| Wisconsin vs. Purdue, Saturday, Nov. 6, at West Lafayette, Ind. Wisconsin
has a steamroller-type running game, a much improved passing game and a very good defense,
while Purdue has the best passing offense in the Big Ten. Both teams are capable of
beating anyone on any given day but have had too many down games to be ranked in the Top
10. The Badgers lost to Cincinnati but looked like the best team in the nation in the
second half of the Ohio State game and played even better against Indiana. The
Boilermakers destroyed some weak teams yet looked overmatched against Michigan. Then they
were unstoppable, scoring 52 points vs. a fine Michigan State team that had beaten the
Wolverines. The next week Purdue was one play away from beating Penn State. Wisconsin did
a number on Michigan State after Purdue had softened the Spartans up. If the Purdue and
Wisconsin teams that played the Spartans show up, this should be a classic matchup of a
great passing team against a great running team.
Quarterbacks — Wisconsin has finally found a quarterback in
redshirt freshman Brooks Bollinger. He is a fine runner and an above-average passer who
really threw well against Indiana. Purdue’s Drew Brees is the most prolific passer
the Big Ten has seen in a long time. He is very accurate, sees the field well, can avoid
the rush and fits head coach Joe Tiller’s wide-open passing offense very well. Brees
is extremely tough but does not have a big arm by NFL standards. He does have enough arm
strength to throw the long ball. Edge: Purdue.
Running backs — The hub of Wisconsin’s offense is RB Ron
Dayne. Dayne is a 250-plus-pounder who glides to the hole and really does not hit it up in
there that hard, but once he puts it into gear, he is a real load. He has the quick feet,
vision and run skills of a true tailback and can make tacklers miss. Once he is rolling,
trying to tackle him is about as hard as trying to stop an 18-wheeler going 70 mph on the
highway. Dayne can catch but is rarely thrown to because Wisconsin does not throw to its
backs much. Dayne’s blocking is disappointing. Sophomore Michael Bennett, who backs
up Dayne, has the speed to go the distance and had a very nice long run in the Indiana
game. Purdue is a one-RB team that rotates its backs. The Boilermakers don’t really
have a star RB type. Edge: Wisconsin.
Receivers — Brees’ favorite target is Chris Daniels. Daniels
caught 21 passes for 301 yards vs. Michigan State but has had some games when he dropped
very catchable balls. He is a big, power-type receiver with some run-after-the-catch
ability. At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, he could match up very well against Wisconsin’s
smallish cornerbacks. Vinny Sutherland is the Boilermakers’ deep threat and a gifted
open-field runner. Randall Lane put up big numbers last year, and Tim Stratton is a very
good pass-catching tight end who may have the surest hands on the team. Wisconsin’s
Chris Chambers and Nick Davis are big-play makers with run-after-the-catch ability.
Chambers has more pure speed, but Davis is a better runner with the ball. TE Dague
Retzlaff is the biggest target in the Big Ten but is used more for blocking. Edge:
Even.
Offensive linemen — Wisconsin may have the best offensive line in
the conference. Chris McIntosh is no Paul Gruber, but he is one of the top left tackles in
the country and will be a high draft pick. ORT Mark Tauscher was considered a career
backup, but the former walk-on was talked into playing a fifth year and has really done
well for an average athlete who is not as tall as scouts would like. He plays with a nasty
disposition, and when he bends his knees, he is an effective player. Four years ago C Jim
Niedrach was the most athletic member of Purdue’s offensive line. Now he is the
fourth- or fifth-best athlete. Purdue’s line is geared toward pass blocking and is
not nearly as strong in the running game as Wisconsin’s. Edge: Wisconsin.
Defensive linemen — Wisconsin has one of the better defensive
lines in the country. Sophomore DT-DE Wendell Bryant has a chance to develop into an
All-American and is the most dominating and gifted big man the Badgers have had on their
line in many, many years. Rush end John Favret is a very good pass rusher, and Eric Mahlik
and Ross Kolodziej are solid. Purdue has a pair of blue-collar-type tackles in senior
David Nugent and sophomore Matt Mitrione. DRE Akin Ayodele has a lot of pass-rush
potential. Edge: Wisconsin.
Linebackers — Purdue does not have great size at linebacker, but
Willie Fells and Mike Rose are playmaker types, and Jason Loerzel may be the most complete
linebacker on the team. However, Fells and Rose are small players who get smothered a lot
and can’t come off blocks. Wisconsin’s Chris Ghidorzi is a smart player but a
limited athlete who may not be as instinctive as advertised. Donnel Thompson may not have
Ghidorzi’s size, but he is more instinctive and plays faster than Ghidorzi and seems
to get more done. Bryson Thompson is the best athlete of the trio. Don’t be surprised
if Wisconsin takes out one or two linebackers and replaces them with defensive backs to
match up with Purdue’s receivers. Edge: Purdue.
Defensive backs — Wisconsin has two excellent little sophomore
corners who can really cover in Jamar Fletcher and Mike Echols; a strong safety who can
jump through the rafters and cover a lot of ground in Bobby Myers; and a hard-hitting,
run-stuffing free safety who could move to linebacker in this game in Jason Doering.
Fletcher is an exceptional player who had a great game vs. Michigan State and a
sensational interception return vs. Northwestern. All of Wisconsin’s backup corners
and safeties are freshmen and sophomores. How well they play may be a key to this game.
Boilermakers senior CB Michael Hawthorne has impressive size but may lack true CB
quickness. He is not much of a hitter or tackler. Hawthorne and fellow CB James Dunnigan
could be keys to the game, because if they can handle Wisconsin’s speedy outside
receivers one-on-one, Purdue can play its safeties (or at least SS Adrian Beasley) like
extra linebackers. Edge: Wisconsin.
Special teams — Wisconsin PK Vitaly Pisetsky has a very strong
leg and is a top kickoff man. P Kevin Stemke is one of the best in the country. The same
applies for RS Davis, who plays a lot faster than he times. In Sutherland, Purdue has one
of the more dangerous return men in the country, but the Boilermakers’ kickers are
not as good as Wisconsin’s. Edge: Wisconsin.
Prediction: Wisconsin 41, Purdue 30 |
