Wisconsin football insider: What the victory at Purdue means for the Badgers

WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. – A recap of Wisconsin’s 38-17 victory over Purdue on Friday night at Ross-Ade Stadium.

BIG PICTURE

The Badgers opened the Big Ten season on the right note and did so displaying some of the facets of play the team’s faithful have been waiting for. Wisconsin started fast, was balanced offensively and continued to force turnovers. The Badgers also took care of the business on the road, which is no small feat in the Big Ten.

The turning point came in the first quarter when Tanner Mordecai ran for two TDs

The Badgers came out of the blocks fast and it made a major difference. The team scored twice in the first quarter and reached the end zone on its first three possessions, chewing up 175 yards in 31 plays on the way to building a 21-3 lead. And what a difference playing with the lead makes. Purdue had UW on its heels for most of the second half, but the Badgers had built up such a large cushion that they were able to overcome their mistakes.

THUMBS UP

Tanner Mordecai, Braelon Allen and Ricardo Hallman were among the Badgers who came up big

* Tanner Mordecai didn’t match the 195 yards Syracuse quarterback Garrett Schrader ran for last week against the Boilermakers, but he was a threat with his feet during the team’s fast start. He finished with 14 carries for 44 yards to push his season total to 103 yards in 36 carries. That’s three more yards than he ran for last season at SMU.

* Nathanial Vakos is making the field goal attempt a drama-free event. He went 3 for 3 on Friday with a long of 48 yards. He hasn’t missed a field goal or extra point this season.

* Cornerback Ricardo Hallman picked off two passes, including a first-half ending interception at the goal line.

* Third-down execution was a problem for the Badgers coming into play but not this week. UW converted its first eight third-down opportunities, chain-moving moments that were key to the team’s 21-point burst to begin the game.

* Defensive end James Thompson put together another solid performance, finishing with a career-high six tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack.

* Braelon Allen continues to play well against the Boilermakers. His 16-carry, 116-yard performance pushed his totals to 44 carries for 369 yards, an 8.4-yard average, with five touchdowns.

* Receiver Will Pauling completed two passes to Mordecai. The first led to a touchdown and the second resulted in a two-point conversion.

THUMBS DOWN

Penalties and second-half defense mar winning effort

* Wisconsin was penalized a season-high 11 times for 70 yards.

* The Badgers’ defense was on the ropes in the second half when the Boilermakers gained 233 of their 396 yards and strung together touchdowns on their first two possessions.

Wisconsin football schedule: Badgers get bye week before Rutgers comes to Camp Randall

Ideally a team’s bye week would come later in the season. For UW the early bye will allow it time to get healthy. Center Jake Renfro and defensive end Isaiah Mullens, who missed the first three games, could return after the break. The time off also will allow the coaches to process the expected loss of tailback Chez Mellusi and get his replacement ready.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin football insider: What the Purdue win means for the Badgers