MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Nearly a month had passed since Wisconsin had won a game. After losses to Ohio State and Iowa and a week off, it felt even longer.

"We know we're better than that," said John Clay, the Big Ten's leading rusher, who ran for 123 yards Saturday in a 37-0 shutout of Purdue. "We just wanted to finish off these games like we're supposed to do, and that's what we did."

Clay scored three touchdowns and Wisconsin blanked a Big Ten opponent for the first time since 1999, snapping a two-game losing streak.

Freshman David Gilbert, who turned 18 on Saturday, added a leaping blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown with his parents and younger brother, Aaron, in from Florida to watch him.

The athletic play by Gilbert, who asked coach Bret Bielema if he could jump over the shield, put an exclamation point on a dominant first half in the victory, which made the Badgers bowl-eligible for the eighth consecutive year.

"It's a beginning," Bielema said. "We've made strides. We're a good football team."

Wisconsin (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) and Purdue (3-6, 2-3) came in heading in opposite directions after the Boilermakers had beaten Ohio State and Illinois. But it was Purdue's worst shutout loss since a 48-0 defeat at Notre Dame in 1992 and worst Big Ten shutout since 1991, when the Boilermakers lost 42-0 at Michigan.

Purdue gained 141 yards on offense for the game, nine fewer than Wisconsin rolled up in a 150-yard first quarter.

Quarterback Joey Elliott had the worst start of his career, going 5 of 23 for 59 yards and an interception before being replaced late in the third quarter. Elliott's receivers didn't help him either, dropping six passes.

"I'm real surprised, just like anybody else is," Elliott said. "We've thrown and caught really well all year. Whenever you're struggling there, one drop happens, then they keep multiplying. I had some bad reads. I made some mistakes today. It's not all on them trying to get open."

Wisconsin has won 23 straight home games against unranked opponents.

The Badgers rushed for 266 yards and started with 11 straight runs in an 80-yard TD drive on their first possession. The 248-pound Clay, who also leads the Big Ten in rushing TDs, flattened the Boilermakers early and capped the drive with a 1-yard dive to make it 7-0.

Clay said running the ball on every play showed that the Badgers weren't backing off their plans.

"We're not scared to run the ball on any down," Clay said. "It can be third-and-long or third-and-short, we've got the confidence in that offensive line and I have confidence in them that we can get the job done."

After the first of three field goals by Philip Welch made it 10-0, Wisconsin scored twice in a span of 31 seconds in the second quarter to put it out of reach.

Elliott made an ill-advised throw from his goal line that Wisconsin cornerback Devin Smith picked off at the Purdue 20. Four plays later, Clay scored from the 1 to make it 17-0.

Purdue was forced to punt on its ensuing possession, but Gilbert leaped over 6-foot-3 defensive tackle Adam Brockman and 6-foot-6 offensive tackle Peters Drey to get his hands on Chris Summers' punt.

"I noticed the punter was kind of close to the shield," Gilbert said. "If I could get up there, I could get my hands on it."

Aaron Henry returned the block 9 yards for a TD to make it 24-0. Clay made it 31-0 early in the third quarter when he ran for 3 yards, fumbled at the goal line and recovered it in the end zone.

Elliott was benched for freshman Caleb TerBush late in the third quarter, and Purdue coach Danny Hope was blunt in his assessment of his senior quarterback.

"I thought he threw some bad balls," Hope said. "We didn't do a very good job from a timing standpoint. We didn't do a very good job as far as catching the footballs that we threw."

Purdue's quarterbacks finished 9 of 33 for 81 yards.

The last time the Badgers were this dominant in the Big Ten was a 59-0 rout of Indiana 10 years ago when the Badgers rolled up 461 yards rushing behind Ron Dayne and Michael Bennett. This one feels almost as good.

"Winning," Bielema said, "is good for the soul."