Box Score Oct. 31, 2009
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MADISON, Wis. - John Clay scored three touchdowns and the Badgers’ defense limited Purdue to just 141 yards of total offense as Wisconsin shut out Purdue, 37-0, Saturday afternoon at Camp Randall Stadium.
Purdue - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0
Wisconsin - 7 - 17 - 10 - 3 - 37
The shutout win marks the first for the Badgers since a 14-0 defeat of San Diego State in 2006 and the first in a conference game since a 59-0 shutout of Indiana in 1999.
With the win, Wisconsin becomes bowl eligible and improves to 6-2 overall, 3-2 in the Big Ten Conference. Purdue drops to 3-6, 2-3.
Clay had a big day with the three touchdowns and 24 carries for 123 yards. He eclipsed the 100-yard mark before halftime. Tight end Lance Kendricks also finished with more than 100 all-purpose yards, finishing with four carries for 91 yards and two catches for 21 yards.
Aside from the Badgers’ offense, their special teams unit came up with a score as freshman David Gilbert blocked a Purdue punt and Aaron Henry recovered the loose ball for a touchdown.
Defensively, Jaevery McFadden led the Badgers with nine tackles. Freshman linebacker Chris Borland forced a fumble, recovered two fumbles and added four stops. The Boilermakers finished with three turnovers compared to just one interception thrown by Badgers quarterback Curt Phillips in the fourth quarter.
Wisconsin got things started on its opening drive with an 11-play, 80-yard drive that resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run by Clay. The Badgers ran on every play of the drive, with Clay carrying the ball eight times.
The Badgers then jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the opening seconds of the second quarter, as Philip Welch kicked a 32-yard field goal. The points capped off an 11-play 65-yard drive for the Badgers.
Both teams came up empty on their next possessions, but Devin Smith then picked off a Joey Elliott pass at the Purdue 20 to put Wisconsin in excellent field position. The Badgers took advantage, using four plays before Clay ran into the end zone for another 1-yard TD run to give Wisconsin the 17-0 lead.
The Badgers weren’t quite done in the first half, though. After Purdue went three-and-out on its next possession, freshman David Gilbert flipped over the punt protectors to block Chris Summers’ punt, which Aaron Henry recovered and ran into the end zone to give Wisconsin a 24-0 lead heading into halftime.
In the third quarter, Wisconsin scored on its opening drive after just two plays. Kendricks rushed for 54 yards on an end-around, and then Clay punched it in for his third touchdown of the day. Clay actually fumbled the ball but recovered in the end zone to put the Badgers up, 31-0.
Welch connected on a 42-yard field goal later in the third quarter to put the score at 34-0 and then added a 22-yard boot in the fourth quarter for the final points of the game and UW’s 37-0 margin of victory.
Purdue had opportunities to score on its final two drives, but defensive end J.J. Watt batted down a Caleb TerBush pass at 4th and goal from the UW 3 and Borland recovered his second fumble on the Boilermakers’ final drive.
Badgers QB Scott Tolzien started Saturday and went 6-for-13 passing for 87 yards. Phillips finished 3-of-6 for 28 yards and ran four times for three yards.
For Purdue, Elliott finished 5-of-23 for 59 yards and did not complete a pass in the second half. TerBush went 4-for-10 with 22 yards.
Purdue’s 141 yards of total offense is the lowest total yardage for a UW opponent since Northern Illinois was held to 99 yards in 2007.
Wisconsin hits the road next week and travels to Bloomington, Ind., to take on Indiana. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Memorial Stadium.
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