Boilermakers Country

Wisconsin's John Torchio Named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Following Game Against Purdue Football

John Torchio was on the receiving end of two of Purdue quarterback Aidan O'Connell's three interceptions in a 35-24 loss to Wisconsin. The senior safety returned one for a touchdown and also registered a team-high 10 tackles against the Boilermakers.

D.J. Fezler

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MADISON, Wis. — Purdue football found itself playing from behind all game long in Saturday's 35-24 loss to Wisconsin on the road. Sixth-year senior quarterback Aidan O'Connell and the offense couldn't find a rhythm, resulting in an early 21-0 deficit. 

O'Connell threw three interceptions during the matchup, the same number as last year's pummeling at the hands of the Badgers. Wisconsin senior safety John Torchio was on the other end of two of those giveaways in Week 8, including a 31-yard pick-six in the first quarter. 

With his dominant performance against the Boilermakers, which also included a team-high 10 tackles, Torchio earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week accolades. 

“They’re just smart players, very similar coverages to what we saw last year,” O’Connell said after the game. “I just played a bad game, didn’t make the throws I needed to, didn’t make good decisions. Credit to them for playing well.”

Torchio's touchdown return came on O'Connell's second throw of the game. Following a Wisconsin scoring drive that spanned 76 yards in just six plays, Purdue fell behind quickly inside Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis. 

O'Connell was looking underneath on a toss to redshirt senior wide receiver Tyrone Tracy out of the backfield. Torchio broke on the ball and waltzed into the end zone to give the Badgers a 14-0 lead with 11:16 still to play in the first quarter. 

The Boilermakers would later open the third quarter with the ball and O'Connell made the same mistake, throwing over the middle into tight coverage intended for redshirt senior tight end Payne Durham. 

Torchio stepped in front of the pass and returned the ball to the Purdue 14-yard line. Two plays later, Wisconsin crossed the goal line to take a 28-3 lead. 

"The safety made a good play on the first two of them," O'Connell said. "The first one, I didn't see him roll down running the angle route out of the backfield. It hurts when he takes it for a touchdown, you hope to tackle him to give your defense a chance.

"The second one, I saw him. He was kind of dropping, and I thought I could fit it in there but obviously couldn't. No. 15 is a good player, and he made some big plays." 

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D.J. Fezler
D.J. FEZLER

D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball. 

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