ARE THE BADGERS BACK? Wisconsin stuns #13 penn state in happy valley

Wisconsin vs Penn State Game Recap

Is Luke Fickell’s job safe for now? The Badgers went into Happy Valley and left with a win after outsourcing Penn State 14-0 in the 4th quarter. Wisconsin was the first team left out of this week's AP poll.

The first quarter was a slow one, consisting of two punts from each team, and a Penn State 22-yard field goal. Penn State would find the end zone first when Josiah Zayas intercepted Wisconsin Quarterback Colton Joseph and returned it 51 yards for a touchdown. The very next drive, Joseph would throw another interception to set Penn State up at the Wisconsin 11-yard line.

Three runs ended in a 3-yard touchdown run from Quarterback Rocco Becht. The Nittany Lions jumped out to an early 17-0, but from then on, it would be all Badgers. An 11-play, 75 yard drive from the Badgers would put them on the board. Colton Joseph threw for 41 yards on this drive and ended it with a 7-yard touchdown run from himself. Running Back Abu Sama III also had a 17-yard carry. The Badgers would go into the half down 17-7.

Early in the second half, Becht would throw an interception, ultimately setting up a Wisconsin field goal. Penn State would follow up with a field goal of their own to bring the lead back to two scores. The next four drives were all punts, but Wisconsin seemed to throw the game away when Colton Joseph threw his third interception of the game with 8:09 remaining. However, Penn State would not take advantage of this turnover, having a 3-play, -1 yard drive, resulting in another punt.

On the next drive, Wisconsin would assert their dominance. Running Back Darrion Dupree ran for 37 yards on just three carries, and Joseph threw for 44 yards, capping the drive off with an 11-yard passing touchdown to receiver Eugene Hilton Jr., the son of NFL legend T.Y. Hilton. Wisconsin would force another three-and-out, and would receive the ball back with 2:28 remaining down three points.

An incompletion, false start and holding penalty would set the Badgers back, and they would have an early 2nd & 19. However, a 25-yard pass to Dupree would give the Badgers a must-needed first down. Just a few plays later, on 3rd & 13, Joseph connected with Tight End Jacob Harris for a 72-yard touchdown. Wisconsin would hold off the Penn State offense, and won the game 24-20, in a huge comeback win.

Colton Joseph didn’t have the game he would’ve necessarily wanted, but he led his team when it mattered most. He finished with 235 passing yards, 39 rushing yards, three total touchdowns, and three interceptions on 18/38 passing. Dupree and Sama III combined for 86 yards rushing on just 13 carries. Dupree also added 4 receptions for 44 yards. Jacob Harris led the Badgers in receiving with 105 yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, Mason Posa led the Badgers with 12 tackles and 1 TFL. Javan Robinson had three pass deflections and Hammond Russell IV recorded 1.5 sacks and a pass deflection. Altogether, Wisconsin held Becht to 114 yards passing, and the Penn State rushing attack to just 3.3 YPC.

For Penn State, Rocco Becht had a disaster of a game. To put it bluntly, this is a Big 12 quarterback in the Big 10. He recorded 114 yards passing with 0 passing touchdowns and an interception on 12/29 passing. He did add a touchdown with his legs. Only two Penn State targets had more than 5 yards, a room that was clearly missing Star Receiver Koby Howard, who missed the game with injury. James Peoples led them with 67 rushing yards and Chase Sowell led them with 70 receiving yards.

On defense, the Nittany Lions forced three interceptions, but struggled when it mattered most in the last few minutes of the game. This is a tough Wisconsin team and it just seemed their physical toughness wore Penn State down. Audavion Collins recorded three pass deflections and Tony Rojas recorded 6 tackles, 2 TFL, a sack and an interception. In the final seven minutes of the game, Penn State’s defense allowed 14 points and 160 yards.

If you’re a Wisconsin fan, this season is starting better than anyone could’ve asked for. They competed for a half vs #3 ranked Notre Dame and beat #13 ranked Penn State. Now, Wisconsin still has Rutgers, Maryland, Michigan State and Purdue left on their schedule, arguably the four worst teams in the Big Ten. The rest of the schedule consists of UCLA, USC, Iowa and Minnesota. If nothing goes horrendously wrong, this is a seven win team at worst, with a winning record in conference play. That being said, their four “harder” games are all winnable, and everything Badger fans hoped for lies right in front of them. This is a physically tough, blue-collar team that is not scared to compete against anyone. However, Colton Joseph must limit the turnovers if the Badgers want to reach all of their goals. 

On the other sideline, Penn State absolutely embarrassed themselves on Saturday. Ultimately, this is what happens when you attempt to compete in the Big Ten with a team full of transfers from an above average Big 12 team. Losing hold of a 17-0 lead at what is known to be one of the toughest stadiums to play in is entirely inexcusable. Rocco Becht was a non-factor on Saturday, and the Penn State defense seemed to be out-toughed by Wisconsin when it mattered most. Big Ten football consists of gritty, midwest teams, and Penn State seems to have lost that identity with Matt Campbell at the helm. It makes you wonder if Penn State truly made the right decision to buyout and fire James Franklin.