs.
When Stave's in the game, things get a little trickier. He has shown an ability to complete downfield passes. However, until he burns you, there is no reason to not be playing with as many men as possible at or near the line of scrimmage.
Wisconsin Players to Watch
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George Rushing, Wide Receiver
In my effort to keep things interesting at this slot, let's go with a name that may not be familiar to the casual fan. George Rushing may only have four receptions on the season, but he has the third-most yards of any Badger wide receiver.
The freshman from Miramar, Florida has caught a pass in each of the past two games—including snaring two balls for a team-high 32 yards against Rutgers. Rushing also chipped in a carry for one yard. By giving him a carry on an end-around, offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig seems to want to get the ball in Rushing's hands.
Rushing has proven himself to be the most game-ready of the team's freshman wide receivers.
With Krenwick Sanders, a fellow freshman receiver, catching his first ball of the season this past week, the talented trio of freshmen the Badgers brought in—Natrell Jamerson rounds out the group—are finally starting to contribute, which is good news for a team that's been struggling to get anything going in the passing game.
Jamerson has breakaway speed and Sanders will probably be the best of the three when all is said and done, but Rushing is ready to contribute today. Alongside Alex Erickson—who was held without a catch for the first time all season—and Kenzel Doe, Rushing can give the Badgers a much-needed option on the outside.
Darius Hillary, Cornerback
Hillary may not have an interception this season, but the junior cornerback has been very good all year. And even more impressively, he's been incredible in the team's last two games.
Matched up against two of the top receivers in the Big Ten in Stefon Diggs of Maryland and Leonte Carroo of Rutgers, Hillary held Diggs without a catch while covering him and Carroo to just two catches for 33 yards.
Hillary will likely be tasked with covering Danny Anthrop—who has almost three times more receiving yards than the next player on the Boilermakers with 38 catches for 616 yards. If Hillary can make him a non-factor like he did with Diggs and Carroo, then the Badgers will be in great shape.
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Purdue Players to Watch
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Danny Anthrop, Wide Receiver
Running against the Badgers with Warren Herring in the lineup has proven to be an insurmountable task. With Akeem Hunt and Raheem Mostert likely unable to find much in the way of running room, even more of the burden will be placed on Anthrop to produce.
Anthrop, a junior, has broken out this season after a quiet first two years at Purdue. The West Lafayette native had 17 catches for 313 yards as a sophomore before his big season this year—hauling in 38 balls for 616 yards and four scores so far.
With the next wide receiver only at 117 receiving yards, the Boilermakers' offense looks eerily similar to the Badgers' offense of previous years where the only receiver ever targeted was Jared Abbrederis. And despite defenses knowing that, he'd still have big games.
Anthrop will need to have another big game if the Boilermakers want a chance to win. He will likely be working across from Darius Hillary, who has shut down top receivers in each of the past two weeks (see the last slide for more on Hillary).
Anthrop injured his knee on a non-contact play, and it looked quite serious. If Anthrop can't go, it will be a huge blow to the Boilermakers as their receiving corps is thin as it is.
Landon Feichter, Safety
Usually it's not a good sign for your defense if a safety leads the team in tackles, but the Badgers' top-ranked defense's leading tackler is safety Michael Caputo. In Purdue's case, safety Landon Feichter does a lot of clean-up, leading to his team-leading 75 tackles in nine games.
Feichter is also quite the ball-hawk, snaring a team-high four interceptions. With the Badgers' stable of running backs being what they are, they will need Feichter to make sure that five- and six-yard gains don't turn into touchdowns.
Furthermore, Feichter needs to be there to pick off the mistakes that Stave and McEvoy make. The Wisconsin quarterbacks seem to throw an errant pass or two every game—or sometimes more—which allows talented safeties like Feichter to make a play on the ball.
What They're Saying
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Wisconsin
Early in the season, the Badgers struggled on special teams—both in the return game and in kicking and punting. Head coach Gary Andersen addressed the improved special teams in his post-game press conference after the win against Rutgers, which saw a blocked punt.
“I think in the bye week, we didn’t spend any more time practicing on it," Andersen said. "We spent a lot of time on special teams. We played very, very well lately. I couldn’t put my exact finger on it to and say we did this to change it up to play on special teams. I give all the credit to the young men that are making the plays.”
Andersen was also asked about the inconsistency displayed by the two quarterbacks, who went a combined 8-of-20 passing the ball with no touchdowns and an interception thrown by McEvoy.
"It’s a concern for those quarterbacks," Andersen said. "They want to hit those balls down the field. There’s no question about it and we’ll continue to work on it. We hit a couple of them a week ago. No one is going to work harder at it than Joel (Stave) and Tanner (McEvoy) and our receivers and all the kids involved.”
Purdue
After the game, head coach Darrell Hazell was asked about a status update for star-receiver Danny Anthrop, though Hazell was unable to give an answer. Quarterback Austin Appleby gave his thoughts on the impact of Anthrop.
"It's a big blow," Appleby said, via the Associated Press. "He's one of the best players on our team, not only on offense but on special teams the energy he brings. He's a leader in our locker room and we're definitely going to miss him."
Appleby also talked about the pressure he faced from the Nebraska front-four, who provided most of the pressure on him.
"They really didn't blitz a whole lot. I think it was in the single digits the amount of times they brought somebody," Appleby said. "They brought their front four and still got a good rush. They're a great team and did a good job covering our receivers. We just have to keep working to get open and I've got to throw strikes when guys come open."
Prediction
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The Badgers have historically fared very well in "The Hoosier State," going 3-0 in 2012—the last time they played in Indiana. Look for that trend to continue this week against Purdue.
The Boilermakers have lost their last eight meetings with the Badgers, with their last win coming in 2003. With leading receiver Anthrop as well as star defensive back Frankie Williams—who went down with a head injury—potentially not playing, things do not look good for the Boilermakers in this one.
The Badgers have been playing their best defense of the season in the past two weeks, and I'd look for that to continue against a potentially weakened Purdue team. Without Anthrop in the lineup, the Boilermakers' receiving corps is weak, and the Badgers can take advantage of that.
With Nebraska bringing heavy pressure on Appleby by just rushing four, it will be interesting to see how they handle the blitz schemes drawn up by Aranda. If they can't protect Appleby from the quick and strong Badgers linebackers, Wisconsin could be looking at their second-straight road shutout.
Joel Stave completes one long pass to Alex Erickson in the first quarter, which softens up the box for Melvin Gordon and Corey Clement. While Gordon is the Heisman candidate and plays like it—breaking 100 yards and scoring twice—it is Clement who once again has the better day.
One week after a big performance in his first return to New Jersey as a college player, Clement follows it up with an even bigger day, going for 150 yards and two scores while catching two passes—from both Stave and McEvoy—in an effort to jump-start the passing game.
Wisconsin 51, Purdue 7
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