Oct. 31, 2009
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Wisconsin Post-Game Notes
Wisconsin vs. Purdue
Oct. 31, 2009
Camp Randall Stadium – Madison, Wis.
Team Notes
• With a win today, Wisconsin is bowl-eligible for a school-record eighth-consecutive time. That is the second-longest active streak in the Big Ten.
• Wisconsin’s 37-0 win over Purdue marked the team’s first shutout since blanking San Diego State, 14-0, in Bret Bielema’s first year as head coach on Sept. 16, 2006.
• Saturday also marked the Badgers’ first shutout of a Big Ten opponent since holding Indiana scoreless in a 59-0 win on Oct. 16, 1999.
• Wisconsin’s last shutout over Purdue came on a 9-0 win in West Lafayette in 1955 and the last time UW blanked the Boilermakers in Madison was a 13-0 win in 1941. Saturday’s 37-0 win was also UW’s largest margin of victory against Purdue since the Badgers posted a 41-0 win in 1912.
• In Big Ten play, Wisconsin has scored seven touchdowns off of 12 opponent turnovers (including five TDs off of six interceptions). One of the turnovers UW failed to convert into a TD was a fumble on Minnesota’s final drive that resulted in the Badgers running out the clock while another was today's fumble recovery by Chris Borland that allowed UW to run out the clock and end the game.
• Wisconsin needed to pass for just 115 yards Saturday, the lowest passing total in a winning effort since throwing for a mere 75 yards in the 2008 season-opener vs. Akron.
Offensive Notes
• Running back John Clay tied a career-high with three TDs today, giving him 10 on the season. They were his first touchdowns since scoring a career-high three against Minnesota. Clay entered today’s game leading the Big Ten in rushing touchdowns.
• Clay, who went over the 100-yard plateau in the first half, finished the game with 24 carries for 123 yards. It was his fourth 100-yard game of the season and seventh of his career.
• Junior tight end Lance Kendricks carried the ball for the first time in his career on UW’s opening offensive play of the game. The rush went for 21 yards. Kendricks carried the ball four times for a career-best 91 yards in the game, including a 54-yard run in the third quarter that set up a Clay touchdown.
• Kendricks also had two catches for 21 yards, giving him 112 all-purpose yards.
• The Badgers scored a touchdown on their opening drive for the third time this season. UW’s drive was 80 yards and consisted of 11 plays (all rushes), eating up 5:33 of clock and culminating in Clay’s 1-yard touchdown run.
• Nine different Badgers ran the ball today, including two wide receivers and a tight end.
• Wisconsin scored touchdowns on three of its five red-zone attempts and has now scored on 23 of its 32 red zone trips on the season.
• Wide receiver Nick Toon’s 37-yard reception in the third quarter was a career-long. He finished with three catches for 55 yards.
• UW rushed for at least 200 yards for the third time this season, finishing with 266 yards on 53 carries.
• True freshman wide receiver Kraig Appleton made his first career catch, hauling in a 6-yard pass from Curt Philips in the third quarter. He finished with two catches for 15 yards.
Defensive Notes
• UW held Purdue to just 141 yards of total offense. That is the lowest total since limiting Northern Illinois to just 99 offensive yards on Oct, 20, 2007.
• Wisconsin limited the Boilermakers to just 60 rushing yards in the game, the lowest opponent total since Michigan State rushed for 25 yards on Nov. 1, 2008.
• The Badgers held Purdue to a mere 81 yards passing in the game. The last time UW held an opponent to under 100 yards passing was vs. Cal Poly on Nov. 22, 2008, when the Mustangs had 95 passing yards.
• Purdue’s 2-of-16 (.125) third-down conversion percentage was the lowest UW opponent percentage since Iowa went just 1-for-10 on Oct. 18, 2008.
• Wisconsin held Purdue’s leading rusher, Ralph Bolden, to just 37 yards. The Badgers have not allowed a 100-yard rusher during Big Ten play this season.
• Linebacker Culmer St. Jean recorded his first career sack in the second quarter. Defensive tackle Jeff Stehle also recorded his first sack of the season (and second of his career) in the second quarter while fellow d-tackle Dan Moore recorded his second sack of the season in the third quarter.
• Cornerback Devin Smith recorded his second career interception, picking off a Joey Elliot pass in the second quarter. It was Wisconsin’s 10th interception of the season as a team. The Badgers have picked off at least one pass in six of their last seven games.
• For the second time this season, Wisconsin’s defense shut out an opponent in the first half (Wofford was the other). In the last two games, UW has allowed just three first-half points.
• True freshman linebacker Chris Borland made his first career start, forcing one fumble and recovering a pair of fumbles. That is just the 15th time in school history that one player has recovered two of more fumbles in a single game. He has now forced three fumbles this season and also recovered three. Borland finished with four tackles, including one tackles for loss.
Special Teams Notes
• Freshman David Gilbert blocked his first career punt, resulting in Aaron Henry’s 7-yard touchdown return, in the second quarter. It was Wisconsin’s second blocked punt of the season. Gilbert was also involved in the first, as he recovered Chris Borland’s blocked punt vs. Wofford in the end zone for a TD. UW has scored three touchdowns off special teams this year (two punt blocks and a fake field goal).
• Kicker Philip Welch made all three of his field goal attempts (22, 32 and 42 yards). It was the first time this season and third time in his career that he has made at least three field goals.
