Ten observations: Purdue-Wisconsin

Here is what has us talking after Purdue’s 38-17 loss to Wisconsin on Friday night in Ross-Ade Stadium.

1 – Death, taxes, losing to Wisconsin

For a stupefying 17th time in a row, Purdue has lost to Wisconsin. Who said there are no sure things in life? The latest installment in this one-sided series was basically over in the first half, when the Badgers scored touchdowns on each of their first three possessions in taking a 21-3 halftime edge.

“It’s frustrating because throughout this week’s work and preparation, I thought we were poised to come out here and do something that ain’t been done a long time,” said Ryan Walters. “But, to start the way we started, it was too much of a gap to make up. I thought we were hesitant and not aggressive in that first half.”

2 – Welcome back, Gus!

The senior center saw his first action since injuring a knee last November 19. Gus Hartwig got the start and appeared to hold up well. He was a big reason why Purdue had 194 yards rushing.

3 – Stop that QB!

Last week, Purdue saw Syracuse QB Garrett Shrader run for 195 yards and four TDs, time and again finding acres of green grass. On this night, it was Wisconsin signal-caller Tanner Mordecai who took his turn burning the Boilermaker D with his feet.

“It’s two-fold.” said Walters. “It’s what we’re calling and having some situational awareness. Looks like Mordecai had 14 carries for 57 (44) yards. I know a couple of those came on third downs that were in predominantly passing situations. So, fundamentally and structurally, we gotta look at what we’re doing to make sure that we’ve got eyes on the quarterback. especially when it’s a guy who can move the chains with his feet.”

4 – Turnovers keep coming

Hudson Card has done some good things through four games. On this night, he hit 21-of-38 passes for 202 yards. But the turnovers are starting to mount. He had four last week (three lost fumbles; an interception on tip) and two this week (two interceptions, one on a desperation heave). Devin Mockobee added a lost fumble tonight. Add it up, and that’s seven turnovers in the last two games for Purdue.

“The three losses we’ve had, it was different things that we’re attributing to the losses and so it’s frustrating,” said Walters. “But, it’s also encouraging from the standpoint I feel like we’re right there and really close to playing the style of football and for it looking the way that we all envision it looking. Especially because it does it looks that way in practice. And, we only see glimpses of it, though, throughout the course of the game in the losses.”

5 – Where was Devin?

A week after committing three of Purdue’s seven fumbles, Devin Mockobee was removed from the starting lineup for Tyrone Tracy. In fact, Mockobee had no carries in the first half. He finished the night with four carries for 26 yards. Tracy ended up carrying the load with 84 yards rushing and a TD for a ground game that generated 194 yards.

“I think it was just a product of where we were on the scoreboard,” said Walters. “We got down in the hole pretty quick. But we had–What was it?–we had 202 (194) yards rushing. Tyrone Tracy got 87 (84) yards. So, we’re moving the ball on the ground. I think we’re all pretty happy when we walk away from the game with 200 yards rushing.”

6 – Pound the rock

Much was made in the lead-up to the game about Wisconsin’s new Air Raid-based, which promised more passing. Alas, this script looked familiar, as Luke Fickell’s Badgers looked more like Barry Alvarez’s Badgers on this night, running 43 times for 195 yards. Braelon Allen led the way with 116 yards on the ground and two scores.

“I did think we were too passive,” said Walters. “From a mentality standpoint, coaches and players alike. And, that’s an area that we got to get fixed. I want this to be an aggressive team. And we did not play aggressive in the first two quarters.”

7 – Third down blues

So much of what we saw tonight we had seen before. Chief among the repeated themes: Issues on third downs. Purdue could not get the Badgers off the field. How bad was it? Wisconsin converted its first eight third downs and finished 12 of 18.

“I gotta figure out why that is,” said Walters. “I got to figure out what I’m missing in terms of the schedule and how we’re preparing, what I’m missing in allowing us to start fast in big games. … We’re not playing complimentary football right now. The defense isn’t playing well, we’re also not getting first downs on offense. And then when the offense scores, we got to be able to get stops on defense.”

8 – Running for his life

Time and again, Purdue QB Hudson Card was dancing on coals. Down and distance didn’t matter, neither did the Wisconsin defensive formation or amount of Badger rushers … Card was under constant duress, often running for his life. He led the team with 13 carries, gaining 54 yards often on desperate scrambles of improvisation.

9 – Uphill climb

September set up to be a key month for Purdue in its quest to win six games and become bowl eligible, playing four of five games in Ross-Ade Stadium in the opening month. But the Boilermakers have not taken advantage of the home-cooking, opening with a 1-3 mark. Purdue may be favored in just three remaining games: Illinois; Northwestern; Indiana.

“Luckily, we got a good group of guys in the locker room that aren’t pointing fingers,” said Walters. “So, the way you get back on track is you put your head down, you go to work. That’s the only way I know how to do things. we got to look at what we’re doing on defense. We can’t play that poorly and expect to have a chance to win a game. Third downs continue to be a problem for us. Both sides of the ball. Starts with me. We’ll get it fixed.”

10 – Here comes Illinois!

The story lines write themselves next week when Illinois visits for homecoming. Walters will face his former staff in desperate need of win before Purdue embarks on the most challenging part of its schedule in October and November. A loss to the Illini would put the Boilermakers in a deep hole. How will the team respond?