In its first Big Ten test of the season, the Wisconsin football team failed when it mattered most.

After Brooks Bollinger found Jonathan Orr for a 29-yard touchdown to cut Penn State’s fourth-quarter lead to 34-31, the Badgers failed to recover Scott Campbell’s onsides kick attempt. Penn State ran out the clock to seal the victory.

Bollinger finished the day with 217 yards on 15-of-25 passing, but he was sacked seven times by a tenacious PSU pass rush led by DT Jimmy Kennedy and DE Michael Haynes, who had nine tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble.

The Badgers made costly errors all game, including two consecutive errors on a fourth-quarter drive and a missed extra point after an un-sportsmanlike-conduct penalty after a Brandon Williams touchdown catch.

“I didn’t feel as though we played particularly well on either side of the ball today,” Wisconsin head coach Barry Alvarez said. “We made a lot of mistakes. When you make mistakes, it’s hard to in. But give Penn State credit; they’re a very good team. They’ve got a lot of good weapons on offense.”

Anthony Davis and Dwayne Smith combined for 88 yards on 17 carries, and Orr added a touchdown catch. Bollinger tossed two TDs and ran for another.