Wisconsin football beats Purdue in tense Big Ten showdown

Purdue almost became bowl eligible on Saturday but Wisconsin football escaped. The Boilermakers weren’t able to put the Badgers away.

At home against a Wisconsin side enduring a down season, Purdue thought they had finally broken through after 12 straight losses to the Badgers. The Boilermakers managed to pull away in the second half on Senior Day in West Lafayette. But then Purdue allowed Wisconsin to pull level once again to force overtime.

The two teams traded touchdowns in the first two overtime frames. Then the Boilermakers were held to a field goal on their third possession, opening the door for Jonathan Taylor to punch in the winning score for Wisconsin as the visitors won 47-44 in triple overtime on Saturday afternoon.

Jonathan Taylor was the big reason why Wisconsin managed to stay in the contest, as the sophomore once again comprised the bulk of the Badgers offense on the road. Taylor busted off an 80-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second half to tie things up at 10-10, and he finished the day with 321 yards and three scores on 33 carries. It was the third-best rushing effort in Wisconsin’s storied history of running backs.

While the Heisman is almost certainly going to end up with one of the high-ranking quarterbacks, Taylor earned himself a trip to Manhattan for the Heisman ceremony after dominating the Boilermakers in the win. Taylor proved that he is the best running back in the country and the favorite for this year’s Doak Walker Award.

Jack Coan wasn’t necessarily very impressive statistically passing the ball, but he did enough to balance Taylor’s running to pace Wisconsin to victory. The sophomore quarterback finished 16-of-24 for 206 yards and a pair of touchdowns to force overtime. While he did not produce a ton of yardage, Coan at least managed to avoid any interceptions on the day and was a critical part of the comeback.

David Blough was nearly the hero for the Boilermakers, as the quarterback put together his sixth 300-yard passing day of the season. Blough finished the day with 386 yards through the air and four touchdowns on 31-of-48 passing, though he took three sacks along the way as well. Blough’s arm comprised the bulk of the offense, as the backfield managed to combine for just 76 rushing yards on 31 carries. The veteran quarterback nearly did enough, but the defense sputtered and the running game offered little balance.

With the win, Wisconsin stabilized its position as one of the top three teams in the Big Ten West standings. After owning the division for most of the period after realignment, they won’t be going to Indianapolis this year. The Badgers will now look to enter the postseason on a high note by retaining Paul Bunyan’s Axe for the 15th straight season against rival Minnesota on Thanksgiving weekend.

Purdue, meanwhile, has one more regular-season game left as well. Now all the pressure to reach bowl eligibility falls on an encounter with rival Indiana as they square off next week for the Old Oaken Bucket. In addition to claiming the trophy, the winner of the rivalry game will reach bowl eligibility at the expense of the other.