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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 10 • 1 opponent for Purdue's desperate cause. The Boilermakers haven't beaten a ranked team since 2011 (No. 23 Illinois, 21- 14) and have lost nine consecutive games to ranked teams. And they haven't even competed with the Badgers since 2004. In the last seven games against Wisconsin, Purdue has lost by an average of 27.1 points. "You're looking for that breakout mo- ment," Coach Darrell Hazell said of his program. "We need to have one of those signature moments that really takes us to the next level. Obviously, you're playing a great Wisconsin team and certainly it's a game we'll be looking forward to." Though Hazell insists he doesn't talk to players about what this stretch could BY STACY CLARDIE SClardie@GoldandBlack.com W hether it was realistic or not, before the season player after player said they thought this Purdue team could qualify a bowl game. They talked about being part of something special, experiencing a turnaround unlike any the program has seen, going from one victory to an extended season. "There's no reason why this team can't go to a bowl game," tight end Justin Sinz said in the summer. "That's our mindset is this is a bowl game team. That's how we're prepar - ing now and that's how we'll prepare up to the season starts. But we hope we can show we're a bowl team." To do it, the Boilermakers will need a furious finish. They're sitting on three victories with three games left. So they have to win out. That stretch starts with No. 25 Wisconsin on Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium, perhaps the worst-case TomCampbell Ryan Russell and his teammates are well aware that they must win the final three games to become bowl eligible, a goal many of the players had this season. 9.87 Melvin Gordon's rushing average in two games against Purdue, after he picked up 147 yards in 16 attempts last year and 80 yards in seven carries in 2012. 1 Wisconsin's ranking nationally in plays of 10-plus yards allowed this season. The Badger D has allowed just 68 all season, an average of 8.5 plays per game. 12 Ten-plus yards plays Purdue had against MSU. The Spartans are second nationally with 75 total. 6 Consecutive weeks Purdue has been a double-digit underdog, which includes all Big Ten games. That's rounding up for Iowa, which was a 9.5-point favorite. THE NUMBERS VOLUME 25, EX 10 • NOV. 6, 2014 Inside | Wisconsin preview 9-13 Replogle feature 18–19 | Notes 31–36 Men's basketball opens exhibition 39-41 Hoping For Furious Finish