Badgers dig out of hole with late fumble return

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — With less than three minutes to play and Wisconsin trailing Purdue by three points, Badgers cornerback Scott Starks suddenly had the game sitting at his feet.

Starks returned a fumble by Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton 40 yards for a touchdown to lift 10th-ranked Wisconsin to a 20-17 win over No. 5 Purdue.

The Boilermakers (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) were clinging to a 17-14 lead when Orton, a Heisman Trophy hopeful, took a naked bootleg and lunged for a first down. Starks hit Orton low and safety Robert Brooks hit him high, forcing the fumble.

Starks scooped up the loose ball and sprinted to the end zone with 2 minutes, 36 seconds to play, capping a stunning comeback for the Badgers (7-0, 4-0), who have started the season with seven consecutive wins for the second time since 1912.

The play was reviewed, and replays showed the ball was out before Orton’s arm hit the ground.

“I’ve been in this racket for a long time,” Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez said. “And I’ve never been part of a game like this.”

Orton tried to recover on the ensuing series, driving Purdue to the Wisconsin 25. But Ben Jones’ 42-yard field goal was wide right, and the Badgers ran out the clock.

“We had a chance at the end, we just blew it,” Orton said.

Until Starks’ big play, the Boilermakers – not the Badgers – appeared poised to join Michigan as the only Big Ten teams with perfect conference records.

Orton scored from 6 yards out with 8 minutes to play to give Purdue a 17-7 lead.

But that kicked off a scoring binge in a game that started as a defensive slugfest.

Badgers sophomore quarterback John Stocco calmly led a 73-yard drive and hit Booker Stanley for a 7-yard TD that pulled Wisconsin within 17-14.

Orton, a candidate for the Heisman Trophy, was 25 for 45 for 235 yards and a TD. But he had three turnovers – an interception and two fumbles in critical situations.