Wisconsin Football vs. Purdue: Three Things to Watch For

The Wisconsin Badgers football program got back on track last weekend with a win over the Georgia Southern Eagles. 

After putting a bow on non-conference play, UW is set to begin Big Ten competition against the Purdue Boilermakers.

Here are three things to look out for in the conference opener.

Can Wisconsin Football Generate Consistent Pressure? 

Going into the 2023 season, the group I was most concerned about was Wisconsin’s defensive line and pass rush. The losses of Keeanu Benton and Nick Herbig have been tough to replace thus far, but some building blocks have been laid out. 

Wisconsin has been a second-half team through three games. Against Georgia Southern, UW was able to bring some consistent pressure — especially in the last 30 minutes of play — on QB Davis Brin and forced him to make mistakes as he committed six turnovers.

Purdue has been a bit turnover-happy thus far. Last week against Syracuse, the Boilermakers gave up four turnovers with three fumbles lost and an interception. If Wisconsin can garner consistent pressure as they did in the second half against Georgia Southern, they’ll be in a good spot to win the turnover battle. 

Can Wisconsin’s Rushing Attack Carve Up Purdue’s Defense?

The Boilermakers struggled mightily against the run in the matchup versus Syracuse. 

Syracuse running back Garrett Shrader was on fire, logging 195 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries. If that performance is any indication of the strength of Purdue’s run defense, the two-headed monster of Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi could feast. 

Wisconsin’s running back tandem had a solid performance on Saturday, combining for 155 yards and three touchdowns. It was a slow first half for the duo, but the second half gave some new life to Wisconsin’s rushing attack. If they can build off their second-half showings, Allen and Mellusi could be looking at a big game. 

Will Wisconsin Football Play a Complete 60 Minutes? 

It shouldn’t surprise those who have watched all three games, but UW has had its fair share of slow starts. While the level of play in the second half has brought some things to be excited about, Wisconsin football has held itself back with inadequate first-half performances. 

With any coaching or scheme changes, there’s bound to be some hiccups. That said, Wisconsin hasn’t put all of the pieces together for a full 60 minutes. Heading into conference play, this is something that needs to be fixed quickly. Now is not the time for UW to continue this trend. 

There have been some flashes of potential of what this team could be, but we’ll need to see all the puzzle pieces put together before we really know Wisconsin’s identity. 

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