No. 3 Penn State football (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) took care of business against Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) 28-13 Saturday night at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.
The first half was full of ups and downs for both teams. Wisconsin faked a punt but also had a three-and-out, while Penn State scored a touchdown but was otherwise inefficient on offense and trailed 10-7 at halftime.
Beau Pribula took over for Drew Allar, who suffered an apparent injury at the end of the first half. The offense continued to stumble early in the half, but a crucial pick-six turned the momentum in Penn State’s favor. A Pribula touchdown pass to Khalil Dinkins expanded the lead, and Kaytron Allen scored a touchdown with three minutes left in the game to effectively seal another Penn State win.
How It Happened
Braedyn Locke fired a 20-yard pass to Vinny Anthony II on 3rd-and-15. Two Tawee Walker runs brought up 3rd-and-9, and an incompletion made it fourth down. However, Atticus Bertrams faked the punt and scrambled 15 yards to Penn State’s 44-yard line. Walker gained another first down, but the drive stalled. Nathanial Vakos kicked a 50-yard field goal to give the Badgers a 3-0 lead with 11:05 left in the first quarter.
From the 18-yard line, a pass and run brought up 3rd-and-5. Allar fired a 16-yard pass to Julian Fleming on the run, then connected with Trey Wallace on a 13-yard play for another first down. The Nittany Lions faced 3rd-and-1 three plays later, but Fleming dropped the pass. A tush-push attempt was unsuccessful, and Wisconsin regained possession on its own 27-yard line.
Walker ran twice for eight combined yards. He then picked up three for a first down. The Badgers faced 3rd-and-19 three plays later, and Anthony II’s reception only gained eight yards.
Allar fired a nine-yard pass to Wallace, and Nick Singleton picked up a first down. Warren caught another nine-yard pass, and he gained 15 yards on a shovel pass. Two plays later, Khalil Dinkins caught a 17-yard pass to reach Wisconsin’s 35-yard line. Then, Singleton picked up 27 yards to end the first quarter. On 2nd-and-goal, Singleton made a one-handed catch to give Penn State a 7-3 lead with 14:37 left in the second quarter.
From his own 13-yard line, Locke completed a 14-yard pass to Darrion Dupree. An eight-yard reception by Riley Nowakowski made it 3rd-and-2 two plays later, and Walker bulldozed four yards for another first down. An incompletion and a three-yard run were too much for the Badgers to overcome, and Bertrams punted the ball away.
Allen ripped a 14-yard run from Penn State’s eight-yard line to start the drive. Singleton picked up a yard, but he caught a four-yard pass to make it 3rd-and-5. Allen only made it two yards before he was tackled, which forced the Nittany Lions to punt.
Wisconsin went three-and-out, and Penn State took over at the 25-yard line. Runs by Allar and Singleton brought up 3rd-and-1. With Pribula under center, Singleton gained two yards to extend the drive. However, the offense couldn’t gain enough yards to convert after a holding call, and Penn State punted for the second consecutive drive.
Locke completed an eight-yard pass to Anthony II, then Walker gained three yards for a first down. The Badgers continued to move the ball, as Will Pauling made a 13-yard catch two plays later. Walker ripped a 12-yard run, and Pauling made a massive 28-yard catch to put Wisconsin at the three-yard line. On 3rd-and-goal, Walker scored to give Wisconsin a 10-7 lead with 1:23 left in the half.
Allar found Wallace for an 18-yard completion. Allar was sacked by Jake Chaney, and then he threw two incompletions to end the drive and the half.
Singleton gained 18 yards, and Pribula rushed for seven to open the half. An incompletion made it 3rd-and-2, and Warren caught a three-yard pass to convert. Penn State faced 3rd-and-7 three plays later, but Allen only gained four yards. Penn State punted for the third consecutive drive.
Wisconsin went three-and-out and Penn State regained possession at the 38-yard line. Allen gained four yards, but Pribula fumbled the next snap for a two-yard loss. A delay of game penalty made it 3rd-and-13, but Allen gained 11 on a reception. However, Penn State punted again.
Walker lost a yard on the opening play, and then three more on the next. But then, Jaylen Reed intercepted Locke’s pass and took it to the house to give Penn State a 14-10 lead with 6:29 left in the third quarter.
On 3rd-and-6, Locke completed an 11-yard pass to Anthony II. Then, CJ Williams made a 33-yard catch to put the Badgers on Penn State’s 18-yard line. Walker lost a yard, then gained two. Wisconsin gained two more on 3rd-and-9, and Vakos made a 32-yard field goal to make it 14-13 with 2:44 left in the quarter.
Pribula fired a 12-yard pass to Liam Clifford. Singleton ripped a nine-yard run, but he was stuffed to bring up 3rd-and-1. He picked up four yards to convert, and Pribula scrambled another eight yards. After Camp Randall Stadium exploded for “Jump Around,” he gained nine yards.
Wallace caught a 17-yard pass to reach the 22-yard line, but Singleton lost a yard. Warren caught a shovel pass to bring up 3rd-and-4, but Wallace made a nine-yard catch to make it 1st-and-goal. On 3rd-and-goal, Pribula hit a wide-open Dinkins to make it 21-13 with 10:01 left in the fourth quarter.
After a Wisconsin three-and-out, Allen ripped a nine-yard run. He suffered a two-yard loss, but Clifford caught Pribula’s five-yard pass to convert on third down. Clifford got involved again with a 23-yard reception to reach Wisconsin’s 35-yard line.
Two plays later, Pribula scrambled two yards on 3rd-and-1 to convert again. Then, Allen dashed 24 yards into the end zone to give Penn State a 28-13 lead with 3:10 left in regulation.
Wisconsin got to the red zone on the ensuing drive, but it failed to convert on fourth down, which effectively ended the game.
Takeaways
- Pribula excelled in relief for an injured Allar. He completed 11-of-13 passes with 98 passing yards and a touchdown. He has now proven he can play well whenever he’s called upon, which is huge for Penn State’s roster depth and talent.
- Reed had a crucial interception for the second game in a row. He picked off Locke deep in Wisconsin territory and returned it for a touchdown to put the Nittany Lions in front in the third quarter. They never looked back from there on out.
- The offense struggled in the middle of the game, with four consecutive punts in the second and third quarters. If not for Wisconsin’s issues on offense, the Nittany Lions could very well have lost.
- Penn State’s ability to walk into a tough environment against a good team, bounce back from adversity, and win convincingly is no easy feat. We’ll know how good this team really is next week, but so far, so good.
What’s Next
Penn State plays Ohio State at noon on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Beaver Stadium. The game will be televised on FOX.
