MADISON - Offensive coordinator Bobby Engram met with the media to discuss Wisconsin's loss to Michigan State and preview the Purdue Boilermakers.

He touched on several topics, such as Graham Mertz's late-game performance, Markus Allen's transfer, and more.

Purdue hasn't had the stingiest defense, but one thing the Boilermakers are doing is creating turnovers. They've picked off 10 passes through seven games, and their secondary, while not dominant, has been astute.

"I think they're opportunistic in terms of, they break well on the ball in the secondary," Engram said. "If there's a tip ball those guys seem to get their hands on it. I just think they're in the right spot and they play good, sound defense. Them being in the right position allows them to take advantage of when teams make mistakes.

"I think they do a good job, up front, the linebacker level, of blitzing. They don't do it a lot, but when they come...they do some things you have to be on top of, they bring some pressure from the boundary...They're a really well-coached, solid defense, and they play hard."

Wisconsin had some issues countering corner blitzes against the Spartans, so they should be on high alert for pressure from the boundary. Engram didn't single any defender out, but stressed that the Boilermakers play a solid brand of well-coached football.

The Badgers scored a touchdown on two of their first three drives in East Lansing, but struggled to move the ball consistently after that. The second half was especially slow offensively, with Wisconsin punting four straight times before pulling off the game-tying drive.

"We gotta do some things to move the football. I think we had some quicker drives, and part of the problem is we have to be better on first and second down," Engram asserted. "We got ourselves into some third or longs there in the second half...that's tough to overcome...I gotta do a good job of continuing to mix it up, and then we had a 12-play drive within those three and outs that we didn't score points on. So being consistent, sustaining drives and finding out ways to punch the ball in the end zone. Once we get to the red zone, we've been pretty good, we gotta find more ways to get there consistently."

The Badgers have been effective in the red zone, scoring at a .875 clip from inside the 20s. However, the inability to consistently move the ball and grind out yards has pestered this offense all year, and Engram knows it. Staying ahead of the chains and on schedule seems to be his main key for correcting the issue.

Before the season, Markus Allen was projected to have a substantial role in this offense. The highly-touted recruit was making plays all throughout fall camp, and he figured to at least be the third wide out behind Chimere Dike and Skyler Bell. On Saturday, Wisconsin only deployed four receivers, and Allen wasn't one of them. He announced his transfer the following day. Was Engram surprised?

"A little bit. Number 1, every situation is different. You talk to the young man, and you'll understand where he's coming from and what his reasons are. It's unfortunate, but we wish Markus well, and he had reasons that he felt like that was the right decision for him."

Even with the emergence of Keontez Lewis as a reliable receiving threat, it's still somewhat baffling how little playing time Allen got this season before he made the decision to transfer. He looked to be clearly among the alphas at wide receiver, but he couldn't put it all together on the field. He finished the season with seven catches for 91 yards and one score.

Say what you will about Mertz's performance Saturday, but it's undeniable that he made some clutch throws. The first was the touchdown to Lewis that kept Wisconsin alive on fourth and goal, where he layered it perfectly to the back corner of the end zone. The second came on third-and-10 in overtime, when he hit Dike on a crossing route for another score that kept the Badgers alive.

"I just think he's a competitor. I think he's grown in his time here, and it was good to see him make those throws in that moment and trust his guys. Graham obviously is throwing the ball but the o-line is protecting, the backs are stepping up and blocking linebackers, the receivers are making plays and the backs are making plays. So it's a collective effort of the offense when you're able to execute in a moment like that...Just proud of the way (Mertz) is working, how diligent he's stayed in this process and how consistent he's been in his approach."

Wisconsin's offense as a whole is struggling, and Mertz certainly isn't absolved of that blame. He threw a horrible interception early in the game that gifted the Spartans an easy touchdown. However, he stepped up when it mattered the most, and if it wasn't for a rare Braelon Allen fumble, he might've been the hero.

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