Gold and Black Radio: Purdue-Wisconsin pregame show
By Alan Karpick,
7 hours ago
Purdue football talk with host Derek Schultz and GoldandBlack.com’s Tom Dienhart and Alan Karpick. Plus, an in-depth look at the Badgers, Big Ten football discussion and more.
Series notes: Wisconsin leads the all-time series 53-29-8 thanks to a 17-game winning streak in the series. Purdue last defeated the Badgers 26-23 on a walk-off field goal in 2003. Since then, Purdue has lost every meeting with Wisconsin by an average margin of 19.88 points. Luke Fickell and Ryan Walters will meet for the second time, as each coach needs to spark improvement in year two. Fickell defeated Walters 38-17 on a Friday night in Ross-Ade Stadium a season ago.
Wisconsin running game versus Purdue against the run
Though Wisconsin hired an air-raid disciple as offensive coordinator in Phil Longo, it still likes to run the football. In the first four games, the Badgers average just shy of 40 rushing attempts per game. Despite the focus on the running game, it doesn’t pack the same punch as some previous Wisconsin rushing attacks.
Veteran tailback Chez Mellusi , who suffered a gruesome injury in Ross-Ade Stadium last season, leads the Badger rushing attack, but he’s not alone. Cade Yacamelli averages north of seven yards per carry on limited snaps, and Tawee Walker received double-digit carries in three games. Quarterback Braedyn Locke , who began the season as the backup, does not pose a running threat.
Purdue’s much-maligned rush defense improved after allowing over 300 yards to both Notre Dame and Oregon State, but Nebraska still saw success on the ground. The most concerning statistic? Nebraska’s leading rusher was a wide receiver who averaged over 16 yards per carry on jet sweep actions. This continues to plague the Boilermaker defense, which struggles to contain the edges. Wisconsin wide receivers have not recorded a rushing attempt on the season, but that may change given Purdue’s struggles to contain.
A critical status to monitor: the health of Kydran Jenkins . He split time between linebacker and rush end in the Nebraska game before leaving late with a shoulder injury. The Boilermakers will need all hands on deck as they look to snap the 17-game losing streak to the Badgers.
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