Purdue football could leave Wisconsin with the victory of a lifetime Saturday.
Not figuratively. These Badgers do not carry the aura of the ones largely responsible for 17 consecutive victories in this Big Ten rivalry. Not since Ben Jones’ 18-yard field goal with three seconds remaining delivered a 26-23 victory on Oct. 18, 2003, have the Boilermakers beaten Bucky.
We mean the literal use of the word lifetime. Linebacker Winston Berglund, born in 2005, is one of many Purdue players younger than the losing streak they confront Saturday.
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“My second year here, we’re sitting in the meeting, and I’m probably one of the younger guys starting,” center Gus Hartwig said. “Coach (Jeff) Brohm is like, ‘The last time we beat them, Gus was like 1.’
“There’s guys who weren’t even born now. (Dillon) Thieneman probably wasn’t even alive.”
He’s correct — the starting safety was not born until the following August. He was alive, however, for this near-generational losing streak’s start on Oct. 16, 2004.
Purdue travels to Wisconsin on Saturday only a couple weeks shy of the 20th anniversary of “The Fumble.” That play and its aftermath effectively closed the book on one of the richest chapters in the program’s history.
Few Boilermaker teams have visited Camp Randall more in need of a victory than this one. With a three-game losing streak in tow and even tougher opponents ahead, this team will try do something it has not done once yet this season: Seize an opportunity.
Purdue vs. Wisconsin: ‘The Fumble’
Though the moment happened 20 years ago, it vividly haunts many Boilermakers fans.
With ESPN College GameDay making an unprecedented visit to Ross-Ade Stadium, No. 5 Purdue led No. 10 Wisconsin 17-7 with eight minutes to play. Finish off that victory, and the Boilermakers are real BCS contenders. Kyle Orton would make a huge stride in the Heisman Trophy discussion.
Still leading 17-14 with under three minutes to play, Orton ran a bootleg around the right side on 3rd-and-3. Orton had the yardage, but as he dove forward, linebacker Scott Starks hit him low and safety Robert Brooks hit him high.
Orton somersaulted and the ball popped loose. Starks picked it up and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown.
Ben Jones could not replicate his heroics, missing a 42-yard field goal with 28 seconds left. The 20-17 loss remains a stark dividing line in Purdue football history.
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The Boilermakers dropped from No. 5 to No. 12 with that loss. While the 2005 team climbed as high as No. 11, no Purdue team has cracked the top 10 since the fumble. Since 2005, the program has spent a total of two weeks in the poll, none higher than No. 23.
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The past 20 years featured one nine-win season, two eight-win seasons and 13 losing seasons. Barring a turnaround in the final two-thirds of the schedule, this could be the 10th season of four or fewer wins since the fumble.
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That game marked Purdue’s third GameDay appearance in two seasons. It has not appeared on that showcase since — even as a visiting team. Oct. 16, 2004, remains the college football institution’s only visit to West Lafayette.
Less measurable — yet equally tangible — has been Purdue’s lack of an Orton-like presence at quarterback. Yes, Curtis Painter stepped in the next season and nearly overtook Drew Brees’ career passing numbers. Yes, Brohm was fortunate to have Aidan O’Connell on his roster when none of his scholarship quarterbacks panned out.
A program which proudly proclaims its quarterback history has too often been ordinary at best at that position.
Which brings us squarely into the present. In detailing his reasons for firing Graham Harrell after four games, Walters specifically mentioned quarterback Hudson Card “has not looked like himself.” The performance the team saw in the offseason and preseason camp — and into the opener against Indiana State — disappeared the past three weeks.
Walters tabbed Jason Simmons — Ben Davis High School’s head coach a mere two years ago — to attempt to rejuvenate the offense. If successful, the formula almost certainly will also involve a revitalization of Card.
“It would be big, but at the same time, I’m attacking Wisconsin like I do every week,” Card said. ”They’re just another opponent for us.”
Is this year Purdue breaks Wisconsin losing streak?
One need not be a keen observer to sense frustration around the program. The Boilermakers know, if this offense had merely mirrored last season’s middle-of-the-pack production, they might be 3-1 right now.
That also may have contributed to the sense of urgency Walters felt when making an offensive coordinator change this week. This may be the most vulnerable Wisconsin team Purdue has played in the two decades since that last win.
Using only data from games against FBS opponents, Wisconsin’s offensive resume resembles nothing like the one from the days of Jonathan Taylor, Ron Dayne or Russell Wilson. The Badgers rank 95th in points per game, 109th in yards per play, 115th in quarterback efficiency, 83rd in first downs, 79th in third-down percentage, 92nd in red zone attempts and 110th in plays of 10-plus yards.
Things turned from bad to worse this week when running back Chaz Mellusi stepped away from the team to focus on his health. He ran for 149 yards and a touchdown against Purdue in 2021. After suffering a season-ending ankle injury against the Boilers last season, he hasn’t been the same.
Even the traditionally stout Wisconsin defense allows nearly 6 yards per play.
A perfect opportunity for Purdue to pounce, eh? Problem is, the Boilermakers rank lower than Wisconsin in each of those above categories. (One deviation: With only four plays of 20-plus yards and two of 30-plus, the Badgers offense is even less explosive than Purdue’s).
Wisconsin beat a non-special MAC team, Western Michigan, 28-14. It beat a nationally ranked FCS team, South Dakota, 27-13. Then it lost to Alabama at home and USC on the road by a combined 80-31.
This game provides a unique convergence of belief and opportunity. Purdue players insist their locker room remains positive. They remain convinced they are better than the results have shown. It hurt to watch Harrell leave, but they trust Walters’ attempt to jolt the offense back to, at least, adequacy.
Purdue cannot win 17 games on Saturday. It also cannot win one game if last weekend’s uncomfortable decision remains a distraction this weekend.
At the same time, few Boilermaker teams have needed to end this streak more than this one.
“That’d be awesome … to have an opportunity to go out and kind of change the narrative after 21 years,” Hartwig said.
It could also change the trajectory of the season and shine some light into a season darkening a little more each week.
Follow IndyStar Purdue Insider Nathan Baird on X at @nwbaird.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue season can change if it ends 17-game losing streak vs Wisconsin
