25. Wisconsin 45, Purdue 24 (2019)

Wisconsin was in a must-win situation. It received a huge win by Iowa the previous week over previously undefeated Minnesota while Bucky took care of Nebraska in Lincoln. If the Badgers beat Purdue, it would set up a winner-take-all Big Ten West showdown in Minneapolis. But Purdue had a great offense and had the capability to hang with the Badgers. And they did just that, hanging with the heavily favored Badgers into the second half. But at the end of the day, there was too much Wisconsin, as the home team racked up 606 yards of offense in a 45-24 win.

Yesterday, I talked about Alex Hornibrook’s record-breaking performance against BYU in 2017. Well, we had another broken record in this one, and it gave the Badgers all the momentum heading into the locker room. With Wisconsin clinging to a 21-17 lead late in the second quarter, the Badgers drove to the Purdue 44-yard line. Instead of trying a field goal, Paul Chryst decided to send out kicker Zach Hintze. His field goal attempt was drilled and snuck just in the bottom left corner of the crossbar and goal posts for a 62-yard field goal make, the longest made field goal in school history, besting John Hall’s 60-yarder in the Metrodome against Minnesota in 1995.

The Badgers did not punt in the game, and honestly, they should have scored 60+, but they turned the ball over four times with all four coming in Boilermakers territory. Wisconsin’s first drive was not one pf those turnovers, though, as the home team marched down the field 75 yards in eight plays to grab the early lead. Aron Cruickshank ran in the touchdown to get things going. Out of the wildcat, Cruickshank received the snap and faked the handoff to Jonathan Taylor and bounced off tacklers and bounced to the outside where he found space and strolled in for the 27-yard touchdown run.

Following a long drive that resulted in a field goal for Purdue, Taylor gave Bucky a 14-3 lead. Following a first down run by quarterback Jack Coan, Taylor received the handoff and made a dirty cut at the second level and ran virtually untouched for the 51-yard score.

But the Boilers came right back with two straight scores to take the lead. The first two plays of the first touchdown drive went for 65 yards. Those plays set up a 7-yard touchdown toss from Aidan O'Connell to Brycen Hopkins in the back right corner of the end zone. Wisconsin traveled into Purdue territory, but a fumble gave it right back to the Boilers.

Hopkins struck again on a trick play, as O’Connell threw a backward pass to Milton Wright, who then launched it to a wide open Hopkins, who ran in the rest of the way for the 37-yard touchdown to give the 25-point underdogs the lead.

But like Wisconsin did the entire game, it came back and took the game back. The Badgers gained 72 yards in eight plays to give the Badgers the lead. Coan found a wide open Jack Dunn in the back of the end zone.

With the Badgers still leading 21-17, they received the ball with 22 seconds left in the first half and the ball at the Wisconsin 27. Two runs moved them to the Purdue 47. Then a quick out pass from Coan to Quintez Cephus for three yards to the 44. While the three yards didn’t seem like much, it proved to be massive, as Hintze booted home the school record-breaking 62-yard field goal, barely sneaking it inside the left goal post and over the crossbar. Without that short gain, that kick isn’t good. That field goal gave the Badgers a huge boost as they went into the locker room with a 24-17 advantage.

Purdue tried to fight back by moving to the Wisconsin 32 on the first drive of the second quarter, but that possession was ended when O’Connell had to hurry his throw deep down the field, but Eric Burrell picked it off at the 5. Ninety-five yards later, it was 31-17. The big play was a 49-yard run by wide receiver Kendric Pryor to move into the red zone. Four plays later, Garret Groshek received the snap out of the wildcat and ran to the outside and won the race to the corner of the end zone for the score.

Wisconsin forced a turnover on downs and quickly scored a few possessions later to put the game away. Cephus made a whale of an adjustment on a back shoulder throw for a touchdown on a 29-yard score on the third play of the drive on a 48-yard possession.

David Bell tried to help on the comeback with a touchdown reception and the defense forced a turnover. Bell caught 12 passes for 108 yards and the score. But with a chance to cut it to one score, the Purdue offense could not reach Badgers territory and Wisconsin put the game away with a 1-yard touchdown plunge from fullback Mason Stokke.

As a team, the Badgers ran for 403 yards, led by 222 from Taylor, after the legend ran for 321 the previous year in West Lafayette. The Badgers made this win count by drubbing Minnesota in Minneapolis the next week to win the West and meet Ohio State in Indianapolis.