Opponent view: Wisconsin Badgers

Will Purdue find its missing mojo in Wisconsin? That’s the hope when the Boilermakers take on the Badgers in Camp Randall Stadium at noon ET on Saturday on BTN.

Purdue will arrive in Madison amid tumult, as offensive coordinator Graham Harrell was let go after last Saturday’s 28-10 loss to Nebraska. It was the Boilermakers’ third defeat in a row, as the offense has tallied an aggregate 38 points the last three games.

Ryan Walters has turned to analyst Jason Simmons to resuscitate the offense as the play-caller. He’s a veteran of the prep ranks, where he has been a head coach and offensive coordinator. Is Simmons ready for this big promotion? How will the attack be altered?

Wisconsin has its own issues, looking to get on track after dropping its last two games.

Jake Kocorowski of the Wisconsin State Journal breaks down the Badgers in advance of Purdue’s game in Madison.

GoldandBlack.com: What can we expect from the Wisconsin offense?

Kocorowski: It’s interesting. Everyone talks about Wisconsin’s identity for the past 24 years, ever since Barry Alvarez took over, as a power running-type of offense. Luke Fickell brought in OC Phil Longo, who is a disciple of the Air Raid. He’s always tried to say, ever since he’s come to Wisconsin, that he’s able to run and cater to the best players on the team.

There’s no QB Tyler Van Dyke. He’s out for the season after that terrible injury against Alabama in the third game of the year. Braedyn Locke, the redshirt sophomore Mississippi State transfer, has taken over.

The offensive line has improved from last year. I don’t Fickell has gotten as much credit as he deserves for hiring OL coach A.J. Blazek from Vanderbilt, both on the recruiting trail and on the field. I think they’ve only allowed five sacks this season. Their run game is more consistent. They haven’t broken a big one yet, but I think the offensive line can move more. I know Purdue’s had trouble defending the run, especially against Notre Dame and Oregon State. Wisconsin has a slew of backs. Fickell feels he needs to hone in on three running back, potentially, but they have about five or six that could play right now.

Part of the identity problem with Wisconsin is finding balance. Do you try to slow down the game with a running game? Or do you try to speed things up and go full Air Raid?

They have receivers like Will Pauling in the slot, and Trench Kekahuna, who are problem matchups. They have some decent outside wide receivers. Can they get a first down, and then start speeding up the tempo like you see with other Air Raid offenses? Or do they try to grind the ball a little bit more? It’ll be interesting to see, especially against a Purdue’s defense that has struggled against the run.

GoldandBlack.com: What can we expect from the defense?

Kocorowski: It’s cliche, but whoever wins at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball will win. Wisconsin gave up 161 yards rushing to USC. The run defense isn’t what it was underneath Jim Leonhard, where they put the emphasis on stopping of the run first. I’m not saying DC Mike Tressel doesn’t, but they just haven’t had in the past two seasons been as dominant of a run defense. I know the Purdue run game has been a bright spot in an otherwise rough Purdue offense.

It’s a talented secondary. You have Hunter Wohler and Ricardo Hallman, who were All-Big Ten honorees last year. It’s a lot deeper and more talented linebacker room, both inside and outside. Keep an eye on the inside linebackers who need to continue to evolve. They brought in a bunch of transfers, like Jaheim Thomas and Tackett Curtis, who I think will be getting more reps down the road because he’s starting to finally get used to being within this defense.

But it’s going to come down to the line of scrimmage. Can Wisconsin get pressure? They got pressure more against USC in the first half. Can Wisconsin hold up against the run? They want to play complementary football in all three phases: offense, defense, special teams. They did in that first half last week. That was a glimpse of what was being sold at Wisconsin. It didn’t happen in the second half last week against USC.

GoldandBlack.com: How do you see this game playing out?

Kocorowski: I think Wisconsin will win. You can’t let Purdue stay in the game through the second half. If they get the ball on offense, they’re going to establish the run. We saw it a little bit against Southern Cal in that first half, where they’re able to run the ball and then go up-tempo, and that’s how you can throw off the defense with missed assignments.

I think the running backs will have a good day, whether it’s Chez Mellusi, Cade Yacamelli, Tawee Walker or freshman Darrion Dupree. I expect a 14-17 point win.

Things still aren’t running on all cylinders. It’s a must win game for Wisconsin if they want to have bowl eligibility. This is the game to reestablish and get back to feeling good. I do think they’ll work to have a good ground game and attack Purdue weakness. Defensively, they’re gonna have to shut down the run. They need to play clean and not let Purdue be in the game late into the second half.