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has been a bigger thorn in Purdue's side than Wisconsin. The Boilermakers have beaten the Badgers three times since 1997, while only defeating Penn State twice. But Purdue's 15-year dry spell without a home win In the past 15 years of Purdue football, only Penn State FIVE POINTS TO PONDER 1 over Wisconsin is its longest against a particular opponent, as the Badgers have won the past four meetings between the two teams in Ross-Ade Stadium. Purdue would love to repeat what happened on Oct. 18, 1997. On that day, everything clicked for the Boiler- makers en route to a 45-20 win over the Badgers. "That game was a turning point in terms of us believ- ing in ourselves, really believing in ourselves, mer running back Edwin Watson in an interview Wednes- day, whose 75-yard scoring run in the first quarter helped break the game wide open. "That is the day we became Big Ten contenders and not pretenders. " recalled for- as it shut down, in relative terms, future Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne when it counted early in the game. Dayne managed 141 yards, but few really had an impact. "Coach Joe Tiller and (defensive coordinator Brock) Spack emphasized flying to the ball on every play, The Purdue defense was also a big story in the game, " ter from a Purdue fans perspective than 1997, and none worse than the 20-17 loss in 2004 when No. 5 Purdue couldn't hold a fourth- quarter lead. Since that fateful day, the Boilermaker program has managed to win just about half its games, while the Badgers have prevailed at a 75-percent clip. — Alan Karpick day's game marks the 21st time the two teams have met at Purdue's annual fall event, the most of any Boilermaker opponent. Purdue holds a 9-10-1 record against the Badgers, with none bet- As it will in 2012, the '97 game served as Homecoming. Satur- " linebacker Mike Rose this week. "We did that enough to keep Dayne under wraps and our speed was the differ- ence. " said 2 3 4 5 Can Purdue run the ball effectively enough to convert in short-yardage and achieve some balance offensively? Against comparable opponents, Notre Dame and Michigan, the Boilermakers have averaged just two-and-a-half yards per rush. That needs to be better. Michigan? This is an entirely different style of running game than the Wolver- ines, but nearly as imposing a challenge, no matter what the numbers say. Will the Boilermaker defensive front respond after getting dominated by hot topic once again. But the better question might be how much Marve even can play. STATISTICALLY SPEAKING PURDUE Offense Rank Averages Rushing 56 Passing 54 Scoring 31 172.4 241.0 36.6 How much will we see Robert Marve? Perhaps you've heard that this is a urday. Against Wisconsin last year, Mon- tee Ball and James White did whatever they wanted in the running game. What impact does the Michi- gan game have on the Boilermakers their next time out? Is their confidence rattled or their re- solve hardened? — Brian Neubert Can the Boilermakers tackle better? Purdue missed countless tackles Sat- Defense Rank Averages Rushing 58 Passing 52 Scoring 59 146.0 219.4 25.4 Out of 120 FBS schools WISCONSIN Offense Rank Averages Rushing 90 Passing 99 Scoring 88 133.5 195.3 24.0 Defense Rank Averages Rushing 25 Passing 58 Scoring 28 114.7 223.3 19.2 GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • volume 23, express 6 • 10