Wisconsin is has dropped two straight games and sits at 2-2 as it seeks its first Big Ten win.

As the Badgers get ready to host the Boilermakers, what questions surround the program as it looks to make it 18 straight wins over Purdue?

The Badgers' running game has yet to find any sort of traction in 2024. Wisconsin's longest run is currently a 29-yard scamper by Cade Yacamelli. It's second longest? Chez Mellusi's 21-yard run against Alabama on which he fumbled. That's not to say the offensive line hasn't played well. In fact, AJ Blazek's unit might be the steadiest position on the team through a third of the regular season.

"They're doing a good job. They've very well coached. It's the strength of what we know when we walked in the door here," head coach Luke Fickell said. "It's gotta continue to be the strength of what it is that we do. If they're gonna be the strength, and they are, if they're gonna be the historic group that's expected around here, we've still gotta ask for more."

Still, Wisconsin's tailbacks have yet to get hot. Fickell acknowledged that could be due to the expanded rotation the Badgers have deployed in the backfield as the coaching staff searches for consistent playmakers on offense.

"That's one of the things that I'm gonna put on the offense more is look, I don't know if you can play four, five running backs. We've gotta focus in on who's gonna be one, who's gonna be the next guy and who's the spare. It doesn't give them an opportunity to get into rhythms," Fickell said.

Through four games, Mellusi has accounted for 41 percent of the carries, while Tawee Walker has accounted for 28 percent and Yacamelli has handled 15 percent of the touches in the backfield. Then there's Darrion Dupree with 11 percent of the carries, and Dillin Jones and Jackson Acker have gotten handoffs as well. That's a lot of mouths that Wisconsin is currently feeding, and like Fickell said, the Badgers need to tighten the rotation to allow one or two ball-carriers to get hot.

Meanwhile, this could be a great week to focus on a running game renaissance, as Purdue is 130th in the nation in terms of yards-per-game allowed on the ground. Only three programs are worse in that department. Purdue also surrenders 5.5 yards-per-carry, which is also near the bottom nationally. It's been gashed for huge totals multiple times, as Notre Dame racked up 362 yards rushing while Oregon State amassed 341 yards on the ground.

Looking at Wisconsin's remaining schedule, Purdue might be the weakest team on the slate. That begs the question: Can the Badgers finally put together something that resembles a complete performance before they get into the thick of Big Ten play?

That's in terms of playing a four-quarter game as well as playing well in all three phases, both things Wisconsin has yet to do in 2024. The wins haven't been convincing, and the losses have been plagued by those exact issues. There were some positive steps from each unit against USC, but the good came with the bad. A good example is the Badgers' special teams, which was great in terms of kick coverage, punting and explosive returns. The unit also muffed a punt, however, that significantly shifted momentum towards the Trojans.

"On the road in this league, you gotta play great on special teams. You gotta stay dominant on special teams. I thought we did a really good job in that phase of the game," Fickell said. "We ended up giving one back to them...but for the most part with everything else, we were pretty solid there."

Good special teams play, including flipping the field with long punts and staying disciplined on punt coverage so as to not give electrifying return man Zachariah Branch any room to work, is a big reason Wisconsin hung around for much of the game in Los Angeles. Steadily improving in the third phase of the game will go a long way towards the Badgers finally compiling a complete performance.

In theory, this is a favorable matchup for Wisconsin to put forth a well-rounded showing. Purdue is 110th nationally in total offense and just fired its offensive coordinator. Meanwhile, the aforementioned run defense is highly suspect, meaning the Badgers have a great shot to play ball-control and dictate the pace of this game.

16 games into his tenure, Purdue head coach Ryan Walters was forced to let go of his offensive coordinator Graham Harrell. He's replaced him with Justin Simmons, an offensive analyst who will take over the play-calling duties. Simmons is something of an unknown quantity, as he hasn't been a play-caller at the college level and has only had one other college gig as the running backs coach at Miami (Ohio).

Changing the offensive coordinator mid-season often isn't as groundbreaking a move as it may appear, as a team won't be able to completely revamp its scheme. The decision-making and play-calling will certainly change, but the design and nomenclature of the offense isn't something you can scrap entirely mid-season. Fickell maintains that his staff is very much in the dark about what Purdue's offense could resemble come Saturday.

"We don't know what's going on. I try not to speculate," he said. "Obviously, we gotta prepare to play them, so there's some things you're trying to figure out, but who knows if it hasn't been like that for the last three weeks. There's a lot of things you have no idea of. It's just another one of those things, it's another obstacle in the way, things you have to assume and things you have to prepare for."

Overall, Purdue's offense hasn't looked like much. It's passing offense checks in at 110th, while its rushing offense sits at 79th nationally. Quarterback Hudson Card averages just 156 yards-per-game through the air. The strength of this offense lies more in its two tailbacks Devin Mockobee and Reggie Love, both of whom have healthy averages on the ground and have been consistent contributors. Ultimately, it'll be fascinating to see how this Boilermaker offense operates Saturday in Madison.

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