WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Jonathan Taylor rushed for a career-high 321 yards and scored three times including the decisive 17-yard run in triple overtime to give Wisconsin a 47-44 come-from-behind victory at Purdue on Saturday.
Taylor's 33 carries matched his career high from earlier this season and helped the Badgers (7-4, 5-3 Big Ten) avoid back-to-back losses for the first time this season.
Wisconsin has won 13 straight in the series dating to 2004.
Purdue's fifth-year senior David Blough threw for 386 yards and four touchdowns in his final game at Ross-Ade Stadium but came up short of leading the Boilermakers (5-6, 4-4) to a bowl-clinching victory. Freshman Rondale Moore had nine catches for 114 yards and two scores — wiggling his way through four Badgers defenders on a 15-yard TD catch in the first overtime.
Purdue appeared to be headed toward its crucial sixth win after Markell Jones bounced off a defender and scored on a 12-yard run and Moore caught a pass on the move, made a nifty move at full speed and scored on the 46-yard play to make it 24-13 with less than a minute to go in the third. Spencer Evans' 20-yard field goal gave Purdue a 27-13 lead early in the fourth.
But the Badgers charged back after Danny Davis made a spectacular one-handed, 5-yard grab near the sideline to cut the deficit to 27-20. He tied it with an 18-yard TD catch with 2:51 left in regulation.
Taylor then matched Moore's score with a 12-yard TD run. And after the teams traded scores in the second overtime, Purdue made a 41-yard field goal in the third overtime to take a 44-41 lead. Taylor scored two plays later to win it for the Badgers.
Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan made his second straight start, finishing 16 for 24 with 206 yards and two TDs. Junior wide receiver A.J. Taylor had five catches for 89 yards, while Davis had four receptions for 82 yards.
UW's Andrew Van Ginkel keyed a defensive corps that never gave up against the Boilermakers, piling up 10 tackles and two sacks. Isaiahh Loudermilk joined in the fun with one sack and safety Rachad Wildgoose collected two pass break-ups. T.J. Edwards and Ryan Connelly kept pace with "Gink," collecting 10 tackles (2.0 TFLs) and 9 tackles (1.0) respectively.
The Badgers close out the regular season against Minnesota on Saturday, Nov. 24 at Camp Randall Stadium. Axe Week starts now as the annual Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe is only one week away. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. (CT).
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
