MADISON, Wis. -- When the offense has failed No. 7 Wisconsin during the 2017 season, the Badgers' defense has picked the team up time and time again.

The Badgers' 17-9 Big Ten Conference victory Saturday against Purdue at Camp Randall Stadium offered many examples.

Wisconsin's defense allowed only three second-half points to the Boilermakers, and also held them to zero touchdowns on four red-zone opportunities.

Through six games, the Badgers' defense has given up 17 points. Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said the defense is a stout unit.

"I think the players are embracing the moments they're in," Chryst said. "I thought we put them in some tough spots today but they rose up.

"We've got some good leadership in that group and guys have played in some games. We're certainly going to have them continue to do that, and I think we've got to find a way to complement them a bit better offensively and on special teams."

On offense Saturday, freshman running back Jonathan Taylor had 30 carries for 219 yards and a touchdown to help Wisconsin defeat the Boilermakers for the 12th straight time.

Taylor, a true freshman, has accumulated 986 rushing yards in six games for the Badgers (6-0, 3-0).

Purdue coach Jeff Brohm was impressed with Taylor's effort and the offensive line surrounding him.

"He's going to be as good as they've probably had here in a while," Brohm said. "He's an impressive young man. He's got size and strength. He's got a great system and great players around him to do his thing.

"They've got a chance to have a special season, if they keep it rolling."

Wisconsin had three turnovers and eight penalties for 65 yards, but its defense kept the Boilermakers (3-3, 1-2) from scoring a touchdown. And senior linebacker Leon Jacobs came up big with a late save for the Badgers.

With Purdue posing a red-zone challenge on the 7-yard line, Jacobs picked off Elijah Sindelar with 8:14 left in the game. The pass was intended for Purdue freshman wide receiver Jackson Anthrop.

Jacobs finished with a career-high nine tackles and nabbed the second interception of his career.

Wisconsin held Purdue to 221 yards, including 155 passing.

Taylor got started early in a game with sporadic rain showers, fighting through contact on the third play of the Badgers' first series en route to a 67-yard touchdown run.

Taylor has three touchdown runs of 60-plus yards through six games. Wisconsin had three total runs of 60-plus yards during the 2016 season.

Taylor had 12 rushes for 149 yards in the first half.

Sophomore quarterback Alex Hornibrook completed 4 of 4 passes for 63 yards on the Badgers' second series to orchestrate the second score, capped by a 14-yard TD pass to sophomore wide receiver Quintez Cephus.

Junior kicker Spencer Evans got Purdue on the scoreboard with a 36-yard field goal with 1:14 to go in the first quarter that trimmed Wisconsin's lead to 14-3.

The Badgers clamped down on defense when their offense faltered in the first half.

Purdue cornerback De'Wan Hunt's 42-yard interception return set up the Boilermakers at Wisconsin's 44-yard line.

But Sindelar threw three incomplete passes to squash Purdue's drive at 13:06 in the second quarter.

Purdue pulled within 17-6 at halftime as Evans drilled a 49-yard field goal with 5 seconds to go.

Hornibrook threw his second interception in the third quarter, picked off by linebacker Danny Ezechukwu, who dashed 38 yards to Wisconsin's 38-yard line. Purdue capitalized three plays later as JD Dellinger connected on a 40-yard field goal to trim the Badgers' lead to 17-9 with 4:07 remaining in the third.

Cephus finished with five catches for a career-high 100 yards.

Hornibrook completed 13 of 18 passes for 199 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Sindelar completed 13 of 29 passes for 155 yards and an interception. Blough had two rushes for minus-15 yards.

Brohm said he was disappointed that the Boilermakers couldn't take advantage of the Badgers' turnovers. He still was proud of Purdue's performance.

"We had a chance to win and that's a tremendous sign," said Brohm, who is in his first season coaching at Purdue. "It shows the fighting spirit that our guys had. They were able to overcome some adversity early on. Sometimes it wasn't pretty but they hung in there and they hung tough. That's the main thing we can take from it.

"You've got a group of guys in there that are disappointed but they are encouraged to know that hey we've got to go try to win the next one."

NOTES: Wisconsin LB T.J. Edwards was ejected from the game late in the first half for a targeting penalty. ... Wisconsin entered the game with an 11-game winning streak in the series -- by an average margin of 23.4 points per game -- dating to 2004. Now at 12, the streak is the longest in the history between the programs, which started in 1892. ... RB Jonathan Taylor's game wasn't perfect. He had a fumble deep in Purdue territory that was picked up by Boilermakers DT Lorenzo Neal at 14:53 of the fourth quarter.