[media-credit name=’DEREK MONTGOMERY/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — When Penn State quarterback Michael Robinson's pass fell into the arms of wideout Deon Butler in the end zone to put the Nittany Lions up 7-0 at just 1:38 into the game, Wisconsin was already on its heels.

The Nittany Lions came out full of emotion after honoring the team's seniors — a group that included Robinson, the emotional leader of the team that currently leads the Big Ten.

Wisconsin, by contrast, lost any realistic chance at a conference title with Saturday's 35-14 loss at Beaver Stadium, largely due to the fact that it could not slow down a fired-up Penn State team early on.

"It's tough to come out in the first quarter and give up big plays right off the bat, and after that knowing that the offense is going to have to help you to win the game," mike linebacker Mark Zalewski said. "It is kind of like playing uphill and not the way we wanted to start."

UW head coach Barry Alvarez knew starting off well would prove paramount against the Nittany Lions. Proof of this was his decision to go for it on three different fourth-down decisions in the first half.

"Well, we came here to win the game," Alvarez said. "I knew it was going to be hard to move it on them. I knew what type [of] team they had. I didn't want to get off right away. I just thought it would be worth taking a chance to send a message to the kids, 'Hey, we came up here to try to win a football game."

Despite converting on two of those gambles, a struggling defense, combined with a grounded offense that failed to capitalize on its few chances in the first half, saddled Wisconsin with the daunting task of trying to play from behind against a swarming Penn State defense. And the results weren't pretty.

Nittany Lion defensive end Tamba Hali got to know UW quarterback John Stocco pretty well — Hali sacked Stocco four times, and recorded seven tackles for losses. But Hali was far from alone.

Penn State sacked Stocco a total of nine times, and all but swallowed up Badger running back and all-purpose threat Brian Calhoun. Calhoun, who entered the game averaging 184.1 combined yards per game, managed just 86.

The Nittany Lion front seven closed hole after hole, leaving Calhoun with limited running room and allowing its speed to take over on defense. Leading tackler Paul Posluszny led the way, totaling 12 tackles, five of which went for losses. In total, eight different Nittany Lions made tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

Wisconsin's offense will have to erase Hali and Co. from its memory if it hopes to avoid a late season swoon similar to last year's. Ditto for the defense. Robinson and the Nittany Lion rushing attack totaled 282 yards, gaining yardage seemingly at will.

"We went through this last year, so we know we can't have a hangover this week affect us for Saturday's game against Iowa," will linebacker Dontez Sanders said. "We lost this game, it's over with and done with. We can't let Penn State beat us twice though."

The case for why Wisconsin will avoid last season's fate is a convincing one. For starters, the Badgers will have that Senior Day inspiration on their side. They will be looking for their first win over Iowa in three years. Last, but far from least, Alvarez will be saying goodbye to the Camp Randall sidelines.

"This is a competitive group," Alvarez said. "Just because you lose a game doesn't mean you fold the tent. Now some people might do that, but I think these kids have shown they've been resilient. And why would they? There's just too much riding on it. I would guess they'll bounce back, and I told them already what they're playing for, so they're smart enough to realize that."

Granted, there was still quite a bit to play for last year when Wisconsin traveled to Iowa — namely a Rose Bowl berth. The Badgers' resiliency, something they credit for sticking with Northwestern in a narrow defeat and for come-from-behind wins against Michigan and Minnesota, will once again be tested. The way they respond to that test will determine the outcome of the rest of this season.

"If you think about, if this season's like one of our games, we've been behind," co-offensive coordinator Paul Chryst said. "That's why we've had some of the success we've had this year. I think the majority of it is it's a pretty resilient group. We'll come back at it, and they'll be ready to go, I think. I don't worry about that one bit, really."