One of the not-so-subtle challenges issued to the University of Wisconsin football team's cornerbacks in the last two weeks came in front of the entire defense during a meeting.

Defensive coordinator Dave Doeren displayed a newspaper article that pointed out how well the Badgers' front seven has played this season. The story didn't say UW's cornerbacks were keeping the defense from being a great unit, but that's the feeling sophomore Devin Smith got after reading it.

"It's a little disappointing," Smith said. "We've been trying hard, but we haven't been having the success that we needed."

Until Saturday. Led by Smith, the Badgers' much-maligned pass defense finally produced a complete effort during a 37-0 victory over Purdue at Camp Randall Stadium.

The Boilermakers, who entered the game third in the Big Ten Conference in pass offense, finished with only 81 passing yards. Junior wide receiver Keith Smith, the Big Ten's leader in receptions and receiving yards, had just one catch for eight yards.

Some of Purdue's woes were self-inflicted. Senior quarterback Joey Elliott was out of sorts from the start and finished just 5-of-23 for 59 yards before being replaced by Caleb TerBush in the third quarter. It didn't help that the Boilermakers dropped at least six passes.

"I'd just say they got their swagger back today,'' senior defensive end O'Brien Schofield said of UW's cornerbacks. "They were pressing receivers and I was really impressed. ... The presence of the corners was so good that receivers were just dropping balls.''

Allowing big plays in the passing game has been UW's Achilles' heel all season. The Badgers had allowed 25 plays of 20 or more yards through their first seven games, but they didn't give up one longer than 16 yards against the Boilermakers.

Doeren and secondary coach Kerry Cooks made changes during the bye week following UW's 20-10 loss to Iowa on Oct. 17. Instead of rotating four cornerbacks -- Smith, Antonio Fenelus, Aaron Henry and Niles Brinkley -- the coaches went with Smith and Brinkley as the starters Saturday and stuck with them throughout the game.

Smith, who has started every game this season, forced a fumble on Purdue's opening series that was overturned after an official review. But three series later, he jumped a comeback route by Purdue wide receiver Aaron Valentin and intercepted a pass from Elliott and stepped out of bounds at the Purdue 20-yard line. It set up a touchdown run by John Clay that gave the Badgers a 17-0 lead.

Brinkley also played well in his first start since UW's game against Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl last December.

"The whole week, they were just pounding in our head that we've got to gain respect," Brinkley said. "Teams don't respect us."

That may change after Saturday.

"Those guys have been good in some of those earlier games," UW coach Bret Bielema said. "They've just got to play with a little bit more confidence and a little bit more urgency."

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