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    • Purdue’s season could change if its 17-game losing streak to Wisconsin ends
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    Purdue’s season could change if its 17-game losing streak to Wisconsin ends

    Madoc Meredith Posted on

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    • Saturday’s game: Purdue (1-3) at Wisconsin (2-2), noon, BTN
    • The Boilermakers haven’t beaten Wisconsin since 2003, a 17-game stretch.

    Purdue football could leave Wisconsin with the win of its life on Saturday.

    Not in a figurative sense. These Badgers don’t have the aura of those largely responsible for 17 straight wins in this Big Ten rivalry. The Boilermakers haven’t beaten Bucky since Ben Jones’ 18-yard field goal with three seconds left on Oct. 18, 2003, won 26-23.

    We mean the literal use of the word lifetime. Linebacker Winston Berglund, class of 2005, is one of many Purdue players younger than the losing streak they face Saturday.

    “Gotta get this thing going.” Purdue’s new offensive coordinator is desperate for solutions

    “My second year here, we’re sitting in the meeting and I’m probably one of the younger guys starting,” center Gus Hartwig said. “Coach (Jeff) Brohm says, ‘The last time we beat them, Gus was like A.’

    “There are people who aren’t even born yet. (Dillon) Thieneman probably wasn’t even alive.”

    He’s right – the starting safety wasn’t born until the following August. However, he was still alive when this almost generational series of defeats began on October 16, 2004.

    Purdue travels to Wisconsin on Saturday, just a few weeks before the 20th anniversary of “The Fumble.” This play and its aftermath closed the book on one of the richest chapters in the program’s history.

    Few Boilermaker teams were as desperate for a win at Camp Randall as this one. With a three-game losing streak in tow and even tougher opponents, this team will look to do something they haven’t done once this season: take a chance.

    Purdue vs. Wisconsin: “The Fumble”

    Even though that moment happened 20 years ago, it still haunts many Boilermakers fans.

    As ESPN College GameDay made an unprecedented visit to Ross-Ade Stadium, No. 5 Purdue led No. 10 Wisconsin 17-7 with eight minutes to play. Get this win and the Boilermakers will be real BCS contenders. Kyle Orton would take a big step in the Heisman Trophy discussion.

    Still leading 17-14 with less than three minutes to play, Orton ran a bootleg around the right side on third-and-3. Orton had the distance he needed, but as he lunged forward, linebacker Scott Starks hit him low and safety Robert Brooks hit him high.

    Orton did a somersault and the ball went flying. Starks picked it up and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown.

    Ben Jones couldn’t repeat his heroics, missing a 42-yard field goal with 28 seconds left. The 20-17 loss remains a clear dividing line in Purdue football history.

    • This team lost its next three games by a total of seven points. Instead of competing for the national championship, Purdue’s season ended outside the top 25 after a Sun Bowl loss to Arizona State.
    • The Boilermakers fell from No. 5 to No. 12 with this loss. While the 2005 team climbed as high as No. 11, no Purdue team has cracked the top 10 since the blunder. Since 2005, the show has spent a total of two weeks in the poll, none higher than No. 23.
    • In the last 20 years, there has been one nine-win season, two eight-win seasons and 13 losing seasons. Unless there is a turnaround in the final two-thirds of the schedule, this could be the 10Th Season with four or fewer wins since the fumble.
    • This game was Purdue’s third GameDay appearance in two seasons. It hasn’t been seen in this showcase since – not even as a visiting team. October 16, 2004 remains the college football institution’s only visit to West Lafayette.

    Less measurable — but just as tangible — was Purdue’s lack of an Orton-like presence at quarterback. Yes, Curtis Painter stepped in the next season and nearly overtook Drew Brees’ career passing numbers. Yes, Brohm was fortunate to have Aidan O’Connell on his roster when none of his scholarship quarterbacks were out.

    A program that proudly proclaims its quarterback history has too often been ordinary at best at the position.

    This brings us straight to the present. When Walters detailed his reasons for firing Graham Harrell after four games, he specifically mentioned that quarterback Hudson Card “didn’t look like himself.” The performance the team showed in offseason and preseason camp — and in the opener against Indiana State — has disappeared over the last three weeks.

    Walters hired Jason Simmons — the head coach at Ben Davis High School just two years ago — to try to revamp the offense. If successful, the formula will almost certainly include a revitalization of Card.

    “It would be big, but at the same time I’m attacking Wisconsin like I do every week,” Card said. “They are just another opponent for us.”

    play

    Purdue offensive coordinator Jason Simmons

    Purdue interim offensive coordinator Jason Simmons on how he got the news, his coaching background and what the offense needs to resolve.

    Will Purdue break Wisconsin’s losing streak this year?

    You don’t have to be a keen observer to sense frustration surrounding the program. The Boilermakers know that if this offense had simply reflected last season’s midfield, they might be 3-1 now.

    That may also have contributed to the sense of urgency Walters felt in making an offensive coordinator change this week. This may be the most vulnerable Wisconsin team Purdue has played in the two decades since its last win.

    If you only consider data from games against FBS opponents, Wisconsin’s offensive record in no way resembles that of the days of Jonathan Taylor, Ron Dayne or Russell Wilson. The Badgers are ranked 95thTh in points per game, 109Th in yards per game, 115Th in quarterback efficiency: 83approx on first downs, 79Th on third down percentage 92nd in red zone attempts and 110Th on plays of more than 10 yards.

    Things got even worse this week when running back Chaz Mellusi left the team to focus on his health. In 2021, he ran for 149 yards and a touchdown against Purdue. After suffering a season-ending ankle injury against the Boilers last season, he hasn’t been the same.

    Even the traditionally strong Wisconsin defense allows almost 6 yards per play.

    A perfect opportunity for Purdue to pounce, right? The problem is that the Boilermakers perform worse than Wisconsin in each of the above categories. (One deviation: With just four plays of 20 yards and two of 30 yards, the Badgers’ offense is even less explosive than Purdue’s.)

    Wisconsin defeated a non-special MAC team, Western Michigan, 28-14. It defeated a nationally ranked FCS team, South Dakota, 27-13. Then it lost at home to Alabama and on the road to USC by a total of 80-31.

    This game offers a unique convergence of belief and possibility. Purdue players insist their locker room remains positive. They still believe they are better than the results showed. It hurt to watch Harrell walk away, but they have faith in Walter’s attempt to at least bring the offense back into balance.

    Purdue can’t win 17 games on Saturday. It can’t win a single game if the unpleasant decision from last weekend also causes distraction this weekend.

    At the same time, few Boilermaker teams needed to finish this series more than this one.

    “That would be great … to have the opportunity after 21 years to somehow change history,” Hartwig said.

    It could also change the course of the season and bring some light to a season that is getting a little darker every week.

    Follow IndyStar Purdue Insider Nathan Baird on X at @nwbaird.

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    Madoc Meredith
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