How do the Badgers match up against Purdue in Week 5?
The Wisconsin Badgers return to Camp Randall Stadium looking to defeat the Purdue Boilermakers for the 18th consecutive time. Kickoff is at 11:00 A.M. CT.
Wisconsin lost 38-21 to the USC Trojans despite a halftime lead of 21-10. Now, Wisconsin is a 14-point favorite this Saturday against Purdue.
What should Badger fans expect from the Purdue Boilermakers?
Opponent Preview
Year two of the Ryan Walters regime in West Lafayette has yet to show improvement. The Boilermakers are 1-3 on the season, with their lone win against FCS Indiana State. Since Purdue’s win over the Sycamores, it has been a disaster. The Boilers were flat-out embarrassed by Notre Dame at home, 66-7, dominated at Oregon State 38-21, and recently fell to Nebraska 28-10.
Purdue ranks in the bottom half of the Big Ten in both passing and rushing, which has resulted in the firing of offensive coordinator Graham Harrell. Offensive analyst Jason Simmons will take over play-calling duties for the Boilermaker offense.
The transfer portal hit the Boilermakers hard, as their top-four receiving targets all found different homes for the 2024 season. Hudson Card ranks fourteenth among Big Ten quarterbacks in passing yards and has yet to develop any rhythm with his new receiver core. Outside of tight end Max Clare with 193 yards, no other pass catcher on the Purdue team has cracked the century mark in receiving yards.
Former walk-on Devin Mockobee leads the Boilermakers with 317 rushing yards. Mockobee was outstanding in Corvallis, as the junior running back ran for 168 yards on 16 carries.
On defense, returning All-American safety Dillon Thieneman leads the Boilermakers in total tackles with 34. Linebacker Kydran Jenkins is third in the Big Ten with 3.5 sacks and tied for second in the conference with 5.5 tackles-for-loss.
Score Prediction
I am not a fan of the phrase “must-win” because every game should be treated with that mindset, regardless of the opponent, but if there’s a game the Badgers cannot afford a loss, this is it.
Purdue has talented football players but is not a talented team. Our Connor Whelan wrote on Thursday that this Boilermakers team has struggled to stop the run. Expect a big game from Tawee Walker and the offensive line as the Badgers get back on track and add to the Boilermakers’ troubles in 2024.
Prediction: Wisconsin wins 31-14.