Badger Game Recap (vs Purdue)

“Montee Ball and the Badgers run Purdue out of the building”

• Wisconsin gained a season-high 645 yards of total offense. That is the second-highest total in school history, trailing only the school record of 705 yards UW piled up vs. Indiana on Oct. 16, 1999.

• The Badgers’ ran for at least 400 yards for the 16th time in school history. Their 467 rushing yards is the fifth-best total in school history, and the best since UW rushed for 499 yards at Hawaii on Nov. 30, 1996.

• Defensively, UW gave up a 52-yard pass on the first play from scrimmage. After that, the Badgers limited Purdue to 200 yards on the final 58 plays of the game.

• Purdue’s 252 yards of total offense was the lowest output for a Badger opponent this season and lowest since allowing Penn State 233 yards on Nov. 26, 2011.

• The Badger defense recorded a season-high five sacks. That’s the most for the Badgers since a 5-sack game vs. Miami in the 2009 Champs Sports Bowl.

• After not recording an interception in the first five games of the season, Wisconsin now has a pick in each of the last two games.

• Head coach Bret Bielema now has 65 career victories, tying him with College Football Hall of Famer Phil King for second-most among UW head coaches. Barry Alvarez has the most victories in school history with 118.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Senior Montee Ball rushed 29 times for a career-high 247 yards and 3 TDs. It was the fourth 100-yard game for Ball this season the 20th of his career. He went over 150 yards for the 10th time in his career and it was the third 200-yard game of his career.

• Ball now has 72 career touchdowns. According to official NCAA stats (did not include bowl games before 2002), Ball is just the third player in FBS history to score 70 or more TDs in his career, joining Ricky Williams of Texas (75) and Travis Prentice of Miami (OH) (78).

• Ball’s 72 TDs give him the Wisconsin and Big Ten career records. He passed 1999 Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne, who scored 71 career TDs (Dayne had eight TDs in bowl games in his career).

• Ball’s 67-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was the longest run of his career. His previous career-long was a 63-yard run vs. UNLV on Sept. 1, 2011.

• James White went over the 100-yard mark for the sixth time in his career and the first time since running for 134 yards against Northwestern on Nov. 27, 2010. It was the fourth time that both Ball and White went over 100 yards in the same game.

• UW hasn’t had a RB with 200-plus yards and other RB w/100-plus yards since Sept. 13, 1997 (Dayne, 254; Faulkner 114)

• It was the third time in Ball’s career he has gone for at least 100 yards vs. Purdue. His three-game total against Purdue is 70 carries for 597 yards and 8 TDs, an average of 199.0 yards per game and 8.5 yards per carry.

• Junior TE Jacob Pedersen caught his second touchdown pass of the season and 12th of his career in the first quarter. Pedersen’s 77 receiving yards were the second-most of his career. His career-best was 80 yards vs. Oregon State on Sept. 10, 2011.

• Junior S Dezmen Southward recorded his first career interception, picking off Caleb TerBush in the first quarter.

• Junior Ryan Groy, who started at left guard, made his first career appearance at left tackle. He filled in for Rick Wagner, who was injured in the second quarter.

• Junior DT Beau Allen blocked his first career punt. It was the Badgers’ first blocked punt since David Gilbert vs. Purdue on Oct. 31, 2009.