Wisconsin beat Purdue for the 14th straight time winning 45-24 on senior day as it also marked the Badgers third straight victory after dropping two straight games. Here are our top three takeaways from the game for the Badgers.
1. Wisconsin’s offense needs to fix their turnover problem
Over Wisconsin’s last five games the Badgers have committed a total of 12 turnovers.
In order for Wisconsin’s season to end on a high note, the Badgers offense will need to revert back to the beginning of the season in terms of valuing the football as over the first six games Wisconsin only turned the football over a combined five times.
The four turnovers Wisconsin had against Purdue was a season high as the Badgers fumbled the football five times losing three of them and Jack Coan also threw an interception. Although Wisconsin turned the football over four times against Purdue the Boilermakers only were able to cash Wisconsin’s mistakes into seven points.
Wisconsin’s defense may not have had its best day against Purdue but they did come up with some timely defensive drives. Considering turnovers can be momentum changers and with Purdue needing a win just as badly as Wisconsin to make sure Purdue couldn’t capitalize off of Wisconsin’s mistakes is a sign of a good defense.
Jonathan Taylor dealt with fumbles as a true freshman and at the beginning of his sophomore season too. Taylor appeared to have put the fumbling issues to bed this season although he did have a costly fumble against Illinois was responsible for two of the three fumbles lost yesterday.
With how much Wisconsin feeds Taylor as he’s averaging 23.7 carries a game opposing teams are going to try and rip the football out of his arms. Making it important that he keeps the football high and tight in order to avoid fumbling the football. If Taylor is successful it should allow for Wisconsin’s offense to continue to move the football effectively down the field.
2. More touches for Kendric Pryor
Pryor against Purdue showed what he’s capable of doing once you get the football in his hands as he registered 103 yards of total offense. Pryor was able to hurt Purdue’s defense either on the ground or through the passing game as he rushed for 56 yards on two carries and caught four passes for 47 yards.
Pryor over the last two games has become more active in the passing game as he has caught a combined seven passes for 77 yards. That will need to continue considering prior to Wisconsin’s wins over Purdue and Nebraska in the five games previous he caught only one pass in each game.
Pryor has shown that he’s capable of creating chunk plays in the passing game considering against Kent State he had one catch for 33 yards and against Illinois, he hauled in a 35-yard pass. The chunk plays have been missing from Wisconsin’s offense through the air and if Pryor can help stretch the field it will only help Wisconsin’s offense become more balanced.
3. Wisconsin’s finding ways of breaking up passes
Over the last three games, the Badgers have faced teams who are capable of throwing the football. Although the Badgers have allowed chunk plays through the passing game at times the Badgers have been able to break up 15 passes and have registered two interceptions over the last three games.
Wisconsin’s secondary has been responsible for eight of the 15 pass breakups as Rachad Wildgoose has registered four over the past three games. Wisconsin will certainly get a test against Minnesota and the secondary will be counted on to help slow down the Gophers talented wide receivers.
Although Wisconsin’s pass defense has been up and down over the last three games the Badgers will need to be able to continue to give themselves a chance of making a play on the football when it’s in the air. Not to mention Wisconsin’s linebackers are also more than capable of defending the pass as between Wisconsin’s starting linebackers they have combined to pick off four passes and have broken up 12 passes this season.