The #20 Wisconsin Badgers returned to their winning ways with a 62-17 shellacking of the Purdue Boilermakers. Running Back Montee Ball led an offense that racked up 605 total yards, including 364 via the ground.
Wisconsin (7-2, 3-2) has won fifteen straight home games and scored at least 30 points in it’s last 11 at Camp Randall.
What It Means: With a 45 point win over the Boilermakers, the Badgers made it even harder for the country to determine who the best team in the Big Ten is. If Wisconsin played every game at Camp Randall, they would be one of the best teams in the country, but unfortunately that’s not how the game of college football works.
UW’s trips to Minnesota and Illinois will be huge in determining if this Badgers team is worthy of a BCS bowl bid. Even if they don’t make it to the Big Ten Championship or lose in the game, there’s a possibility they receive an at-large bid in one of the big bowls.
Player of the Game: Junior RB Montee Ball (20 ATT, 224 YDS and 3 TD)
Ball is continuing to make a strong case for being added to the list of Heisman candidates with another multi-touchdown performance. He’s scored at least one touchdown in 15 straight games and has a crazy 39 touchdowns over that span. Ball also became the 15th Badger to ever rush for over 1,000 yards in a season with his 224 yard effort. With his 29 yard scamper to pay-dirt in the third quarter, he tied former Badgers RB Brian Calhoun for Wisconsin’s single-season touchdown record.
Highlight of the Game: Just because we never talk about the kicking game, I thought it was pretty cool to see Philip Welch hit a 52 yard field goal as time expired before the half. With the wind to his back, the kick probably would have been good from 60 yards.
Stat of the Game: (425) The number of yards the Badgers racked up in the first half of the game. Ball showed that touchdowns aren’t the only thing he does well while racking up 158 yards on 16 carries in the first two quarters for an impressive average of 9.9 yards per carry.
What’s Next: The Badgers will make their third attempt at a true road win when they travel to Minneapolis to take on the pesky Gophers. Minnesota (2-7, 1-4) is fresh off a close 31-24 loss to the Michigan State Spartans and would like nothing more than to add to the Badgers woes on the road.
What did you think of the Badgers output this Saturday? Do they look like they can rebound from their two road losses and finish on an exciting run? Let me know by commenting below.
Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers, Green Bay Packers, and Milwaukee Brewers. He also enjoys to share Fantasy Advice from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best.