Good, Bad and Ugly From Wisconsin Badgers 38-17 Win Over Purdue
The good, the bad and the ugly from victory over Purdue.
On Friday night in West Lafayette, Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers football team (3-1, 1-0 B1G) had an impressive start against Purdue. UW forced multiple turnovers and secured a decisive 38-17 win on the road in West Lafayette against Ryan Walters and the Boilermakers.
Here's the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Badgers win over Purdue.
The Good: Wisconsin Started Fast, Converted on Third Downs
Slow starts became a trend for the Wisconsin football program during non-conference play, getting outscored in the first half by their opponents 41-30. The Badgers laid that trend to rest against Purdue, scoring touchdowns on all three of their first possessions to give UW a 21-3 lead.
1st TD in the 📚
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) September 22, 2023
A big reason why the Wisconsin offense eclipsed 400 yards, their third time in four games, was because of third down execution. Entering Friday's contest, the Badgers had converted only 35% of its third-down attempts during non-conference play.
In the game against Purdue, Wisconsin's football team successfully converted on their initial eight third-down opportunities and ultimately completed 12 out of 18 attempts throughout the night. This proficiency helped them secure a convincing victory in the time of possession battle, holding the ball for 33 minutes and 19 seconds compared to Purdue's 26 minutes and 6 seconds.
Despite some of the mistakes, I'm coming around to how dangerous Phil Longo & his system can/will become when this thing clicks.
The Bad: Wisconsin Keeps Stepping on Its Own Feet
I've accepted that Wisconsin football will be in their fair share of shootouts this season. The defense isn't anything to write home about, and it's unlikely Mike Tressel's unit will keep opponents off the scoreboard like we've seen in years past.