Game day is upon us, as the No. 14 Wisconsin Badgers welcome the Purdue Boilermakers to Madison for a Big Ten West showdown.
BadgerBlitz.com breaks the huddle and presents our Pre-Snap Read -- three keys to UW sending out its seniors the right way in their final home game at Camp Randall Stadium.
FIRST READ: CONTAIN THE CHUNK PLAYS IN PURDUE'S PASSING GAME
The Boilermakers come into this game averaging under 80 yards per game on the ground. So, in all likelihood, the potential big plays and any chances to drive the ball downfield will come from their passing attack.
Despite missing wide receiver Rondale Moore and quarterbacks Elijah Sindelar and Jack Plummer, wide receiver David Bell and tight end Brycen Hopkins could give the Wisconsin secondary some fits. Bell, a true freshman, leads the team with 65 receptions for 791 yards with five touchdowns and holds four 100-yard games to his credit. Hopkins averages 12.5 yards per catch on 45 grabs with three scores through the air.
If Wisconsin continues to make Purdue a one-dimensional offense, getting pressure on walk-on quarterback Aidan O'Connell will be key. Redshirt seniors Chris Orr and Zack Baun have combined for 19.5 of Wisconsin's 37 sacks on the season.
SECOND READ: KICK START THE WISCONSIN RUN GAME (AGAIN).
The second bye week appears to have helped Wisconsin get back on track with its rushing attack. Two 300-yard performances for Paul Chryst's and Joe Rudolph's unit have allowed UW to jump back up to 15th in the nation at 235.1 yards per game.
We'll see just how much the offensive line is affected by the absence of starting left tackle Cole Van Lanen (head injury), but redshirt sophomore Tyler Beach has already played in all 10 games with a start against Central Michigan.
I have mentioned this a lot this week, but Jonathan Taylor has gained some yards in his first two seasons against Purdue (averaging about 270 per game). This could very well be the junior back's final game inside Camp Randall Stadium with NFL talk surrounding him. Establishing this attack is always key for the Badgers, and the Boilermakers give up about 172.2 yards per contest heading into this weekend. That included 251 yards on 5.6 yards per carry to Northwestern two weeks ago.
For those wondering, Taylor needs 537 yards to break 2,000 for the season.
THIRD READ: KEEP PURDUE'S DEFENSE HONEST WITH STRETCHING THE FIELD
As seen against Iowa, Wisconsin pushed vertically down the field with a few throws, and in Lincoln, the Badgers' offense hit pay dirt on a catch-and-run that turned a first down into a game-changing touchdown.
In all, Wisconsin's offense has seen two straight games of 50-yard completions. If Purdue sells out to contain Taylor, quarterback Jack Coan could have opportunities to hurt the Big Ten West foe through the air. The junior signal caller has completed over 72 percent of his throws this season for 1,826 yards and 13 touchdowns to just two interceptions.
For that matter, Purdue gives up over 238 passing yards per game. Will we see big performances from a Quintez Cephus or Jake Ferguson on Saturday?