The University of Wisconsin football team (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) played host to the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions (7-0, 4-0) on homecoming night, Saturday, Oct. 26, falling in a 28-13 loss.
Saturday’s result saw the Nittany Lions extend their head-to-head win streak over the Badgers to six games, dating all the way back to 2012 when the Nittany Lions got the best of the Badgers 24-21 in overtime.
The Badgers came into the game on a three-game winning streak over Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern, which saw them rise to fifth place in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions were undefeated, beating USC 33-30 on an overtime field goal last week in Los Angeles.
First Half
The Badgers looked to set the tempo on the first drive of the game, as Badger quarterback Braedyn Locke found receiver Vinny Anthony II for a 20 yard catch on third-and-15. On the next set of downs, running back Tawee Walker got stopped on back-to-back run plays, and Locke was unable to complete his pass on third down, setting up a punt from Atticus Bertrams. Or so everyone thought, as Bertrams faked the punt and took off down the left side, gaining 15 yards and the first down.
“[The fake punt] wasn’t a plan… [Bertrams] pulled the ball down and then made a great decision to realize that he could continue to rush for a first down,” head coach Luke Fickell said postgame.
The rest of the drive was not nearly as eventful, as two more incompletions set up a 50-yard field goal from kicker Nathanial Vakos, giving the Badgers the 3-0 lead.
The Badger defense, as they have been all season, came up big on Penn State’s first drive, recovering a fumble by quarterback Drew Allar on a fourth-and-1 “tush push.”
Allar let the ball fly on the Nittany Lions’ second drive, however, finding four different receivers for a combined 77 yards in five passes. The good passing play set Allar up for a six yard passing touchdown to running back Nicholas Singleton, putting the Nittany Lions up 7-3.
After a few back-and-forth punts, the Badger offense returned to the field. Locke found receiver Will Pauling up the seam for 28 yards, allowing Walker to “walk” the ball in from the 1-yard line, restoring the Badgers lead.
The Badger defense quashed any hope of a Nittany Lion score late in the first half, as linebacker Jake Chaney sacked Allar for a loss of 3 yards.
Going into the half, both teams were about even stat-wise, with the Badgers leading 71-46 in rushing yards, the Nittany Lions leading 148-105 in passing yards, and both teams gaining 10 first downs.
Second Half
Coming out of the halftime break, fans and players alike were surprised to see backup quarterback Beau Pribula warming up for the Nittany Lions. Allar left the game just before the halftime break, and returned in the second half wearing a brace on his left knee.
Following a slow start on the first several drives of the second half, the Badgers offense took the field pinned back on their own 12-yard line. Walker was unable to gain yards on the first two downs, losing 4 yards, but on third down Locke threw an interception that the Nittany Lions returned for a pick six, giving them the 14-10 lead.
Locke didn’t give up, however, finding receiver C.J. Williams on a 33-yard pass on the next drive and setting up a 32-yard Vakos field goal.
“Nothing is going to be handed to you in this league, especially the way it is now,” Fickell said. “You gotta be prepared, you gotta be ready to fight every week.”
Pribula got more comfortable for the Nittany Lions, using his throwing ability and mobility to drive the team 81 yards down the field, capped off by a 1-yard rushing touchdown from tight end Khalil Dinkins.
The Nittany Lions would score another touchdown with just over three minutes remaining in the game and stop the Badgers on fourth-and-9, closing the game out 28-13.
“I don’t want to say ‘a tale of two halves’, but there was definitely a different buzz in that second half,” Fickell said. “We couldn’t take advantage of an incredible atmosphere and crowd to finish the [game] off.”
Locke finished the game 22-for-42 passing for 217 yards, while Walker rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown on 22 attempts. Receiving-wise, Pauling led the team with 79 receiving yards on eight catches, while Anthony II caught seven passes for 68 yards.
Next up for the Badgers is a trip to Iowa City, Iowa, to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) on Saturday, Nov. 2. The Hawkeyes are coming off a big 40-14 win over the Northwestern Wildcats.
