INSIDE
FOOTBALL
BY BRIAN MASON
Purdue's timing perfect to
get Badgers back on track
Wisconsin has dominated series in recent years
oilermakers may be
the perfect medicine to
treat what ails No. 24
Wisconsin after the Badgers'
tough-to-stomach loss last
Saturday at Arizona State.
For one, the start of Big Ten
play offers a renewed focus
for the Badgers, who seek to
join Ohio State (2005-09) and
Michigan (1947-50) in winning four straight league titles.
Beyond that, however, is the
fact that UW has dominated
Purdue in the recent history of
the series between the teams.
Wisconsin has won seven
straight against the Boilermakers, dating back to 2004,
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VARSITY September 19, 2013
and has done so convincingly.
Beginning with a 37-0 shutout victory at Camp Randall in
2009, Wisconsin has won its
last four matchups with Purdue by an average margin of
31.8 points per game.
In the last two meetings at
Camp Randall, the average
score has been 49.5 to 8.5 in
favor of UW. The first of those
was the Boiler blanking in '09,
but it was the 62-17 dismantling in 2011 that deserves
extra attention giving the Badgers' current circumstances.
That matchup came on the
heels of back-to-back gutwrenching losses at the hands
@BADGERFOOTBALL
SCHEDULE (2-1)
LAST WEEK
Sept. 14
at Arizona St.
L, 32-30
COMING UP
Saturday Purdue
2:30 p.m.
Sept. 28
at Ohio State
7 p.m.
Oct. 12
Northwestern 2:30 p.m.
Oct. 19
at Illinois
7 p.m.
of Michigan State and Ohio State.
Much like that UW squad, the current
crop of Badgers returns home angry and
looking to right the ship against Purdue
in front of the home fans.
Times may have changed for both programs, which are under the direction of
first-year head coaches, but the Badgers
are once again turning to a tried-andtrue remedy after a difficult loss ― the
support of 80,000-plus fans at Camp
Randall Stadium.
Expect the Badgers to come out of the
tunnel with a full head of steam, ready to
knock Purdue off the tracks again.