MADISON, Wis. — No. 3 Penn State (6-0, 4-0 Big Ten) used a second-half rally to beat Wisconsin 28-13 at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday night.
The Badgers (5-3, 3-2) led 10-7 at halftime but were held to just a field goal in the second half. Quarterback Braedyn Locke tossed an interception in the third quarter which Penn State safety Jaylen Reed returned 19 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.
Penn State starting QB Drew Allar did not play in the second half due to an apparent knee injury, but backup Beau Pribula filled in just fine, completing 11-of-13 passes for 98 yards with one touchdown.
The Athletic’s analysis:
Pribula steps in admirably for Allar
Allar stood on the sideline at the start of the second half with a towel draped over his head and a brace on his left knee. Allar’s night was done after sustaining an apparent injury late in the first half when he was sacked. Allar completed 14-of-18 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown. Allar’s availability moving forward now becomes the biggest storyline for Penn State ahead of next Saturday’s showdown in Beaver Stadium against No. 4 Ohio State.
Pribula, who has predominantly been used in a change-of-pace role in Andy Kotelnicki’s offense, was able to find open receivers and rely on the Nittany Lions’ ground game to keep the offense afloat in the second half. Early in the fourth quarter Pribula connected with tight end Khalil Dinkins for a 1-yard touchdown that extended Penn State’s lead to 21-13. Pribula also carried the ball six times for 28 yards. — Snyder
Reed sparks Penn State’s win
Reed’s pick-six on a ball thrown right at him by Locke with 6:23 left in the third quarter provided a massive jolt to the Penn State sideline. Allar walked down to celebrate the 19-yard touchdown with the defense. The offense, which hadn’t scored since early in the second quarter when Allar was at quarterback, suddenly had a 14-10 lead. For as flat as the visiting sideline looked as the home crowd remained loud and Pribula tried to settle in, the defense provided the game-changing play.
Fittingly, Penn State’s last trip to Camp Randall in 2021 was highlighted by a key interception from safety Jaquan Brisker. Like Brisker, Reed also wears jersey number 1, a detail Brisker took to X to highlight.
1 doing 1 things in Wisconsin! Nothing new .. they know bout that number ! #WeAre
— Quanny B. (@JaquanBrisker) October 27, 2024
Penn State’s defense played most of the second half without starting defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton who exited with an apparent injury in the second quarter. Dennis-Sutton remained on the sideline in pads and continued to stretch his right side and groin area. Dennis-Sutton played the first defensive snap of the second half and then retreated to the sideline for the rest of the game. – Snyder
Wisconsin’s offense falters
Locke lifted his hands in the air toward fans as halftime arrived, clearly amped running off the field by a late-half score from tailback Tawee Walker that gave the Badgers a 10-7 lead. Momentum was on Wisconsin’s side in a game that felt like one the Badgers could take from the Nittany Lions given how Wisconsin had played over the previous three weeks. But the offense could muster little of the success it found in victories against Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern and wilted in the second half.
Locke threw a backbreaking pick-six when he tried to fit a ball over the middle to tight end Tucker Ashcraft with two defenders in coverage. Locke, who replaced injured starter Tyler Van Dyke against Alabama, showed progress during Wisconsin’s three-game winning streak but continues to struggle with turnovers. He has been intercepted in all five of his starts and has seven total turnovers in that stretch.
Wisconsin did manage a field goal on the next drive to get within one point, aided by a great 33-yard throw and catch from Locke to receiver CJ Williams, who dove for the ball on the right sideline. But the Badgers didn’t have enough left to recover, as Penn State added two more touchdowns. Wisconsin’s limitations as an offense were exposed against a solid defense. — Temple
Missed opportunity for the Badgers
Wisconsin generated a level of cautious optimism with its play in the last three games that it could spring the upset against Penn State during a primetime game at Camp Randall Stadium. This moment could have shined a light on the program for a national college football audience and helped take the Badgers out of the abyss they experienced for the past few years. Instead, Luke Fickell is now 0-5 as Wisconsin’s coach against ranked teams. Wisconsin hasn’t beaten a ranked opponent since toppling No. 9 Iowa three years ago under Paul Chryst.
Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) has lost to three teams this season that were ranked at the time of the game — Alabama, USC and now Penn State. The road doesn’t figure to get any easier. Wisconsin plays next Saturday at Iowa before playing No. 1 Oregon at home, a Nebraska team on the road that took Ohio State down to the wire Saturday and then border rival Minnesota in the regular-season finale. All of those teams are 5-3 overall or better. — Temple
(Photo: Mark Hoffman / USA Today via Imagn Images)
