WISCONSIN BADGERS

UW 47, Purdue 44 (3 OT): Jonathan Taylor lifts Badgers in extra sessions

Jeff Potrykus
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Jonathan Taylor left Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst nearly speechless.

That doesn’t take much, but Taylor’s performance in UW’s 47-44 triple-overtime victory over Purdue on Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana, was difficult to put into words.

Taylor gave UW the critical victory with a 17-yard run in the third overtime. 

“He truly is talented,” Chryst told the Big Ten Network. “And yet it doesn’t just happen. J.T’s got something special but he is the first one to admit it takes everyone."

Taylor finished with 321 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries for the No. 3 rushing mark in program history.

Only Melvin Gordon with 408 yards against Nebraska in 2014 and Ron Dayne with 339 yards at Hawaii in 1996 gained more rushing yards in a game for UW.

BOX SCORE: UW 47, Purdue 44

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Taylor rushed 12 times for 74 yards, an average of 6.2 yards per carry, in the first half. He rushed 21 times for 247 yards, an average of 11.8 yards per carry, the rest of the game. 

"We came together," Taylor told the Big Ten Network. "We’re a very resilient team. We’ve been fighting through so much this season so I took it upon myself to give everything I had for these seniors. 

"They have put so much into this program that I just wanted to let them know that I appreciate what they have done. 

"I’m going to try to continue the same footsteps that they set in front of me."

Taylor's performance helped UW prevail without quarterback Alex Hornibrook (concussion), right tackle David Edwards (left arm) and reserve tailback Taiwan Deal (hamstring).

Several UW players earned game balls to help the Badgers (7-4, 5-3 Big Ten) win for just the second time in five road games this season and extend their winning streak over Purdue to 13 games.

The Badgers opened league play with a 28-17 victory at Iowa but suffered road losses to Michigan, Northwestern and Penn State to drop out of the running for the West Division title.  

Purdue (5-6, 4-4) suffered its third loss in four games and still needs one more victory to become bowl-eligible under head coach Jeff Brohm.

Jack Coan, making his third start in place of Hornibrook, completed 16 of 24 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns. He hit Danny Davis (four catches for 36 yards) for touchdowns of 5 and 18 yards in the final 6 minutes 40 seconds to help UW wipe out a 27-13 deficit. 

Linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel had 10 tackles, all solos. His most important stop came in the fourth quarter with Purdue facing first and goal from the UW 10 and looking to build on a 24-13 lead.

Van Ginkel was able to bring down tailback Markell Jones from behind at the UW 1. It appeared Jones was headed for the end zone but Van Ginkel's hustle and long reach denied the score.

That play didn't delay the inevitable, either.

Jones gained nothing on second down, and UW linebacker Ryan Connelly stuffed Jones for a 1-yard loss on third down. Purdue settled for a field goal and a 27-13 lead with 9:57 left.

Cue Coan and Davis.

Coan closed a nine-play 62-yard drive with three consecutive completions. The last was a 5-yarder to Davis, who went up and snared the ball with his right hand and came down on his back in the end zone with 6:40 left in regulation.

Time for the defense to rise up. 

The Boilermakers gained 6 yards on first down but nothing on the next two plays, one run and one pass. 

UW took over at its 32 with 5:01 left. Taylor opened the drive with a 35-yard run and Coan and Davis capped it with an 18-yard touchdown pass. Rafael Gaglianone, who missed a 30-yard field-goal attempt in the first half, added the conversion to forge a 27-27 tie with 2:51 left.

"Every play makes such a difference," Chryst said when asked about Davis, who finished with four catches for 82 yards. "If we don’t get touchdowns, this doesn’t happen. 

"It takes some special plays and special moments and I thought so many guys came up with them."

Purdue got the ball back twice in regulation, but one drive ended at the UW 40 and the Boilermakers punted. Their last possession started at their 39, with 59 seconds left, and ended at the 44 after just three plays.

Van Ginkel's stop wasn't the only critical play by a UW linebacker. 

Senior T.J. Edwards stuffed fullback Alexander Horvath for a 1-yard loss on third and goal from the UW 2 in the final minute of the first half. That forced the Boilermakers to settle for a field goal and a 10-3 lead.

Taylor wiped out that lead with an 80-yard touchdown run on UW's first offensive play of the second half.

"There are so many guys that contributed to this one," Chryst said on his post-game radio show. "But I appreciate so much just the resiliency. They kept playing together. That is what makes it special." 

The three overtimes provided as much drama as regulation had, if not more.

UW won the coin toss and went on defense. Rondale Moore (nine catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns) helped the Boilermakers take a 34-27 lead with a 15-yard touchdown catch. Moore ran through several UW defenders on his way to the end zone. 

Could UW answer again? Yes. 

Taylor gained 2 yards, Coan hit tight end Jake Ferguson for 12 yards and Taylor took it to the house around the right side. 

UW got the ball first in the second overtime and Taylor ripped off a run of 22 yards to the 3. After a false-start penalty on UW and an offside call on Purdue, Garrett Groshek scored on a 4-yard run to help UW take the lead at 41-34.

Now it was up to the UW defense to clinch the victory.

Not just yet.

Purdue's David Blough (31 of 48 for 386 yards and four touchdowns), hit Isaac Zico, who beat cornerback Faion Hicks, for a 25-yard touchdown on the first play. Spencer Evans added the conversion to forge a 41-41 tie and force a third overtime.

UW’s defense held and forced Evans to hit a 41-yard field goal. Evans entered the day 1 for 5 from 40 yards or longer. 

Purdue’s defense finally flinched.  Taylor, whose scoring runs covered 80, 12 and 17 yards, gained 8 yards on first down of the third overtime and then tore through a weary defense for 17 yards and the victory.

Purdue couldn’t corral Taylor but his teammates did in the back of the end zone after the sophomore gave UW the victory. 

Taylor told the Big Ten Network that hitting the 300-yard mark for the first time at UW was the last thing on his mind.

"Toward the end of the game it came down to getting a win," he said. "Once we went into overtime the intensity and the energy, it just doubled.

"We had to come out with the win."

They did, improbably.