Spotlight #1: Wisconsin C Peter Konz
Spotlight #2: Wisconsin CB Antonio Fenelus
1st quarter
14:47: Konz helps open a huge hole for Ball on a long run.
12:58: Konz helps open another big hole up the middle for Ball.
12:12: Konz helps double team in pass protection.
8:51: Konz powers a guy off the line one on one.
3:24: Konz with a great one on one pass block, held block the longest of any of the offensive linemen on a touchdown pass.
1:53: Fenelus has one on one in the fringe of the end zone, quarterback looks his way, nothing there, has to look to his 2nd option and forces it to him in tight coverage, could have been picked.
1:20: Fenelus explodes up to get a tackle for loss, nice open field tackle to force a field goal after a receiver catches the ball in the flat.
1:01: Konz runs well to block on an outside run, not a lot of centers can do that.
2nd quarter
12:57: Konz helps blow another inside hole for Ball. Ball is having an awesome game, running both inside, thanks in part to his blocking, but also on the outside.
12:14: Konz allows Ball to basically walk into the end zone up the middle for a 1 yard touchdown.
12:05: Fenelus dominated on a block downfield on an outside run. Pushed way downfield with ease like a rag doll by a receiver. Solid pickup by the Purdue back.
10:47: Fenelus thrown on deep, may have gotten away with pass interference, but incomplete and a deflection.
10:36: Konz does a good job of blocking downfield on a sizeable run.
10:03: Konz whiffs on an outside run, still moved well, good effort as well.
9:35: Konz helps Wisconsin convert 3rd and 1 with a quarterback sneak. Wilson fumbles, recovered by Purdue.
9:28: Wisconsin linebacker Mike Taylor with another big play, interception after a deflection by the cornerback. The junior linebacker is having a great year, but likely won’t declare.
9:19: Konz matched up with Purdue’s Kawann Short, their best defensive player and a junior. He wins the match up. They’ve rarely matched up, but Konz is winning the battles.
7:49: Good hand fight by Konz one on one.
7:19: Konz with good pass protection one on one, just like the rest of Wisconsin’s line on this play, nothing open downfield so Wilson eventually runs with it for a good gain.
5:54: Fenelus with poor motor on a reverse.
2:59: Konz leads the way for Montee Ball up the middle for a 3 yard touchdown. Also flawless pass protection by him on this drive. 35-10 Wisconsin. Konz is having a dominant game and this Wisconsin offense is just having their way with Purdue’s defense early.
2:09: Fenelus in on a tackle for loss on a run play.
0:52: Fenelus thrown on, way overthrown deep, Fenelus one of multiple defenders well covering receiver deep.
0:46: Fenelus almost gets another tackle for loss on a pass in the flat, but receiver laterals it at the last second. Big gain by Purdue on the trick play.
0:33: Fenelus well blocked on an outside run.
0:29: This time PI is called on Fenelus in the end zone in one on one. Smart actually to play him tight because PI had not been being called much earlier. Seemed like refs were letting them play and on a short yardage play in the end zone, not a huge yardage penalty. Actually a bit of a savvy play to prevent a touchdown, but the fact remains that he was beat a bit on the play.
3rd quarter
14:04: Ball thrown to Fenelus’ side, behind him to another receiver he wasn’t covering. Didn’t react quick enough to the ball in the air to help out in coverage on the intended receiver or to make a play on the ball. Ball still deflected by other defensive back, who makes a good play.
12:01: Montee Ball with another long run, 223 yards on 20 carries. He’s absolutely having his way with Purdue’s defense. Great game and career high and the 3rd quarter just started. Two good runs on that 2 play scoring drive to make it 45-17 Wisconsin. Both up the middle powered by great blocking by Konz, right guard Kevin Zietler, a likely 2nd round pick, and left guard Travis Frederick, a sophomore and a future high pick. Ball is getting fantastic blocking, but he’s doing a lot himself as well. Tough to bring down in the open field.
9:27: Fenelus can’t quite come up out of deep coverage and make the tackle on the tight end short of the sticks before the tight end’s man misses the tackle. Would have been a tough tackle from far on a bigger man, but good effort to try and eventually bring him down after the first.
8:02: Fenelus doesn’t take the best route on an open field tackle after another play allows the catch, but eventually forces him out of bounds.
7:20: Fenelus comes out to close on a receiver in the flat for a short gain.
