When the Badgers have the ball

UW's offense focused on two things during its bye week: Eliminate the interceptions that plagued quarterback Scott Tolzien, who threw five in the previous two games, and get back to making plays. The Badgers had just two plays of 20-plus yards in the last two games, a 33-yard completion to wideout Nick Toon against Ohio State three weeks ago and a 21-yard completion to tight end Garrett Graham vs. Iowa two weeks ago. As a result, the offense has averaged 11.5 points in the last two games, after scoring 35 in the first five. The key matchup will be right tackle Josh Oglesby against defensive end Ryan Kerrigan, who leads the Big Ten with 7½ sacks. Left tackle Gabe Carimi played with a shoulder injury against Iowa and struggled, but he was given the bye week off to recover. Gerald Gooden, the other starting defensive end, has three sacks. If Carimi can handle him, it will allow the Badgers to give help to Oglesby. Purdue's defense is riding high after holding Ohio State to 18 points and Illinois to 14. The Boilermakers rank ninth in the Big Ten against the run, allowing 156.2 yards per game. UW's John Clay had 41 carries for 134 yards the last two games, an average of 3.3 per carry.

When the Boilermakers have the ball

Purdue rushed for 220 yards against Illinois, which has the worst run defense in the league. So the Badgers can't disregard a running game led by sophomore Ralph Bolden, who is averaging 4.7 yards per carry and 90 yards per game. Quarterback Joey Elliott (above) also is a threat to run. Still, the key will be how UW's cornerbacks fare against the most productive receiver combination in the Big Ten. Junior Keith Smith leads the conference with 59 catches and senior Aaron Valentin is sixth with 43. The Badgers might scrap their rotation of four cornerbacks. Look for junior Niles Brinkley, who was No. 4, to have a bigger role. The inconsistent play of the UW cornerbacks threatens to undermine what otherwise has been a stifling defense, holding four straight Big Ten opponents to less than 100 yards rushing. The problem has been too many big plays. In the past two games, the defense has allowed 10 plays of 20-plus yards, including seven completions. Take away those plays and Ohio State and Iowa ran 92 plays for 204 yards.

Special teams

Purdue sophomore kicker Carson Wiggs hit a 59-yard field goal as time expired in the first half of the opener against Toledo, the longest in the nation among Football Bowl Subdivision kickers. He also had a 55-yarder against Ohio State. UW kicker Philip Welch, who made a 57-yarder earlier this season, needs to find his stroke after missing attempts of 33 and 38 yards in the last two games. Welch also is dealing with a groin injury and UW coach Bret Bielema said there is a chance freshman walk-on Alec Lerner, who has never appeared in a game, might have to kick. Valentin leads the Big Ten in punt returns with a 13.7 average, and he has returned one for a touchdown. UW receiver Isaac Anderson will get his first chance to return kickoffs this season, although David Gilreath will return the first one. UW sophomore punter Brad Nortman ranks second in the Big Ten and 10th nationally with a 44.4 average.

Intangibles

The Boilermakers have lost 10 straight road games since their win at Minnesota on Sept. 22, 2007. Mistakes and turnovers were issues in losses this season at Oregon and Minnesota. Purdue had three turnovers against Oregon, which led to 17 points, and three turnovers and a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown against Minnesota. Purdue was off UW's schedule the last two years. The Boilermakers' last trip to Camp Randall Stadium was a 31-20 loss in 2005 in which they turned the ball over five times. The last eight games between the teams in Madison were decided by an average of 5.1 points. Purdue won in 2000, 30-24 in overtime, and in 2003, 26-23. The Badgers are coming off a bye, following back-to-back losses. They have won 22 straight home games against unranked teams.

Prediction

The Badgers have issues at quarterback, kicker and cornerback. Tolzien is on an interception binge; Welch has a fragile psyche after two big misses in the last two games and now is dealing with a groin injury; and UW ranks 10th in the Big Ten in pass defense efficiency. Any of those three areas is enough to cost UW a victory over an improved Purdue team. But with last week off, the Badgers had time to gather themselves for the second half of the conference season. There's still a lot on the table that can be accomplished, but it must start with a win over Purdue. Season record: 5-2.

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