Sack specialist

Purdue junior defensive end Ryan Kerrigan leads the Big Ten with 7½ sacks and is second with four forced fumbles. He had three sacks and two forced fumbles in the Boilermakers' 26-18 upset victory over Ohio State two weeks ago. Kerrigan will be matched up against UW sophomore right tackle Josh Oglesby, who has been inconsistent in pass protection during his first season as a starter.

Air patrol

Opponents have produced 25 plays of 20 or more yards this season through the air against the Badgers, who are allowing a league-high 8.2 yards per passing attempt. Those big plays in the passing game have ruined what has otherwise been a stellar performance by the UW defense this season. If the Badgers aren't careful, the issue could rise again against Purdue quarterback Joey Elliott, who is second in the Big Ten with 252.8 passing yards per game.

Jekyll and Hyde

Which Scott Tolzien will we see today? The junior quarterback threw eight touchdown passes against two interceptions and had a pass efficiency rating of 164.30 in UW's first four games. He's thrown one touchdown and six interceptions and posted a QB rating of 99.65 in the last three games. The good news for Tolzien is that he won't see defenses the rest of the way like he's seen the last two games against Ohio State and Iowa.

Kick it into high gear

UW coach Bret Bielema has made it clear sophomore kicker Philip Welch's job is in jeopardy if he doesn't start producing better results. Welch has converted only 57 percent of his field goals this season, including misses from 33 and 38 yards the last two games. Welch also has been bothered by a groin injury this week, meaning freshman Alec Lerner could see time.

Rush to judgment

Some teams have had success running the ball against Purdue this season. Northern Illinois had 280 rushing yards in a 28-21 victory against the host Boilermakers Sept. 19, while Minnesota had 207 and four rushing touchdowns during a 35-20 victory over Purdue three weeks ago.

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