2:01: James White in on this series. Wisconsin’s offense doesn’t seem the same at all. Has to punt for the 2nd time all night. Ball isn’t just a system back. Offensive line still played well here.
4th quarter
14:12: Fenelus with good instincts to recover a fumble on a long punt return. Good special teams play by a guy who could have to play a lot of special teams at the next level.
10:51: Wisconsin has pulled offensive starters. Let’s see if they do the same defensively.
4:50: They have. My work here is done.
0:00: This game was an absolutely blowout. Wisconsin had their way with Purdue on both sides of the ball in a 62-17 win. The win was led by Wisconsin’s running game once again, as it always is. Montee Ball rushed for 223 yards and 3 touchdowns on 20 carries and added a 9 yard reception in a dominant career high performance. Especially impressive is the fact that he did this is roughly just over a half as he was taken out in a blow out after his 3rd touchdown with 12 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.
Ball was helped out by great blocking, especially interior blocking by Peter Konz, Kevin Zietler, and Travis Frederick. Konz was extremely impressive in his spotlight game. At 6-3 315, he’s bigger than the average center and he’s an extremely physical interior block, physically a guard, but mentally a center and he can also move. He’s a great pull blocker for a center and also gets into the 2nd level with ease and completely dominates linebackers.
I didn’t focus on Zietler as much in this one, but he really did help with interior blocking, propelling Ball to an amazing game, primarily up the middle. Zietler, however, had an awesome game in his spotlight game against Illinois and he did that with Konz hurt and out of the lineup. Both project as early 2nd rounders, though Konz could go in the 1st out of need for centers because he is the top center in this draft class.
Ball definitely benefited from his blocking, but he’s not a system back. The offense really does not look the same when James White is out there. White rushed for 50 yards and 2 scores on 17 carries and really didn’t get anything going with or without the starting offensive line in from of him. Wisconsin also struggled offensively against Michigan State when Ball sat out of a few series with injury in an eventually Wisconsin loss.
Ball’s offensive line does an amazing job of getting him a few yards untouched, but Ball has the vision to take advantage of the holes opened up and the power and explosiveness to break free for huge gains on the ground. On the season, he rushed for 1759 yards and 32 touchdowns on 275 carries with 20 receptions for 255 yards and another 6 scores.
He can break the Barry Sanders’ single season touchdown record in Wisconsin’s bowl against Oregon and he has really been on fire since John Clay got hurt last year and allowed Ball, previously a 3rd stringer, to get some action and split carries with White. He outplayed White and eventually became a Heisman candidate. He worked very hard to get himself in shape as a former 3rd stringer and is a very hard worker and a high character kid going forward. Ball and this offensive line played really well, though the matchup wasn’t the toughest, but they’ve dominated tougher matchups before.
Russell Wilson didn’t have to do much in this game with Montee Ball and company leading the way, but the quarterback once again did a good job of game managing. He was 15 of 20 for 205 yards, 2 touchdowns, no picks and also rushed for 76 yards and another score on 10 carries. He did fumble. Nick Toon didn’t impress on the stat sheet with 3 catches for 35 yards, but Wisconsin wasn’t passing much. The projected day 2 pick has 55 catches for 822 yards and 9 scores on the season.
Purdue’s best defensive player is Kawann Short. The 6-3 310 pound defensive tackle has 53 tackles, 17.5 for loss, and 6.5 sacks on the season, but the junior is just a projected day 2 pick so it’s unlikely he declares. He was absolutely dominated in this game by Wisconsin’s offensive line. It wasn’t entirely his fault that Wisconsin was able to gut them on the ground, but he certainly didn’t help and didn’t play well.
Defensively, Wisconsin cornerback Antonio Fenelus had a great game. Fenelus is Wisconsin’s #2 cornerback opposite junior Marcus Cromartie, who likely will return next season. The senior Fenelus didn’t have the toughest matchup in this game, but only allowed 1 catch for 0 yards to Justin Siller. Siller might not be the best receiver, but the 6-3 215 receiver has 45 catches on 430 yards and a touchdown on the season.
Fenelus is only 5-9, but showed the ability to match up with bigger receivers in this game. He showed a good motor and good effort against the run as well, including a tackle for loss, though the undersized 5-9 190 did get thrown around like a rag doll on a couple blocks. He had two physical plays in the end zone, either one could have been called PI, but only one was. He definitely looks like a talented player, but his size and the fact that he’s just a #2 cornerback in college limit him to being a potential nickel or dime back in the future and that makes him a late round pick. He’s definitely draftable.
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