The 2013 WAY too early Badgers schedule breakdown: Purdue

Well, it looks like our staff is pretty confident that Wisconsin will enjoy some success early in 2013 during the bulk of the non-conference schedule

The Badgers will welcome Purdue and first-year head coach Darrell Hazell to Camp Randall Stadium on Sep. 21 to open up Big Ten play.

The Boilermakers showed some improvement in 2012, but lose the vast majority of their contributors on offense heading into 2013.

Wisconsin owns a 23-12-5 advantage in the series in games played in Madison. Purdue never won a game at Camp Randall while the Badgers were under the guidance of Bret Bielema. Will that trend hold true in the Gary Andersen Era?

Purdue Info:

2012 Record: 6-7, 3-5 Big Ten

Head Coach: Darrell Hazell, 1st season at Purdue in 2013

2012 Billingsley Ranking: No. 76

2012 Team Stats:

…more after jump…

2012 Crazy Stat: It may not seem crazy for a team that struggled as Purdue did at times last year, but the Boilermakers averaged over two fumbles per game last year. On average, they lost one per contest.

What does 2012 tell us about Purdue?: Well, considering the coaching change, it may not tell us a whole lot. One assertion that can be made, however, is that even though the Boilermakers may not be where they want to be as a program, there is some definite talent on the roster.

One of the first issues that has to be addressed by Hazell is turnovers. Earlier, we talked about the Boilermakers’ inability to hang onto the football, but, if you combine that with the over 1 interception that they averaged per game this year, you get a lot of missed opportunities.

 The Purdue defense averaged just under two takeaways per game in 2012. On one hand, think of the potential of this team if they could just hang onto the rock. On the other, think of how much worse 2012 could have been had the defense been unable to essentially negate all of the turnovers that plagued the offense.

Series history: Wisconsin leads 41-29-8- Last Meeting Wisconsin 38, Purdue 14 (2012)

Key Losses: Caleb Terbush QB (1,150 yards, 12 TD, 8 INT), Robert Marve, QB (1,742 yards, 15 TD, 5 INT), Antavian Edison, WR (58 rec, 652 yards, 8 TD), Akeem Shavers , RB (871 yards, 6 TD)

Key Returners: Rob Henry, QB (216 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT), Akeem Hunt, RB (335 yards, 2 TD), O.J. Ross, WR (56 rec, 454 yards, 2 TD), Gary Bush, WR (41 rec, 360 yards, 7 TD), Landon Feichter, S (80 tackles, 4 INT), Will Lucas, LB (66 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 1 INT)

WAY too early prediction: Wisconsin 35, Purdue 17- The Boilermakers have lost a lot offensively. While, from a personnel standpoint, a relatively clean slate may be an advantage to Hazell, it will likely cause some headaches in the early going. Nothing says “welcome to the Big Ten, coach,” quite like a trip to Camp Randall for your first conference game. Not to mention that Wisconsin ran absolutely wild on Purdue’s defense racking 467 rushing yards and 645 yards of total offense last year. The bulk of that defensive unit returns. It’s tough to see this one going Purdue’s way.