In a game where there was an opportunity to have a bounce back game, Wisconsin football did that and then some today. The Badgers whooped the Purdue Boilermakers 52-6 to get their first Big Ten win of the season. The Wisconsin offense was dominant from the kick as they scored 14 points in the first quarter and 21 in the third. Al in all, it was a 589 yard performance for Phil Longo’s offense. Here are some takeaways from the win today.
Brayden Locke Started Slow, but was Excellent in the Second Half
If you have ready my content over the last few weeks, I am not always the biggest fan of Brayden Locke. I am not always a fan of the foot work and the decision making process. It was not a good start for the redshirt sophomore as he threw two first half interceptions. Coming into this game, the Purdue defense only forced two turnovers all season.
However, Locke was dialed in the second half. It was probably one of the better halves I have seen a Wisconsin football quarterback have in a handful of years (maybe Graham Mertz against Illinois in 2020). Locke ended the day 20-31 for 359 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. The Badgers need good quarterback play the rest of the season. This was a great start and encouraging for Locke the rest of the way.
Wisconsin Got to Use Their Two Stud Freshman Running Backs
Luke Fickell mentioned earlier in the week we wanted to get away from the running back by committee approach and use only two running backs mostly. It then came out late in the week starting running back Chez Mellusi was stepping away to focus on his health.
We knew Tawee Walker would get the start. He was fantastic with 19 carries for 94 yards and three touchdowns. The second running back was true freshman Darrion Dupree over sophomore Cade Yacamelli. Dupree has shown glimpses of huge potential. He ended today with 24 yards on seven carries.
We also saw another true freshman in Dilin Jones. He had 65 yards on seven carries that included a nice 47 yard run in the fourth quarter. It seems a little crazy to think, but Dupree and Jones could be the top two backs on this Wisconsin football roster next year. It was good to see them get legitimate game action today.
Have a Day Trech Kekahuna
It did not look good for the Badgers as top two receivers Will Pauling and Bryson Green left today’s game with lower body injuries. They will need them if they are going to beat Rutgers next week.
However, today was a career day for redshirt freshman Trech Kekahuna. We have heard from day one how fast he is and the impact he can have. He was on full display today as he had 134 yards and two touchdowns on six receptions. Because of how good Will Pauling is, Kekahuna doesn’t see as many snaps as the backup slot. He took advantage of every opportunity he got.
Other young receivers like Vinny Anthony II and C.J. Williams had nice games too with their opportunities. Anthony had a 52 yard touchdown and Williams had 60 yards on four catches.
Wisconsin Football Can Use This as Momentum Moving Forward
The schedule isn’t going to get any easier and it starts next weekend against 4-1 Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights did supper their first loss of the year at Nebraska today, but it was their first real test of the year too.
There is no doubt Purdue is awful. They are clearly the worst team in the Big Ten and one of the worst FBS team too. This was a game I said this Wisconsin football team had to find something they could rely on the rest of the season. I think showed they can rely on the passing game and running game. This is still a run first team, but Locke showed he can be successful in this offense.
The Alabama and USC offenses are juggernauts while Purdue is not. The secondary was not challenged all that much today, but they needed a week off in that regard. I don’t see them being challenged much next week as Rutgers will want to run the ball. This was a nice blowout win this Wisconsin football team needed and was missing.
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